Victorian-era writer Marie Corelli’s epic work Ardath, The Story of a Dead Self, is filled with supernatural and gothic themes. We meet Theos Alwyn, an atheist poet who is lost and disconsolate with life. He begins his journey by seeking out a monastery in the Caucasus mountains; his spiritual quest then takes him to the mythical field of Ardath, which becomes a door into a dream of another version of his self that transcends space and time. - Summary by Lisa Statler
LibriVox recordings are public domain in the United States; copyright status may differ elsewhere.
Chapters
- Chapter 1
The Monastery
21:15 - Chapter 2
The Confession
31:38 - Chapter 3
The Departure
28:32 - Chapter 4
"Angelus Domini"
17:06 - Chapter 5
A Mystic Tryst
29:14 - Chapter 6
"Nourhalma" and the original Esdras
22:07 - Chapter 7
An Undesired Blessing
20:44 - Chapter 8
By the Waters of Babylon
18:04 - Chapter 9
The Field of Flowers
17:10 - Chapter 10
God's Maiden Edris
25:30 - Chapter 11
The Marvelous City
22:40 - Chapter 12
Sah-Luma
32:24 - Chapter 13
A Poet's Palace
29:34 - Chapter 14
The Summons of the Signet
24:54 - Chapter 15
Sah-Luma Sings
33:11 - Chapter 16
The Prophet of Doom
48:35 - Chapter 17
A Virgin Unshrined
1:01:36 - Chapter 18
The Love That Kills
45:46 - Chapter 19
A Strange Temptation
37:02 - Chapter 20
The Passage of the Tombs
39:00 - Chapter 21
The Crimson River
48:03 - Chapter 22
Wasted Passion
34:31 - Chapter 23
Nourhalma
38:25 - Chapter 24
The Fall of the Obelisk
44:13 - Chapter 25
A Golden Tress
26:27 - Chapter 26
The Priest Zel
31:13 - Chapter 27
In the Temple of Nagaya
40:11 - Chapter 28
The Sacrifice
25:57 - Chapter 29
The Cup of Wrath and Trembling
39:38 - Chapter 30
Sunrise
48:15 - Chapter 31
Fresh Laurels
31:39 - Chapter 32
Zabastesism and Paulism
35:22 - Chapter 33
Realism
31:53 - Chapter 34
Rewards of Fame
24:06 - Chapter 35
One Against Many
47:11 - Chapter 36
Heliobas
40:18 - Chapter 37
A Missing Record
35:53 - Chapter 38
The Wizard of the Bow
28:51 - Chapter 39
By the Rhine
26:31 - Chapter 40
In the Cathedral
28:06