Literary Criticism audiobooks

Herman Melville

By: Elizabeth Hardwick

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 4 hours 34 minutes

Abridged: No

A single novel, an eternal classic, established him as a founding father of American literature. Now, a century after his death, a new popular surge of interest in Herman Melville calls for Elizabeth Hardwick's rich analysis of "the whole of Melville's works, uneven as it is, and the challenging shape of his life . . . a story of the creative... Read more

Christopher Curtis: Bud, Not Buddy

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 9 minutes

Abridged: No

In his children's book Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Curtis shares the story of a young motherless boy who took to the roads to find his father whom he thinks is a famous jazz musician. In this interview, the acclaimed author shares his personal connection with two of the fictional characters, the development of the 10-year-old character, his... Read more

Postscript to Clarissa (Unabridged)

By: Samuel Richardson

Narrated by: Pauline Munro

Length: 37 minutes

Abridged: No

After the publication of his novel 'Clarissa' the author Samuel Richardson received anonymous letters, many of them from his female readers who wanted a more 'fortunate ending', to wit, by reforming Lovelace and marrying him to Clarissa. The author justifies the heavenly reward he gave to his heroine and answers other accusations, including the... Read more

James Joyce

By: Edna O'Brien

Narrated by: Donada Peters

Length: 5 hours 24 minutes

Abridged: No

One of Ireland's best current novelists provides a thumbnail sketch of Ireland's greatest writer. A passionate and sensuous portrait, James Joyce is a return to the land of politics, history, saints, and scholars that shaped the creator of the twentieth century's groundbreaking novel Ulysses. O'Brien traces Joyce's early days as a rambunctious... Read more

Frank McCourt: 'Tis

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 11 minutes

Abridged: No

In this 1999 interview, PBS NewsHour correspondent Frank McCourt discussed his book 'Tis, a follow up to his memoir Angela's Ashes. Read more

Richard Ketchum: Saratoga

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 8 minutes

Abridged: No

From NewsHour Productions — Richard Ketchum: Saratoga, Turning Point of America’s Revolutionary War. Read more

Rafi Zabor: The Bear Comes home

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 9 minutes

Abridged: No

Author interview with Rafi Zabor, winner of the PEN/Faulkner award for The Bear Comes Home. Read more

Conversation with Toni Morrison

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 8 minutes

Abridged: No

A conversation with the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist about her book, Paradise. Read more

Michael Beschloss: Taking Charge

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 14 minutes

Abridged: No

During his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson secretly taped thousands of private conversations. These tapes, which include conversations with various public figures, from Robert Kennedy to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., recently came to light. Phil Ponce discusses the content and significance of these tapes with Michael Beschloss, Presidential... Read more

William J Bennett Children's Audio Treasury - Abridged

By: William J. Bennett

Narrated by: William J. Bennett

Length: 1 hour 13 minutes

Abridged: Yes

The perfect companion to William J. Bennett's bestseller The Book of Virtues, The Children's Book of Virtues Audio Treasury is the ideal storybook for parents and children to enjoy together.

With selections from The Book of Virtues, from Aesop and Robert Frost to George Washington's life as well as Native American and African folklore, The... Read more

Roger Kahn: Memories of Summer

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 8 minutes

Abridged: No

Interview between David Gergen and Roger Kahn, author of the book Memories of Summer: When Baseball Was an Art and Writing About It a Game. Read more

Shelley Fisher Fishkin

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 7 minutes

Abridged: No

A dialogue between David Gergen and Shelley Fisher Fishkin, author of Lighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture. Read more

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

By: Scott Rice

Narrated by: various narrators, Marni Webb, Bob Nathan, Ray ...

