Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent
Pseudonymous Essays on Early Republican New York, Theatrical Taste, and Fashionable AffectationBy Washington Irving
Length1h 48m
About this audiobook
Published in 1802, *Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent.* is a lively series of satirical newspaper sketches in which Irving adopts the persona of a conservative, urban observer to comment on New York manners, fashions, theater, literary taste, and public conduct. Written in the polished, mock-serious idiom of the eighteenth-century essay, the letters blend social criticism with comic exaggeration, revealing the tensions between inherited decorum and the self-conscious modernity of the young republic. Though slight in form, the work is important literary evidence of the period's developing American voice: it adapts British periodical satire to local subjects and anticipates the character-driven humor for which Irving became famous. Washington Irving (1783–1859) composed these pieces as a young New Yorker and published them in the *Morning Chronicle* under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. His upbringing in a prosperous mercantile family, exposure to New York's rapidly changing cultural life, and early interest in theater and belles lettres helped shape his amused yet critical perspective. The letters belong to Irving's apprenticeship, demonstrating his emerging command of persona, irony, and social observation before the mature romantic narratives of *The Sketch Book*. Readers interested in the origins of American humorous writing, early national print culture, or Irving's artistic development will find this volume especially rewarding. It offers both an entertaining portrait of Federal-era New York and a revealing glimpse of a major author discovering the literary methods that would define his career.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★ 3.3 (25)
Includes Goodreads
GenreLiterary Classics
Length1 hr 48 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 7, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Best of Charles Dickens (Annotated)
7LETTER IV
2Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent: Nine Humorous Essays on the Fashions of the Time and the New York Theater Scene (Classic Unabridged Edition)
8LETTER V
3BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE
9LETTER VI
4LETTER I
10LETTER VII
5LETTER II
11LETTER VIII
Mostrar todos os capítulosVer menos
6LETTER III
The Sketch Books of Geoffrey Crayon (Complete Edition)Washington Irving15h 22m4.0 (27.9K)$1.99 · $0.00
Die Legende Von Sleepy HollowWashington Irving1h 28m3.9 (260.3K)$1 · $0.00
The Legend of Sleepy HollowWashington Irving1h 25m4.0 (201.6K)$10 · $0.00
The Legend of Sleepy HollowWashington Irving1h 21m4.0 (194.3K)$9 · $0.00
La leyenda de Sleepy HollowWashington Irving2h 5m4.0 (199.1K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Historical Works of Washington Irving: Life of George Washington, The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, Astoria, Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada, Life of Oliver Goldsmith (Annotated)Washington Irving122h 6m$2 · $0.00
Jonathan Oldstyle's Briefe (Kommentiert)Washington Irving3h 6m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (Illustrated) (Annotated)Washington Irving15h 35m4.3 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. - The Complete Collection (Illustrated) (Annotated)Washington Irving15h 36m4.1 (29K)$2 · $0.00
Das Leben Mohammeds, des arabischen Propheten (Kommentiert)Washington Irving12h 28m3.9 (17)$1 · $0.00
The Spanish Account: Tales of the Alhambra & Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada (Annotated)Washington Irving31h 41m$2 · $0.00
La leyenda de Sleepy Hollow (Anotado)Washington Irving3h 16m4.4 (12)$1.99 · $0.00
A History of New York (Annotated)Washington Irving15h 5m3.8 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
Die New-York Geschichte: Von Anbeginn der Welt bis zur Endschaft der holländischen Dynastie (Kommentiert)Washington Irving10h 4m3.8 (1.6K)$1 · $0.00
Die Legende Von Sleepy Hollow (Kommentiert)Washington Irving2h 58m4.3 (12)$1 · $0.00
ASTORIA (A Western Classic) (Annotated)Washington Irving19h 48m3.9 (224)$2 · $0.00
The Historical Works of Washington Irving (Illustrated) (Annotated)Washington Irving122h 7m$2 · $0.00
Wolfert's Roost, and MiscellaniesWashington Irving6h 58m3.5 (10)$1 · $0.00
A History of New YorkWashington Irving14h 45m3.7 (501)$1 · $0.00
Knickerbocker's History of New York, CompleteWashington Irving14h 35m3.7 (516)$1 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 50m4.6 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust16h 8m4.5 (10.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
Lessons in TruthH. Emilie3h 50m4.6 (1.4K)$4.70 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
Sitting PrettyRebekah Taussig7h 33m4.5 (18.9K)$26 · $0.00
The Poetic Edda & The Prose EddaSnorri Sturluson, Saemund Sigfusson9h 34m4.5 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Satires & Essays of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain23h 21m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesLucy Maud Montgomery11h 10m4.4 (1.3M)$8 · $0.00
The Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás CubasMachado De Assis7h 39m4.4 (120.4K)$5 · $0.00
You may also like
My Weirder-est School #3: Dr. Floss Is the Boss!Dan Gutman1h 3m4.5 (1.9K)$13 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar WildeOscar Wilde80h 38m4.6 (23K)$1 · $0.00
The Diary of a NobodyGeorge Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith4h 28m3.9 (26.4K)$11 · $0.00
Seven Kinds of People You Find in BookshopsShaun Bythell2h 1m3.7 (10.3K)$15 · $0.00
The Diary of a NobodyGeorge Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith4h 31m4.0 (62.8K)$12
An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela AndrewsHenry Fielding2h 55m3.6 (1K)$1 · $0.00
The Middle-Class GentlemanMolière2h 21m3.9 (16.4K)$2.30
The Big CheeseJory John10m4.3 (5K)$4 · $0.00
Is sex necessary?E.B. White, James Thurber3h 15m3.7 (3.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Tatler (Vol. 1-4) (Annotated)Joseph Addison, Richard Steele56h 50m$2 · $0.00
Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor (Vol. 1&2) (Annotated)Various Authors10h$1.99 · $0.00
An Elegy on the Glory of Her Sex, Mrs. Mary Blaize (Annotated)Oliver Goldsmith1h 31m2.9 (21)$1.99 · $0.00
Gay Life (Unabridged) (Annotated)E. M. Delafield11h 36m3.5 (33)$2 · $0.00
More Tales in the Land of Nursery RhymeAda M. Marzials23m$1 · $0.00
Ruggles of Red GapHarry Leon Wilson11h 25m3.5 (102)$2.30 · $0.00
Little Masterpieces of American Wit and HumorVarious Authors9h 55m3.7 (30)$1.99 · $0.00
Happy DaysA. A. Milne8h 9m3.4 (50)$2.30
Gullible's Travels etc.Ring Lardner4h 50m3.8 (83)$2.30
Best Mom Jokes EverChantelle Grace47m$5 · $0.00
Ship's Company, The Entire CollectionW. W. Jacobs5h 12m3.8 (17)$2.30