Hadrian the Seventh (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Historical Novel - A Story of The ReformerBy Frederick Rolfe
Length15h 1m
About this audiobook
Hadrian the Seventh (1904) is Frederick Rolfe's extraordinary fantasy of ecclesiastical reversal, in which George Arthur Rose, an impoverished, rejected aspirant to the priesthood, is unexpectedly raised to the papacy as Hadrian VII. Written in a richly idiosyncratic, ornate, and often caustic prose, the novel blends theological speculation, political satire, self-dramatizing autobiography, and fin-de-siècle Catholic imagination. Its context is the crisis-ridden modern Church of the late nineteenth century, yet its method belongs equally to decadent fiction and spiritual romance. Rolfe, who styled himself Baron Corvo, was a gifted but embittered English convert to Roman Catholicism whose frustrated ambitions for ordination profoundly shaped the novel. His life was marked by poverty, quarrels, patronage, exile, and a fierce sense of personal grievance. Hadrian the Seventh transforms these wounds into art: Rose is unmistakably Rolfe's alter ego, and the papal fantasy becomes both vindication and indictment. This book is recommended to readers interested in Catholic literature, decadent prose, psychological self-portraiture, and the strange borderland between satire and wish fulfillment. It remains a singular, unsettling, and brilliant novel.
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
Rating★★★★ 3.7 (1.6K)
Includes LibraryThing, Goodreads, Amazon
GenreGeneral Fiction, Humor
Length15 hrs 1 min
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMar 8, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation (Annotated)
17Chapter XI
2Introduction
18Chapter XII
3Synopsis
19Chapter XIII
4Historical Context
20Chapter XIV
5Hadrian the Seventh
21Chapter XV
Mostrar todos os capítulosVer menos
6Chapter I
22Chapter XVI
7Chapter II
23Chapter XVII
8Chapter III
24Chapter XVIII
9Chapter IV
25Chapter XIX
10Chapter V
26Chapter XX
11Chapter VI
27Chapter XXI
12Chapter VII
28Chapter XXII
13Chapter VII
29Chapter XXIII
14Chapter VIII
30Analysis
15Chapter IX
31Reflection
16Chapter X
32Memorable Quotes
More from Frederick Rolfe
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.6 (4.6K)$29 · $0.00
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m4.5 (949.4K)$46 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt11h 17m4.4 (1.7M)$29 · $0.00
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m4.7 (670)$28 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
War LordBernard Cornwell13h 21m4.6 (33.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
Something Like LoveBeverly Jenkins10h 21m4.6 (2.7K)$29 · $0.00
Black History CollectionFrederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois27h 9m4.6 (2.6K)$18 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
White HotIlona Andrews13h 18m4.5 (136.9K)$5 · $0.00
The Ghost by the Billabong (The Matilda Saga, #5)Jackie French14h 58m4.6 (773)$33 · $0.00
Cast in BloodMichelle Sagara16h 35m4.6 (607)$33 · $0.00
The Captain Blood Trilogy (Annotated)Rafael Sabatini29h 20m4.6 (1K)$3 · $0.00
Ship of the Line (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith11h 13m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The George Orwell CollectionGeorge Orwell24h 46m4.5 (14.4K)$12 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 38m4.5 (9.2K)$2 · $0.00
Driving ForceElle James4h 58m4.6 (407)$20 · $0.00
When God Calls the HeartBrian Bird, Michelle Cox3h 24m4.6 (439)$10 · $0.00
Lost In TranslationAudrey Davis9h 15m4.4 (235)Free
How to Test Negative for StupidJohn Kennedy8h 13m4.7 (9.7K)$28 · $0.00
The Jeeves and Wooster Stories: The Complete Collection (33 Books)P. G. Wodehouse21h 57m4.7 (2.8K)$15 · $0.00
Birdie & HarlowTaylor Wolfe7h 50m4.6 (6.5K)$26 · $0.00
The Life of DaiDai Henwood, Jaquie Brown8h 2m4.6 (790)$26 · $0.00
Welcome to PawneeJim O'Heir6h 24m4.5 (5.3K)$24 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett13h 36m4.5 (163.8K)$33 · $0.00
Woman UninterruptedBrodie Kane7h 1m4.6 (562)$24 · $0.00
1984 & Animal Farm (Annotated)George Orwell15h 54m4.5 (220.8K)$3.99 · $0.00
Kingsblood Royal (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis14h 42m4.6 (264)$2 · $0.00
This Is Going to HurtAdam Kay5h 47m4.4 (444.7K)$24 · $0.00
You Will Get Through This NightDaniel Howell6h 56m4.4 (11.8K)$24 · $0.00
Northanger Abbey (Annotated)Jane Austen10h 7m4.5 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m4.4 (63.6K)$46 · $0.00
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS & SCREWTAPE PROPOSES A TOAST (Annotated)C. S. Lewis5h 6m4.4 (471K)$2 · $0.00
BufferingHannah Hart5h 55m4.4 (12.4K)$24 · $0.00
The Office BFFsJenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey8h 26m4.3 (45.4K)$26 · $0.00
The Collected Stories of Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker8h 36m4.3 (13.6K)$1 · $0.00
LambChristopher Moore15h 22m4.3 (211.3K)$33 · $0.00
#IMomSoHardKristin Hensley, Jen Smedley7h 19m4.3 (7.3K)$24 · $0.00
You may also like
Hadrian the SeventhFrederick Rolfe14h 47m3.8 (1.5K)$2 · $0.00
Hadrian the Seventh (Annotated)Frederick Rolfe14h 54m3.8 (1.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
An Unpleasant Predicament: A Nasty Story (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky3h 56m3.7 (6.6K)$2 · $0.00
Hadrian the Seventh (Annotated)Frederick Rolfe14h 56m3.8 (1.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
The MisanthropeMolière2h 2m4.0 (32.6K)$1.20 · $0.00
An Unpleasant Predicament: A Nasty Story (Unabridged) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky4h 4m3.7 (6.6K)$2 · $0.00
Timon of AthensWilliam Shakespeare2h 18m3.6 (10.5K)$15
AN UNPLEASANT PREDICAMENTFyodor Dostoyevsky3h 56m3.7 (6.7K)$1.99 · $0.00
Niccolò Machiavelli: The PrinceNiccolò Machiavelli3h 40m4.0 (453K)$12 · $0.00
The Complete Works of George OrwellGeorge Orwell114h 54m4.5 (253)$1 · $0.00
Satan's DiaryLeonid Andreyev6h 55m3.6 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
In Praise of Folly
Illustrated with Many Curious CutsErasmus, Desiderius, 1469-15364h 29m3.8 (20.5K)Free
The Essays or Counsels, Civil and MoralFrancis Bacon5h 27m4.0 (4.9K)Free
BOULE DE SUIF & OTHER TALESGuy de Maupassant10h 50m4.0 (13.9K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Immoral MajorityBen Howe8h 56m3.9 (1.1K)$29 · $0.00
WHEN WILLIAM CAMESaki, H. H. Munro6h 29m3.7 (1.7K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Ego and His OwnMax Stirner16h 36m4.2 (5.9K)$2 · $0.00
ManiaLionel Shriver9h 23m3.6 (5.3K)$29 · $0.00
George Bernard Shaw: The Collected Plays (Illustrated) (Annotated)George Bernard Shaw175h 14m4.5 (11)$2.99 · $0.00
Rameau's Nephew (in a new translation by Ian C. Johnston) (Annotated)Denis Diderot5h 7m3.4 (10)$2 · $0.00