A Superfluous Woman
Emma Francis Brooke
Read by Bruce Pirie
Published anonymously in 1894, “A Superfluous Woman” quickly became one of the most widely read of the “New Woman” novels that appeared at the end of the 19th century. At the opening of the story, we find Jessamine Halliday, a pampered young aristocrat, languishing and apparently close to death. Her desperate family has called in a maverick doctor, who recognizes that she suffers from the idleness and listlessness too often experienced by upper-class English women. The only “medicine” she needs is a change of thinking and new self-awareness. Accordingly, the doctor coaches her to think more critically about her role as a woman and about the uses of meaningful labor. (Partly, this doctor is a spokesperson for the author: Emma Brooke was prominently engaged in feminist and socialist thought.)
Jessamine tries to radically re-invent herself by fleeing London (and a looming high-society marriage), to seek humble work as a farm helper in Scotland. It turns out, however, that it is not so easy to cast off the assumptions and controls of a lifetime. (Summary by Bruce Pirie) (11 hr 6 min)
Chapters
Chapter 1 | 18:26 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 2 | 28:17 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 3 | 28:18 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 4 | 12:45 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 5 | 12:38 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 6 | 17:45 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 7 | 12:06 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 8 | 18:38 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 9 | 17:16 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 10 | 17:55 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 11 | 17:31 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 12 | 21:25 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 13 | 7:34 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 14 | 21:39 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 15 | 8:04 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 16 | 27:52 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 17 | 25:19 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 18 | 19:07 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 19 | 25:22 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 20 | 22:24 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 21 | 17:24 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 22 | 21:58 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 23 | 32:15 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 24 | 31:59 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 25 | 20:41 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 26 | 40:25 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 27 | 21:05 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 28 | 24:39 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 29 | 21:05 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 30 | 22:36 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Chapter 31 | 31:39 | Read by Bruce Pirie |
Reviews
One if the best novels
S. Lupton
This is an incredible story of a woman. It is an ageless calling of what a true and beautiful nature defined her. And the love she lived grew in her life for the only man that could never be hers, only because of the social norms that did not allow her to be free and true to her feelings and actions.
Very good reader and story.
Joyce
Superfluous:marked by wastefulness : EXTRAVAGANT. Was she or wasn't she Superfluous? A good book to listen to while doing some spring cleaning. Very clear reader with an interesting pronunciation of Superfluous. Thank you.
Angeles
What a book! I couldn't stop listening. Excellent reader. The story didn't have the ending I was expecting.
Granny G
Very interesting. My tears at the conclusion were unexpected.