The Life of the Fields

audiobook

The Life of the Fields

by Richard Jefferies

EN·~7 hours·31 chapters

Chapters

31 total
1

Produced by Malcolm Farmer

0:01
2

THE LIFE OF THE FIELDS - BY RICHARD JEFFERIES

1:00
3

RICHARD JEFFERIES - THE PAGEANT OF SUMMER - THE FIELD PLAY: I. UPTILL-A-THORN II. RURAL DYNAMITE - BITS OF OAK BARK: I. THE ACORN-GATHERER II. THE LEGEND OF A GATEWAY III. A ROMAN BROOK - MEADOW THOUGHTS - CLEMATIS LANE - NATURE NEAR BRIGHTON - SEA, SKY, AND DOWN - JANUARY IN THE SUSSEX WOODS - BY THE EXE - THE WATER-COLLEY - NOTES ON LANDSCAPE PAINTING - VILLAGE MINERS - MIND UNDER WATER - SPORT AND SCIENCE - NATURE AND THE GAMEKEEPER - THE SACRIFICE TO TROUT - THE HOVERING OF THE KESTREL - BIRDS CLIMBING THE AIR - COUNTRY LITERATURE: I. THE AWAKENING. II. SCARCITY OF BOOKS III. THE VILLAGER'S TASTE IN READING IV. PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION - SUNLIGHT IN A LONDON SQUARE - VENICE IN THE EAST END. - THE PIGEONS AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM - THE PLAINEST CITY IN EUROPE - THE PAGEANT OF SUMMER - I

17:23
4

II

23:56
5

THE FIELD-PLAY - I - UPTILL-A-THORN

15:39
6

II. RURAL DYNAMITE

24:51
7

BITS OF OAK BARK - I - THE ACORN-GATHERER

7:35
8

II. THE LEGEND OF A GATEWAY

9:25
9

III. A ROMAN BROOK

7:29
10

MEADOW THOUGHTS

21:35

Description

The listener is led into a sun‑warmed ditch where green rushes stand like living columns, their sap‑sweet scent mingling with the pollen of early grasses. Jefferies’ prose paints each blade, fern, and hawthorn bough with the precision of a field‑naturalist and the lyricism of a poet, turning ordinary meadow corners into miniature dramas of light and scent. As the narrative drifts from the subtle hum of thrushes to the bold reach of wild parsnip, the soundscape feels both intimate and expansive.

The collection moves beyond a single scene, offering a series of short essays that wander through summer hedges, quiet streams, and the hidden lives of birds and insects. Interlaced with thoughtful reflections on landscape painting and the rhythm of rural work, the pieces balance careful observation with quiet wonder. Listeners will find a gentle meditation on the changing seasons that invites them to pause, notice, and carry the fields’ calm into their own day.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~7 hours (406K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Release date

2004-07-01

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Richard Jefferies

Richard Jefferies

1848–1887

Best known for turning close observation of the countryside into vivid, thoughtful prose, this Victorian writer helped shape modern nature writing. His books blend rural detail, natural history, and a deep personal response to the English landscape.

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