1001 Stories From The Gilded Age

Jon is back narrating 3 episodes per week, some old,some new- all great stories! Check out the answer to the question "Who coined the term "Gilded Age" below....
THAT HOMETOWN FEELING (FROM THE COLLECTION "BUTTERED SIDE DOWN"
Published in the 1912 collection Buttered Side Down, this story captures the tension between the allure of the big city and the persistent pull of one's roots.
The Summary: The story centers on characters who have moved away from their small towns to find success in the city, only to discover that the "hometown feeling" is something they can never quite outrun. It focuses on the humorous and sometimes bittersweet interactions of people trying to reconcile their new, sophisticated identities with their humbler beginnings.
The Hook: Ferber masterfully explores the idea of nostalgia as a double-edged sword. For your listeners, you might frame it as: Is the "hometown feeling" a warm embrace or a trap that keeps us from moving forward?
About Edna Ferber (1885–1968)
Edna Ferber was a powerhouse of early 20th-century literature. Though she is often associated with the later "Roaring Twenties," her early career and upbringing were deeply rooted in the end of the Gilded Age. 
A Voice for the Worker: Ferber was a beloved chronicler of American working people. Her writing often highlighted strong, business-minded women and the grit required to survive in a rapidly industrializing America.
Overcoming Adversity: Her perspective was shaped by her childhood in the Midwest, where she faced significant antisemitism. This fueled her lifelong passion for social justice, which is visible even in her lighter short stories.
Literary Legacy: She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1925 for So Big and wrote Show Boat, which transformed American musical theater by tackling serious themes of race and poverty. 
Who Coined the Phrase "Gilded Age"?
The term was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in the title of their 1873 satirical novel, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. 
The Metaphor: The authors used "gilded" to describe a period that looked glittering and golden on the surface but was corrupt and "cheap" underneath. Unlike a "Golden Age," a "Gilded Age" is merely a thin layer of gold leaf masking social problems and inequality.
Adoption: While Twain coined it to satirize his own time, historians in the

The Revelations of the Heart
In this final installment of the Redmond years, the dust of graduation settles only to reveal the true landscape of Anne's future.
Chapter 39: Deals with Weddings
The season of change continues as Anne attends the wedding of her dear friend Phil Gordon to the poor minister, Jo Blake.  Seeing Phil's radiant happiness in a life of simplicity forces Anne to re-evaluate her own ideas of success and romance.  Back at home, life in Avonlea moves forward as Diana Wright welcomes a new addition to her family, further signaling the end of their girlhood.
Chapter 40: A Book of Revelation
A dark shadow falls over Avonlea when news arrives that Gilbert Blythe is deathly ill with typhoid fever.  In a night of agonizing soul-searching, Anne experiences a book of revelation of her own.  Stripped of her pride and her ideal fancies, she finally realizes that the love she's been searching for hasn't been in a storybook, it's been standing right beside her all along.
Chapter 41: Love Takes Up the Glass of Time
The air clears as Gilbert begins the slow road to recovery.  In the quiet, sun-drenched beauty of Hester Gray's garden, the two old friends, now much wiser, finally find the words that have been left unsaid for years.  The island years conclude not with a goodbye, but with a beautiful, long-awaited beginning.
Credits
Host and Producer by Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
Music:
Thanks to Luis_Humanoide "Victorian Violin Waltz" Music by Luis Humanoide from Pixabay (Gilded Theme)
LibriVox recording read by Betsie Bush
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Degrees and Disappointments
In this episode, we reach the bittersweet milestone of graduation and the long-awaited resolution of a years-long courtship. Anne Shirley finally steps out into the world as a Full-fledged B.A., but she quickly finds that academic success doesn't necessarily make the heart any easier to navigate.
Chapter 37: Full-fledged B.A.'s
The graduation season at Redmond College is a whirlwind of flowers, diplomas, and the heavy realization that the Patty's Place era is over. Anne achieves her academic goals, winning the prestigious Avery Scholarship, but the joy is tempered by the painful process of dismantling the home she shared with her intermingled friends. As the trunks are packed, we see the shift from girlhood dreams to the daunting reality of adulthood.
Chapter 38: False Dawn
Anne returns to the familiar beauty of the Island, expecting to find the happily ever after she always imagined with the dashing Roy Gardner. In a beautifully atmospheric scene at Crystal Brook, the moment of truth finally arrives. However, Roy's long-anticipated proposal brings Anne not ecstasy, but a cold, jarring realization. She is forced to confront the difference between a storybook romance and the truth of her own heart, leading to a rejection that leaves both of them reeling.
Credits
Narration and Production by Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
Music: Thanks to Luis_Humanoide "Victorian Violin Waltz" Music by Luis Humanoide from Pixabay (Gilded Theme)

LibriVox recording: Chapter 37 read by Christiane Levesque
Chapter 38 read by Betsie Bush

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Episode Summary: The Beginning of the End
In these pivotal chapters of Anne of the Island, the Senior Year energy hits Redmond College. Anne Shirley and her friends return for their final year, but the atmosphere has shifted from the carefree days of freshmen to the bittersweet reality of impending departures.
Chapter 35: The Last Redmond Year Opens
The bloom is off the rye as Anne returns to Kingsport. The chapter captures the melancholy of the last time for everything. While her academic career is reaching its zenith, her social life feels strained. The once-easy friendship with Gilbert Blythe has cooled into a polite, distant formality that haunts the periphery of her busy schedule.
Chapter 36: The Gardners' Call
The stakes of Anne's relationship with Roy Gardner reach a fever pitch when his mother and sister, Dorothy, come to call. Anne finds herself navigating the rigid social expectations of the wealthy Gardner family. While she passes the test and finds a surprisingly kindred spirit in Dorothy, the encounter leaves Anne wondering if a life of perfect propriety is truly what she desires.
Credits
Narration and Production by Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
Music: Music by Luis Humanoide from Pixabay (Gilded Theme)

LibriVox recording: Chapter 35 read by rachelellen
Chapter 36 read by Christiane Levesque

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In today's episode of Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery, we follow Anne Shirley as her journey is marked by change and growth during her transition toward adulthood.  While substitute teaching at Valley Road, Anne has been a silent observer of a placid courtship that seemed to have no end.  In "He Just Kept Coming and Coming," the mystery of John Douglas's two-decade-long silence is explored, illustrating the complexities of evolving friendship and the poignant nostalgia of a life spent in waiting.  Finally, as we reach "John Douglas Speaks at Last," the narrative beautifully captures the intertwining of love, friendship, and the challenges of newfound independence that define Anne's continuing journey.
Credits
Host and Producer by Gizelle Erickson
Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn
Music: Thanks to Luis_Humanoide "Victorian Violin Waltz" Music by Luis Humanoide from Pixabay
LibriVox Recording by Rachel Ellen