The Admirable Crichton

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Pages: 67

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Read by Elizabeth Klett, Ernst Pattynama, TriciaG and others · 2 h 45 min · 4 parts

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1 - Act I; At Loam House, Mayfair
48:36
2 - Act II; The Island
39:17
3 - Act III; The Happy Home
47:00
4 - Act IV; The Other Island
30:14

The Admirable Crichton (1902) is a public domain work.

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About this book

At Lord Loam's house in Mayfair, the servants are expected to join their employers for tea once a month. The arrangement unsettles Crichton, a butler who takes pride in his place within the household. J. M. Barrie's 1902 comedy opens amid cushions, fashionable clothes and Ernest Woolley's polished remarks, using the drawing room to expose the habits that keep social rank in place.

On an island after a shipwreck, those habits meet the practical demands of food and shelter. Crichton has recovered supplies from the wreck, and his cooking draws the hungry party back towards his fire. Dialogue and detailed stage directions make authority visible through small actions, from offering a footstool to tending a pot. The play offers readers a comic examination of class and competence, with the contrast between Mayfair comfort and island life giving its social arguments a concrete setting.

About the author

J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright best remembered for creating Peter Pan. He gave the copyright of the work to a children's hospital, and the character has become part of the cultural landscape.