The Gilded Age, A Tale of Today by Mark Twain ~ Full Audiobook [drama]

Classic Audiobook Collection

09/21/22

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983m

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The Gilded Age, A Tale of Today by Mark Twain audiobook.

Genre: drama

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today is an 1873 novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner that satirizes greed and political corruption in post-Civil War America. The term gilded age, commonly given to the era, comes from the title of this book. Twain and Warner got the name from Shakespeare's King John (1595): 'To gild refined gold, to paint the lily... is wasteful and ridiculous excess.' Gilding a lily, which is already beautiful and not in need of further adornment, is excessive and wasteful, characteristics of the age Twain and Warner wrote about in their novel. Another interpretation of the title, of course, is the contrast between an ideal 'Golden Age,' and a less worthy 'Gilded Age,' as gilding is only a thin layer of gold over baser metal, so the title now takes on a pejorative meaning as to the novel's time, events and people.

Although not one of Twain's more well-known works, it has appeared in more than 100 editions since its original publication in 1873. Twain and Warner originally had planned to issue the novel with illustrations by Thomas Nast. The book is remarkable for two reasons–-it is the only novel Twain wrote with a collaborator, and its title very quickly became synonymous with graft, materialism, and corruption in public life.

Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 00

(00:03:10) Chapter 01

(00:24:08) Chapter 02

(00:32:00) Chapter 03

(00:41:15) Chapter 04

(01:02:16) Chapter 05

(01:20:04) Chapter 06

(01:42:16) Chapter 07

(01:57:35) Chapter 08

(02:16:10) Chapter 09

(02:28:50) Chapter 10

(02:45:44) Chapter 11

(02:57:45) Chapter 12

(03:13:44) Chapter 13

(03:31:20) Chapter 14

(03:43:53) Chapter 15

(04:01:35) Chapter 16

(04:18:50) Chapter 17

(04:33:09) Chapter 18

(04:49:50) Chapter 19

(05:06:32) Chapter 20

(05:21:06) Chapter 21

(05:35:46) Chapter 22

(05:53:43) Chapter 23

(05:59:35) Chapter 24

(06:17:48) Chapter 25

(06:29:03) Chapter 26

(06:45:44) Chapter 27

(06:57:04) Chapter 28

(07:18:29) Chapter 29

(07:34:45) Chapter 30

(07:41:11) Chapter 31

(07:59:16) Chapter 32

(08:11:31) Chapter 33

(08:46:56) Chapter 34

(08:57:41) Chapter 35

(09:10:52) Chapter 36

(09:21:28) Chapter 37

(09:29:13) Chapter 38

(09:43:28) Chapter 39

(09:53:33) Chapter 40

(10:06:28) Chapter 41

(10:22:24) Chapter 42

(10:52:45) Chapter 43

(11:03:24) Chapter 44

(11:17:33) Chapter 45

(11:39:07) Chapter 46

(11:56:27) Chapter 47

(12:10:44) Chapter 48

(12:24:52) Chapter 49

(12:40:06) Chapter 50

(12:57:39) Chapter 51

(13:11:47) Chapter 52

(13:15:55) Chapter 53

(13:30:50) Chapter 54

(13:46:49) Chapter 55

(14:06:06) Chapter 56

(14:24:43) Chapter 57

(14:37:40) Chapter 58

(14:53:04) Chapter 59

(15:15:46) Chapter 60

(15:31:30) Chapter 61

(15:44:27) Chapter 62

(15:55:19) Chapter 63

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Previous Episode

The Stolen White Elephant by Mark Twain ~ Full Audiobook [comedy]

September 21, 2022

•

55m

The Stolen White Elephant by Mark Twain audiobook.

Genre: comedy

When a sacred white elephant arrives in America as a diplomatic gift, it is supposed to be the ultimate symbol of goodwill and grandeur. Instead, it becomes the center of a wildly escalating fiasco. Mark Twain frames the tale as an official report, following a conscientious but increasingly bewildered investigator tasked with recovering the missing animal after it vanishes from its secure stable. As newspapers erupt with theories and sightings, the search balloons into a full-scale public spectacle: detectives multiply, clues contradict each other, and every confident announcement seems to deepen the confusion. Twain delights in piling up earnest paperwork, solemn testimony, and breathless sensationalism until the machinery of law and the machinery of publicity start to look like the same absurd engine. Beneath the farce is a sharp satire of institutional competence, media frenzy, and the human need to turn uncertainty into a story that feels satisfying. Brisk, mischievous, and packed with deadpan wit, The Stolen White Elephant is a comic chase through bureaucracy, rumor, and the strange ways a single missing creature can expose a whole society's appetite for certainty.

Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(00:18:12) Chapter 02

(00:35:33) Chapter 03

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Next Episode

Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain ~ Full Audiobook [adventure]

September 23, 2022

•

194m

Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain audiobook.

Genre: adventure

When Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer stumble onto a mysterious balloon, they find themselves swept into a journey far beyond the Mississippi River. Narrated in Huck's plainspoken, observant voice, the story launches the boys - along with their loyal friend Jim - into an accidental voyage over the Atlantic and into the deserts and ancient wonders of North Africa and the Middle East. Tom, brimming with confidence and book-learned ideas about science, geography, and adventure tales, insists he can steer their fate with clever plans and big speeches. Huck, more practical and skeptical, watches events unfold with a mix of awe, worry, and sharp humor, while Jim tries to keep the group grounded as danger and uncertainty mount. As they drift over unfamiliar landscapes, face natural threats, and encounter people and places that challenge their assumptions, the trio must rely on courage, wit, and each other to survive. Both travel yarn and satire, this classic Twain sequel pokes fun at romantic adventure stories while delivering a fast-moving tale of friendship, mischief, and the perils of overconfidence.

Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 01

(00:18:43) Chapter 02

(00:32:34) Chapter 03

(00:48:00) Chapter 04

(00:55:35) Chapter 05

(01:09:36) Chapter 06

(01:20:02) Chapter 07

(01:33:18) Chapter 08

(01:50:19) Chapter 09

(02:01:59) Chapter 10

(02:15:14) Chapter 11