Tono-Bungay (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. An Edwardian Satire of Patent Medicine, Fraudulent Advertising, Class Mobility, and British CapitalismBy H. G. Wells
Length17h 8m
About this audiobook
Tono-Bungay is H. G. Wells's expansive 1909 "Condition of England" novel, a searching satire of commerce, class mobility, and imperial decline. Narrated by George Ponderevo, it traces the spectacular rise of a fraudulent patent medicine marketed by his uncle Edward, transforming quackery into a national business empire. Combining realist social observation with comic exuberance, autobiographical Bildungsroman, and proto-modern critique, Wells anatomizes late-Victorian and Edwardian capitalism as a system powered by illusion, advertising, and moral vacancy. Wells himself rose from precarious lower-middle-class origins through education, journalism, and scientific training, experiences that deeply inform George's restless intelligence and divided social position. His familiarity with shopkeeping, apprenticeship, scientific rationalism, and the hypocrisies of respectability gives the novel its unusual authority. Writing after his scientific romances had made him famous, Wells here turned his speculative imagination toward the social mechanisms of modern Britain, exposing how fantasy and fraud could become organizing principles of public life. This is essential reading for those interested in English realism, satire, and the emergence of modern consumer culture. Readers of Dickens, Gissing, and Forster will find in it a vigorous, unsettling, and remarkably prescient 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.
- 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★★★★ 3.9 (9.2K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, StoryGraph, Amazon
GenreHumor, Literary Classics
Length17 hrs 8 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 19, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Tono-Bungay (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
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6BOOK THE FIRST THE DAYS BEFORE TONO-BUNGAY WAS INVENTED
7CHAPTER THE FIRST OF BLADESOVER HOUSE, AND MY MOTHER; AND THE CONSTITUTION OF SOCIETY
8CHAPTER THE SECOND OF MY LAUNCH INTO THE WORLD AND THE LAST I SAW OF BLADESOVER
9CHAPTER THE THIRD THE WIMBLEHURST APPRENTICESHIP
10BOOK THE SECOND THE RISE OF TONO-BUNGAY
11CHAPTER THE FIRST HOW I BECAME A LONDON STUDENT AND WENT ASTRAY
12CHAPTER THE SECOND THE DAWN COMES, AND MY UNCLE APPEARS IN A NEW SILK HAT
13CHAPTER THE THIRD HOW We MADE TONO-BUNGAY HUM
14CHAPTER THE FOURTH MARION I
15BOOK THE THIRD THE GREAT DAYS OF TONO-BUNGAY
16CHAPTER THE FIRST THE HARDINGHAM HOTEL, AND HOW We BECAME BIG PEOPLE
17CHAPTER THE SECOND OUR PROGRESS FROM CAMDEN TOWN TO CREST HILL
18CHAPTER THE THIRD SOARING
19CHAPTER THE FOURTH HOW I STOLE THE HEAPS OF QUAP FROM MORDET ISLAND
20BOOK THE FOURTH THE AFTERMATH OF TONO-BUNGAY
21CHAPTER THE FIRST THE STICK OF THE ROCKET
22CHAPTER THE SECOND LOVE AMONG THE WRECKAGE
23CHAPTER THE THIRD NIGHT AND THE OPEN SEA
24Analysis
25Reflection
26Memorable Quotes
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