
audiobook
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. - Vol. 146.
A PLAY OF FEATURES.
THE ROMANCE OF A BATTLESHIP.
A NEW BOOK OF BEAUTY.
MISUNDERSTOOD.
CHARIVARIA.
THE SUBSCRIPTION.
THE PAPER-CHASE.
THE HUNTSMAN'S STORY.
THE LITTLE WONDER.
A whimsical opening finds a weary narrator wrestling with midnight doubts, vowing a fresh start for the coming year before the clock strikes twelve. The tone quickly shifts to a lively stage‑play at St. James’s, where the dignified yet bumbling Daniel Mérital juggles politics, romance, and a looming scandal. Through quick‑witted banter and exaggerated gestures, the characters parody the pretensions of high society and the absurdities of parliamentary intrigue.
The first act sets the scene with a tangled love confession, a mysterious libel about a long‑ago ninepence theft, and a troupe of actors whose backstage antics mirror the onstage drama. As Mérital, his fiancée Renée, and the scheming newspaper magnate Frépeau spar over truth and reputation, the play foreshadows a battle of wits that will test honor, loyalty, and the very art of performance. Listeners will enjoy the clever wordplay, period charm, and the sparkling satire that makes this early‑twentieth‑century comedy feel fresh and entertaining.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (70K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Sandra Brown and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
Release date
2004-05-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
This collection brings together writing from more than one contributor, so there isn’t a single author story to tell. The focus is on the range of voices in the work itself.
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