[COMPLETE] The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford - tg

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 15th, 2021, 12:32 am

The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford (1873 - 1939)

This project is now complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page: https://librivox.org/the-good-soldier-by-ford-madox-ford-2/

First published in 1915, The Good Soldier might be characterised as a melodrama of English upper class infidelities, cut into little pieces, then retold out of sequence by a narrator who occasionally appears to be half asleep. That is not wholly wrong, yet many have seen in this novel's beguiling voice, innovative narrative technique, and acute depiction of erotic repression a literary masterpiece. In 2015, the BBC ranked The Good Soldier 13th on its list of the 100 greatest British novels. (Summary by Peter Dann)

Source text (please read only from this text!): https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2775

Target completion date: 2021-05-01

Prooflistening level: Standard
Prospective PLs, please see the Guide for Proof-listeners.

IMPORTANT - soloist, please note: in order to limit the number of languishing projects on our server, we ask that you post an update at least once a month in your project thread, even if you haven't recorded anything. If we don't hear from you for three months, your project may be opened up to a group project if a Book Coordinator is found. Files you have completed will be used in this project. If you haven't recorded anything yet, your project will be removed from the forum (contact any admin to see if it can be re-instated).

Please don't download or listen to files belonging to projects in process unless you are the BC or PL. Our servers are not set up to handle the greater volume of traffic. Please wait until the project has been completed. Thanks!

Magic Window:

BC Admin
LibriVox recording settings: mono (1 channel), 44100 Hz sample rate, 128 kbps constant bit rate MP3. See the Tech Specs

Intro to recording:
Leave 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning.

For the first section, say:

"Section (or Chapter) # of The Good Soldier. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit librivox.org." [Optional: "Read by your name."] "The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford. Section Title."

For the second and subsequent sections, you may use the shortened intro if you wish:

"Section (or Chapter) # of The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain." [Optional: "Read by your name."] "Section Title."

End of recording:
Say:

"End of section (or chapter) #." [Optional, and if not stated in the intro: "Read by your name, city, date."]

If you are recording the final section of the book, add:

"End of The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford."

Leave 5 seconds of silence at the end.

Filename: goodsoldier_##_ford_128kb.mp3 where ## is the section number. (e.g. goodsoldier_01_ford_128kb.mp3)

Upload to the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader

MC to select: TriciaG

Copy and paste the file link generated by the uploader into the relevant Listen URL field in the Section Compiler, enter the duration in the Notes field, and post in this thread to let your PL and MC know that you have uploaded a file. You may also post the file link in the thread.

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 15th, 2021, 12:40 am

Sunrise2020 has agreed to act as DPL for this project.

I am mindful of the March "drive" to finish projects, and in a spirit of helpfulness (I hope) I have contributed to several collaborative projects in the last few weeks which I have seen listed as requiring some help for the March drive. I would, however, like to push on now with reading what I believe will be the first solo version of this novel on Librivox, given its widespread recognition as a major work of English literature.

alanmapstone · Post by **alanmapstone** » March 15th, 2021, 1:33 am

Hi Peter
Glad to see someone recording this as it is one of my favourite novels. Apparently Ford wanted to call it The Saddest Story (a quote from the opening sentence) but his publisher thought that would put people of buying it

It would be good to get the Parades End novels done sometime, the first two should now be PD in the USA with the third to follow next year.

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 15th, 2021, 1:56 am

alanmapstone wrote: ↑March 15th, 2021, 1:33 am Hi Peter
Glad to see someone recording this as it is one of my favourite novels. Apparently Ford wanted to call it The Saddest Story (a quote from the opening sentence) but his publisher thought that would put people of buying it
It would be good to get the Parades End novels done sometime, the first two should now be PD in the USA with the third to follow next year.

Alan, thank you so much for this suggestion. Ignoramus that I am (sorry!) I was not even aware of these novels, but having now looked up a piece on them by Julian Barnes I can imagine they'd be right up my alley (I'm rather drawn to crazily ambitious, out of fashion works like the 'Dance to the Music Of Time' sequence, for example). Haven't had time to investigate the feasibility of your suggestion yet, but these are certainly now on my list. I'm rather new to this 'reading aloud' business, but I'm finding it very enjoyable and satisfying in ways I had never imagined possible.

Post by **TriciaG** » March 15th, 2021, 5:41 am

It's been done once as a group project, but like you said, this would be the first solo version.

I'll set you up!

EDIT: Set up. I removed references to you as translator.

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 15th, 2021, 3:46 pm

TriciaG wrote: ↑March 15th, 2021, 5:41 am It's been done once as a group project, but like you said, this would be the first solo version.

