The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (Version 2)
Mark Twain
Read by John Greenman
It was published in 1893–1894 by Century Magazine in seven installments, and is a detective story with some racial themes. The plot of this novel is a detective story, in which a series of identities — the judge's murderer, Tom, Chambers — must be sorted out. This structure highlights the problem of identity and one's ability to determine one's own identity. Broader issues of identity are the central ideas of this novel.
One of Twain’s major goals in this book was to exploit the true nature of Racism at that period. Twain used comic relief as a way to divulge his theme. The purpose of a comic relief is to address his or her opinion in a less serious way, yet persuade the reader into thinking the writers thoughts. Twain’s use of satire is visible throughout the book. Twain’s use of colloquialism (dialect) and local color as features of Naturalism to convey his theme, is impressive and ahead for his time. (Summary by Wikipedia) (5 hr 23 min)
Chapters
00 - A Whisper to the Reader | 3:29 | Read by John Greenman |
01 - Pudd'nhead Wins his Name | 11:36 | Read by John Greenman |
02 - Dricoll Spares His Slaves | 15:02 | Read by John Greenman |
03 - Roxy Plays a Shrewd Trick | 12:04 | Read by John Greenman |
04 - The Ways of the Changelings | 16:44 | Read by John Greenman |
05 - The Twins Thrill Dawson's Landing | 10:43 | Read by John Greenman |
06 - Swimming in Glory | 10:22 | Read by John Greenman |
07 - The Unknown Nymph | 6:47 | Read by John Greenman |
08 - Marse Tom Tramples His Chance | 18:53 | Read by John Greenman |
09 - Tom Practices Sycophancy | 10:13 | Read by John Greenman |
10 - The Nymph Revealed | 10:08 | Read by John Greenman |
11 - Pudd'nhead's Thrilling Discovery | 26:56 | Read by John Greenman |
12 - The Shame of Judge Driscoll | 11:45 | Read by John Greenman |
13 - Tom Stares at Ruin | 12:50 | Read by John Greenman |
14 - Roxana Insists Upon Reform | 19:57 | Read by John Greenman |
15 - The Robber Robbed | 17:25 | Read by John Greenman |
16 - Sold Down the River | 8:09 | Read by John Greenman |
17 - The Judge Utters Dire Prophesy | 4:50 | Read by John Greenman |
18 - Roxana Commands | 22:44 | Read by John Greenman |
19 - The Prophesy Realized | 17:30 | Read by John Greenman |
20 - The Murderer Chuckles | 15:54 | Read by John Greenman |
21 - Doom | 25:14 | Read by John Greenman |
22 - Conclusion | 4:45 | Read by John Greenman |
23 - AUTHOR'S NOTE TO "THOSE EXTRAORDINARY TWINS" | 9:35 | Read by John Greenman |
Reviews
my new favorite Mark Twain.
A LibriVox Listener
I had never read this story before. It was a delight to hear as was John Greenman's impeccable and enchanting reading. His voice is one of my favorites too. It is hard to think of Mark Twain without thinking of John Greenman's voice. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Brent E Lavallee
great story however the reader should be warned of a heavy usage of the N word. Loved the convoluted antebellum reasoning in the conclusion. Also whoever' wrote the preview of the book should remove the mention of the murder as it happens toward the end of the story
reading suits writing
velox
very well done: not a laconic reading but lively storytelling which is why i prefer this version and recommend it to everyone who wants to truly enjoy twain's legendary humour and writing. thank you, more please. :-)
Version 2 superior
Doug Piette
I began this book with Version 1. No offense, but the reader was so poor that I switched to this marvelous version. The reader was excellent and the story, riveting! Many hours of driving well spent.
Love Greenman!
Steph
Interesting book beautifully read by the wonderful John Greenman. I really liked the way you imitated the Italian accent. Thanks for reading this!
A Real Treat
MarionK
Outstanding reader and very entertaining story. Mark Twain is a hoot and John Greenman is absolutely perfect. Spot on!
Excellent reader. Listened to the story several times. Interest
Bee Walker
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Great story
Greg H.
Thanks to the reader for your time.