Nineteenth Century Life Audios

What made the 19th century an interesting but tumultuous time? What technological, cultural and social changes influenced life then? Explore those issues in this story collection.

Jean Valjean is the central character of Victor Hugo's ever-popular Les Miserables, but we don't really "meet him" until "Book Second" of Volume I.

Jean Valjean was imprisoned nineteen years - at hard labor - for breaking into a bakery, stealing a loaf of bread, then trying to escape from his life...

After the Bishop of Digne shows kindness to Jean Valjean, providing him with food and allowing him to spend the night without pay, Valjean steals the ...

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Fifth ("The Descent") - Chapter VI (entitled "Father Fauchelevent").

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Fifth ("The Descent") - Chapter VII (entitled "Fauchelevent Becomes a Garden...

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Fifth ("The Descent") - Chapter XIII (entitled "The Solution of some Questio...

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Sixth ("Javert") - Chapter I (entitled "The Beginning of Repose").

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Sixth ("Javert") - Chapter II (entitled "How Jean May Become Champ").

Do you know the background of "Little Women?" Meet Louisa May Alcott and learn how she based her still-famous story on her real-life family.

Chapter 40, of Little Women, is one of the saddest chapters in the story.

Do you know the background of "Little Women?" Meet Louisa May Alcott and learn how she based her still-famous story on her real-life family.

Show tooltips