I'll set you up!

EDIT: Set up. I removed references to you as translator.

Thanks so much, Tricia.

This is the second time you've had to remove a translator reference for me in a month. Either I'm very confused when I fill out the project template (possible), or there's actually something odd happening behind the scenes with the templating process (which, as someone who used to work in IT, I would say just might be possible). For what it's worth, I've raised a question on this on the Errors forum, just in case there is a technical glitch responsible for this.

Post by **TriciaG** » March 15th, 2021, 4:04 pm

Moving this to Going Solo.

My husband is a software engineer and has done many of the recent updates and changes to the site, including some recent ones to the template process. So I know enough to be dangerous.

When you fill in the template, are you logged into the workflow/uploader? That's the only way it could know who you are. (A person doesn't have to be logged in to launch a new project.)

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 15th, 2021, 10:19 pm

TriciaG wrote: ↑March 15th, 2021, 4:04 pm Moving this to Going Solo.

My husband is a software engineer and has done many of the recent updates and changes to the site, including some recent ones to the template process. So I know enough to be dangerous.

When you fill in the template, are you logged into the workflow/uploader? That's the only way it could know who you are. (A person doesn't have to be logged in to launch a new project.)

Well that's a pretty potent combination of skills between the two of you (and a lucky one for Librivox, I must say)!

If the workflow/uploader is the gizmo I use to upload files for a project, then it's possible I have been logged in under that identity at the time of filling out the template. Ideally, the setting up process should still work correctly under such conditions shouldn't it - or else recognise that I am logged in inappropriately (if so) and terminate my login?

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 15th, 2021, 10:21 pm

And off we go...

I have uploaded:
Section 01: https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/goodsoldier_01_ford_128kb.mp3 (18:01)
Section 02: https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/goodsoldier_02_ford_128kb.mp3 (16:07)

Sunrise2020 · Post by **Sunrise2020** » March 16th, 2021, 10:01 am

The first two sections have been PL'ed and are fine. This will be another enjoyable read/listen

Peter, for being new to reading aloud, you're doing a great job. Maybe you've had stage experience before

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 16th, 2021, 11:54 pm

Sunrise2020 wrote: ↑March 16th, 2021, 10:01 am The first two sections have been PL'ed and are fine. This will be another enjoyable read/listen
Peter, for being new to reading aloud, you're doing a great job. Maybe you've had stage experience before

Yes, I'd forgotten why I liked this novel so much. It's really one out of the box.

When we get that passage where the narrator says "So I shall just imagine myself for a fortnight or so at one side of the fireplace of a country cottage, with a sympathetic soul opposite me. And I shall go on talking, in a low voice while the sea sounds in the distance..." it's almost as if FMF is anticipating how well his novel will work as an audiobook. It's a text that is superbly well-suited to this format. (Come to think of it, when I rewrite the description of this novel for the catalogue, it might be good to include something to this effect.)

Thanks so much for your kind appreciation. Actually, apart from five minutes of terror I experienced onstage while performing in a university review, I've had zero stage experience, although I do have a small collection of screen and stage writing credits to my name. My main experience in the reading aloud caper goes back to when our two boys (19 months apart in age) were young, and my wife and I used to read to them every evening. Our boys endured/enjoyed this until they were around 13, 14 years of age, by which time, I guess, we must have read quite a lot of material aloud, from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to The Tale of Two Cities. Our younger son (who was generally asleep within 90 seconds in those days) even now says that I have a "good voice for putting people to sleep". Brat!!

For you (but not for him....) I have now uploaded section 03: https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/goodsoldier_03_ford_128kb.mp3 (25:50)

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 18th, 2021, 12:28 am

Thanks for the PL on section 03, Susanne.

I have uploaded section 04: https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/goodsoldier_04_ford_128kb.mp3 (22:35).

I will have some competing commitments over the next few days, and currently expect my next upload will be Monday morning Germany time at the earliest.

Sunrise2020 · Post by **Sunrise2020** » March 18th, 2021, 1:34 am

All those years of reading aloud must have stayed in your muscle memory and are now being put to good use. And no risk of your readers falling asleep!

Thanks for letting me know that you're otherwise engaged for a few days. That way I won't wonder

Sunrise2020 · Post by **Sunrise2020** » March 20th, 2021, 11:52 am

PL of Section 4 is okay.

TheBanjo · Post by **TheBanjo** » March 21st, 2021, 11:27 pm

Sunrise2020 wrote: ↑March 20th, 2021, 11:52 am PL of Section 4 is okay.

Thank you!

I have now uploaded section 05: https://librivox.org/uploads/triciag/goodsoldier_05_ford_128kb.mp3 (39:24)