Melvyn Bragg and guests tell the story of the novel over 400 years, via key literary works and movements'One of Radio 4's quiet jewels in its crown' The GuardianIn 1998, a brand new culture show was launched on Radio 4, featuring Melvyn Bragg and a panel of leading academics discussing the ideas, individuals and events that have shaped our world. In Our Time rapidly became one of radio's most well-loved programmes, regularly attracting over 2 million listeners eager to learn more about the topic of the week - which could be asteroids, Zoroastrianism or anything in between. This specially curated collection charts the evolution of the novel as a literary form throughout the past four centuries, analysing 25 works ranging from Cervantes' 17th century epic Don Quixote to George Orwell's 1945 political fable Animal Farm. Some of the best books of all time are examined and elucidated here, including Robinson Crusoe, Tristram Shandy, Emma, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Crime and Punishment, Ulysses and Mrs Dalloway. Three additional programmes, on 'The Novel', 'Victorian Realism' and 'Literary Modernism', set these masterpieces in their historical context. Devotees of fiction, In Our Time fans and the intellectually curious will love these dynamic, stimulating discussions, which open the door to a whole world of classic literature and invite us to venture in. Production creditsPresented by Melvyn BraggProduced by Olivia Seligman, Natalia Fernandez, Thomas Morris, Simon Tillotson, Julia Johnson, Luke MulhallFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:Part I: The Early NovelThe Novel 11 November 1999With D J Taylor and Gillian BeerDon Quixote 16 March 2006With Barry Ife, Edwin Williamson and Jane WhetnallRobinson Crusoe 22 December 2011With Karen O'Brien, Judith Hawley and Bob OwensVoltaire's Candide 3 May 2012With David Wootton, Nicholas Cronk and Caroline WarmanTristram Shandy 24 April 2014With Judith Hawley, John Mullan and Mary NewbouldEmma 19 November 2015With Janet Todd, John Mullan and Emma CleryFrankenstein 16 May 2019With Karen O'Brien, Michael Rossington and Jane ThomasEugene Onegin 22 June 2017With Andrew Kahn, Emily Finer and Simon DixonPart II: The Victorian NovelVictorian Realism 14 November 2002With Philip Davis, AN Wilson and Dinah BirchA Christmas Carol 16 December 2021With Juliet John, Jon Mee and Dinah BirchJane Eyre 18 June 2015With Dinah Birch, Karen O'Brien and Sara LyonsWuthering Heights 28 September 2017With Karen O'Brien, John Bowen and Alexandra LewisThe Tenant of Wildfell Hall 30 September 2021With Alexandra Lewis, Marianne Thormahlen and John BowenMoby Dick 7 December 2017With Bridget Bennett, Katie McGettigan and Graham ThompsonNorth and South 9 March 2017With Sally Shuttleworth, Jenny Uglow and Dinah BirchAurora Leigh 24 March 2016With Margaret Reynolds, Daniel Karlin and Karen O'BrienCrime and Punishment 14 November 2019With Sarah Hudspith, Oliver Ready and Sarah YoungMiddlemarch 19 April 2018With Rosemary Ashton, Kathryn Hughes and John BowenTess of the d'Urbervilles 5 May 2016With Dinah Birch, Francis O'Gorman and Jane ThomasThe Time Machine 17 October 2019With Simon Schaffer, Amanda Rees and Simon JamesPart III: The Modernist NovelLiterary Modernism 26 April 2001With John Carey, Laura Marcus and Valentine CunninghamHeart of Darkness 15 February 2007With Susan Jones, Robert Hampson and Laurence DaviesJames Joyce's Ulysses 14 June 2012With Steven Connor, Jeri Johnson and Richard BrownThe Great Gatsby 14 January 2021With Sarah Churchwell, Philip McGowan and William BlazekMrs Dalloway 3 July 2014With Hermione Lee, Jane Goldman and Kathryn SimpsonKafka's The Trial 27 November 2014With Elizabeth Boa, Steve Connor and Ritchie RobertsonDecline and Fall 21 February 2013With David Bradshaw, John Bowen and Ann Pasternak SlaterAnimal Farm 29 September 2016With Steven Connor, Mary Vincent and Robert Colls (c) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.
