The Old Wives' Tale (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Victorian Sister Saga of Provincial Staffordshire, Paris, Family, Aging, and Nineteenth-Century RealismBy Arnold Bennett
Length25h 52m
About this audiobook
The Old Wives' Tale is Arnold Bennett's expansive realist chronicle of two sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, whose divergent lives unfold from provincial Staffordshire to Paris across the turbulence of the nineteenth century. With patient narrative breadth, acute social observation, and an unsentimental attention to domestic detail, Bennett transforms ordinary experience into epic material. The novel stands within the tradition of European realism—Balzac, Flaubert, and Zola are palpable presences—yet its treatment of time, aging, commerce, marriage, and memory is distinctively English in texture and moral atmosphere. Arnold Bennett, born in 1867 in the Potteries, drew deeply on the industrial and commercial life of his native region, which he fictionalized as the "Five Towns." His understanding of lower-middle-class ambition, provincial constraint, and the dignity of routine labor informs the novel's emotional authority. A cosmopolitan writer and journalist who spent formative years in Paris, Bennett was unusually equipped to contrast provincial England with continental modernity while preserving sympathy for both. Readers who value capacious, humane fiction will find The Old Wives' Tale richly rewarding. It is a novel for those interested in how private lives are shaped by history, place, habit, and desire, and for anyone who appreciates realism at its most generous and quietly profound.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreGeneral Fiction, Literary Classics
Length25 hrs 52 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 9, 2019
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Old Wives' Tale (Annotated)
21Chapter 7. Bricks and Mortar
2Introduction
22Chapter 8. The Proudest Mother
3Synopsis
23BOOK III. Sophia
4Historical Context
24Chapter 1. The Elopement
5Preface to this Edition
25Chapter 2. Supper
Show all chaptersShow less
6BOOK I. Mrs. Baines
26Chapter 3. An Ambition Satisfied
7Chapter 1. The Square
27Chapter 4. A Crisis for Gerald
8Chapter 2. The Tooth
28Chapter 5. Fever
9Chapter 3. A Battle
29Chapter 6. The Siege
10Chapter 4. Elephant
30Chapter 7. Success
11Chapter 5. The Traveller
31BOOK IV. What Life is
12Chapter 6. Escapade
32Chapter 1. Frensham’s
13Chapter 7. A Defeat
33Chapter 2. The Meeting
14BOOK II. Constance
34Chapter 3. Towards Hotel Life
15Chapter 1. Revolution
35Chapter 4. End of Sophia
16Chapter 2. Christmas and the Future
36Chapter 5. End of Constance
17Chapter 3. Cyril
37Analysis
18Chapter 4. Crime
38Reflection
19Chapter 5. Another Crime
39Memorable Quotes
20Chapter 6. The Widow
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