On the Western Circuit
Enriched edition.By Thomas Hardy
Length2h 20m
About this audiobook
In "On the Western Circuit," Thomas Hardy intricately weaves a narrative that explores the complexities of love, duty, and social class within the confines of Victorian England. Through the stories of the young and impressionable Bathsheba Everdene and the earnest John Durbeyfield, Hardy employs a realist literary style marked by richly drawn characters and a keen observation of human emotions. The novella delves into themes of chance and the impact of societal expectations, ultimately delivering a poignant critique of a rigid social structure that stifles individual desires and relationships. Hardy's use of irony and compassion accentuates the struggles faced by his characters, rendering their fates as both tragic and resonant within the broader context of 19th-century literature. Thomas Hardy, a novelist and poet of the Victorian era, was profoundly influenced by the changing social and industrial landscapes of his time. Born in Dorset and steeped in the rural traditions of England, Hardy's experiences shaped his keen awareness of the tensions between progress and tradition, a hallmark reflected in his works. "On the Western Circuit," originally serialized in 1887, showcases Hardy's fascination with the moral dilemmas faced by individuals in an evolving society, drawing from his own observations of human nature and social constraints. This novella is highly recommended for readers interested in the interplay of personal ambition and societal pressures. Hardy's nuanced character portrayals and thoughtful commentary on love and class make this a vital read for those who appreciate the depth of human experience as captured in literature. Whether you are a long-time admirer of Hardy's work or new to his writings, "On the Western Circuit" offers a compelling exploration of the heart and the human condition.
In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for 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.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- 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★★★★ 3.8 (246)
Includes Goodreads
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length2 hrs 20 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 29, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
5On the Western Circuit
2Synopsis
6Analysis
3Historical Context
7Reflection
4Author Biography
8Memorable Quotes
Thomas Hardy - Premium Collection: 15 Novels, 53 Short Stories & 650+ Poems (Illustrated)Thomas Hardy274h 54m4.6 (115)$1.99 · $0.00
A Changed Man And Other TalesThomas Hardy9h 30m3.7 (558)$10 · $0.00
Tess of the D'urbervillesThomas Hardy16h 23m4.1 (358.5K)$16 · $0.00
The Mayor of CasterbridgeThomas Hardy11h 25m4.0 (190K)$18 · $0.00
The Well-BelovedThomas Hardy6h 26m3.6 (3.6K)$12 · $0.00
Two On A TowerThomas Hardy9h 10m3.8 (6K)$16 · $0.00
Wessex TalesThomas Hardy7h 30m4.0 (4K)$12 · $0.00
The Hand of EthelbertaThomas Hardy13h 42m3.8 (4.8K)$18 · $0.00
Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels (The Giants of Literature - Book 22) (Annotated)Thomas Hardy196h 41m4.5 (346)$1.99 · $0.00
The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a TemperamentThomas Hardy7h 12m$1.99 · $0.00
The Complete Poetical Works of Thomas Hardy (Illustrated) (Annotated)Thomas Hardy21h 58m4.3 (2.8K)$2 · $0.00
Wessex Tales Series: 18 Novels & Stories (Complete Collection) (Annotated)Thomas Hardy161h 30m$2 · $0.00
Winter Words in Various Moods and Metres (Annotated)Thomas Hardy3h 22m4.6 (10)$2 · $0.00
THOMAS HARDY Ultimate Collection: 15 Novels, 53 Short Stories & 650+ Poems (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)Thomas Hardy279h 42m4.6 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
WESSEX TALES - Complete Series (Illustrated) (Annotated)Thomas Hardy161h 25m4.1 (5.4K)$2 · $0.00
Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels (The Giants of Literature - Book 22) (Annotated)Thomas Hardy200h 48m4.3 (387)$2 · $0.00
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (British Classics Series) (Annotated)Thomas Hardy17h 41m4.1 (414.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Return of the Native (Annotated)Thomas Hardy17h 39m4.0 (74K)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Thomas Hardy (Illustrated) (Annotated)Thomas Hardy200h 48m$2 · $0.00
Life's Little IroniesThomas Hardy9h 9m3.9 (1.8K)$1.50 · $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
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
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
Five Little IndiansMichelle Good10h 34m4.5 (64.5K)$29 · $0.00
Lolth's WarriorR. A. Salvatore13h 20m4.6 (2.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Things We Cannot SayKelly Rimmer13h 48m4.5 (359.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonoree Fanonne Jeffers29h 49m4.5 (58K)$8 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett11h 23m4.5 (189.9K)$29 · $0.00
Glen AffricKarine Giebel22h 51m4.5 (3.2K)$46 · $0.00
The Book Of NegroesLawrence Hill15h 45m4.5 (107.3K)$33 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $0.00
Lieutenant Hornblower (Annotated)C. S. Forester11h 41m4.5 (2.9K)$2 · $0.00
You may also like
Armance (Annotated)Stendhal8h 45m3.6 (1.5K)$1.99 · $0.00
Madame BovaryGustave Flaubert11h 57m3.9 (438.2K)$34 · $0.00
Liza of LambethW. Somerset Maugham2h 23m3.6 (3.4K)$1 · $0.00
The Age of InnocenceEdith Wharton14h 51m4.1 (237.2K)$35.90 · $0.00
A Pair of Blue EyesThomas Hardy14h 48m3.8 (12.5K)$16 · $0.00
Paradise NowWilliam Middleton14h 47m4.0 (690)$33 · $0.00
Anna Karenina (Translated 1901 by Constance Garnett)Leo Tolstoy38h 33m4.2 (1.1M)$2 · $0.00
A Pair of Blue EyesThomas Hardy15h 16m3.8 (14.9K)$21 · $0.00
StoriesAnton Chekhov6h 53m4.4 (18.2K)$6 · $0.00
Liza of LambethSomerset Maugham4h 10m3.5 (3.3K)$2.30
The ReefEdith Wharton10h 43m3.7 (3K)$21
The Age of InnocenceEdith Wharton11h 28m4.1 (246.9K)$3.50 · $0.00
Cyrano de BergeracEdmond Rostand4h 40m4.3 (209.8K)$3.40 · $0.00
The Age of Innocence and Other Tales of Old New YorkEdith Wharton21h 31m4.3 (374)$1.99 · $0.00
The Age of InnocenceEdith Wharton10h 39m4.1 (217K)$2.30
The Age of InnocenceEdith Wharton11h 27m4.1 (241.1K)$1.20 · $0.00
Daisy Miller (Annotated)Henry James5h 59m3.6 (3.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
Anna KareninaLeo Tolstoy39h 12m4.2 (1.1M)$3.50 · $0.00
The House Behind the CedarsCharles W. Chesnutt8h 17m4.0 (2.4K)$2 · $0.00
The Lily of the Valley (Romance Classic)Honoré de Balzac12h 20m3.8 (8.6K)$1.99 · $0.00