Length: 1 hour 10 minutes

Abridged: No

Little did the obscure novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton know in 1830 when he penned that most relished, imitated, and lampooned opening sentence in English literature, "It was a dark and stormy night..." that his words would inspire countless aspiring writers struggling incessantly like boats against the current to emulate his unparalleled style... Read more

Jimmy Carter, 1996

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 12 minutes

Abridged: No

Former President Jimmy Carter talks about his book Living Faith with Charlayne Hunter-Gault. Read more

Stepping Stones - Abridged

By: Seamus Heaney

Narrated by: Seamus Heaney

Length: 1 hour 14 minutes

Abridged: Yes

Recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature, poet Seamus Heaney brings beautiful focus to life in Ireland. Through his poetry, he encapsulates the country’s historical and political details while connecting it to the personal lives of the citizens. Read more

Let's Be Heard - Abridged

By: Robert Grant

Narrated by: Robert Grant

Length: TBA

Abridged: Yes

THE KING OF CONSERVATIVE TALK RADIO SPEAKS OUT!

"Bob Grant is the king of talk radio in New York...He is one of the few talk show hosts who has lasted in combat radio. He defined it and spawned countless imitators all over the country."

-- Rush Limbaugh

For more than twenty-five years, Bob Grant has mesmerized radio listeners with his... Read more

Richard Ford: Independence Day

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 7 minutes

Abridged: No

Independence Day is the long awaited sequel to The Sportswriter released in 1986. In this interview, Richard Ford discusses winning the Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Awards, the context of Independence Day, writing a sequel, and more; hear a portion of the novel. Read more

Jack Miles: God: A Biography

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

Author Jack Miles talks about winning a Pulitzer Prize for his book, God: A Biography. Miles explains why he decided to write a biography about God and what he hoped to achieve. Miles explains that he views God as a literary character rather than a religious one for the purpose of the narrative. On NewsHour. Read more

The Moral Compass - Abridged

By: William J. Bennett

Narrated by: William J. Bennett

Length: 5 hours 35 minutes

Abridged: Yes

The Moral Compass is the inspiring and instructive companion volume to William J. Bennett's bestselling work, The Book of Virtues, offering many more examples of good and bad, right and wrong, in great works from literature and in exemplary stories from history.

Organized by the stages along life's journey, these stories and poems serve as... Read more

The Book of Virtues Volume II - Abridged

By: William J. Bennett

Narrated by: Joseph Bennett, John Bennett & Elayne Glover Be...

Length: 5 hours 36 minutes

Abridged: Yes

The second audio volume of William Bennett's Book of Virtues, an inspiring anthology that helps children understand and develop moral character—and helps parents teach it to them.

Responsibility. Courage. Compassion. Honesty. Friendship. Persistence. Faith. Everyone recognizes these traits as essentials of good character. In order for our... Read more

The Book of Virtues - Abridged

By: William J. Bennett

Narrated by: William J. Bennett, Elayne Glover Bennett, Char...

Length: 1 hour 13 minutes

Abridged: Yes

From the author of The Moral Compass and The Death of Outrage, William J. Bennett's bestselling The Book of Virtues is an inspiring anthology that helps children understand and develop moral character—and helps parents teach it to them.

Responsibility. Courage. Compassion. Honesty. Friendship. Persistence. Faith. Everyone recognizes these traits... Read more

The Heart of It

By: Elizabeth McNamer

Narrated by: Elizabeth McNamer

Length: 52 minutes

Abridged: No

The Canterbury Tales & Paradise Lost are two epic works that have been entertaining— and sometimes exasperating— readers for centuries. In a series of lectures, literary scholar Elizabeth McNamer provides engaging insights into these two iconic works of British literature. Geoffrey Chaucer's merry charm and John... Read more

The Heart of It

By: Elizabeth McNamer

Narrated by: Elizabeth McNamer

Length: 53 minutes

Abridged: No

The Illiad & The Odyssey are two epic poems by Greek author Homer, works that have been entertaining— and perhaps exasperating— readers for centuries. In a series of lectures, literary scholar Elizabeth McNamer provides engaging insights into these two iconic works. McNamer first discusses how The Iliad portrays love,... Read more

The Heart of It

By: Elizabeth McNamer

Narrated by: Elizabeth McNamer

Length: 43 minutes

Abridged: No

As You Like It and A Midsummer Night' s Dream are two comedies by William Shakespeare that have been entertaining audiences for centuries. Both have been adapted to radio and film and continue to be taught in high schools and universities. But as with most of Shakespeare' s works, modern audiences sometimes need some help... Read more