THE SILENCE DOGOOD LETTERS by Benjamin Franklin - FULL AudioBook | Greatest Audio Books

THE SILENCE DOGOOD LETTERS by Benjamin Franklin - FULL AudioBook | Greatest Audio Books - Mrs. Silence Dogood was a false persona used by Benjamin Franklin to get his work published, after being denied several times to send a letter to the paper publication. The Mrs. Silence Dogood letters were first printed in the New England Courant in 1722.

As a teenager, Franklin worked as an apprentice in his older brother James' printing shop in Boston, where The New-England Courant was printed.

Franklin never got anything he wrote published, so, at age 16, Franklin created the persona of a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood. Once every two weeks, he would leave a letter under the door of his brother's printing shop. A total of 14 letters were sent. The first letter began:
"Sir, It may not be improper in the first Place to inform your Readers, that I intend once a Fortnight to present them, by the Help of this Paper, with a short Epistle, which I presume will add somewhat to their Entertainment.

And since it is observed, that the Generality of People, nowadays, are unwilling either to commend or dispraise what they read, until they are in some measure informed who or what the Author of it is, whether he be poor or rich, old or young, a Schollar or a Leather Apron Man, &c. and give their Opinion of the Performance, according to the Knowledge which they have of the Author's Circumstances, it may not be amiss to begin with a short Account of my past Life and present Condition, that the Reader may not be at a Loss to judge whether or no my Lucubrations are worth his reading."

The letters poked fun at various aspects of life in colonial America, such as this quote about hoop petticoats:
"These monstrous topsy-turvy Mortar-Pieces, are neither fit for the Church, the Hall, or the Kitchen; and if a Number of them were well mounted on Noddles-Island, they would look more like Engines of War for bombarding the Town, than Ornaments of the Fair Sex. An honest Neighbour of mine, happening to be in Town some time since on a publick Day, inform'd me, that he saw four Gentlewomen with their Hoops half mounted in a Balcony, as they withdrew to the Wall, to the great Terror of the Militia, who (he thinks) might attribute their irregular Volleys to the formidable Appearance of the Ladies Petticoats"

The letters were published in The New-England Courant fortnightly, and amused readers. Some men wrote in offering to marry Ms. Dogood, upon learning she was widowed.

Eventually, James found out that all fourteen of the letters had been written by his younger brother, which angered him. Benjamin left his apprenticeship without permission and escaped to Philadelphia (summary adapted from wikipedia.org - Attribution: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silence_Dogood&action=history)

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Chapter listing and length:

01 - April 2, 1722 -- 00:04:04
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

02 - April 16, 1722 -- 00:04:13
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

03 - April 30, 1722 -- 00:02:37
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

04 - May 14, 1722 -- 00:06:57
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

05 - May 28, 1722 -- 00:06:30
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

06 - June 11, 1722 -- 00:03:55
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

07 - June 25, 1722 -- 00:07:55
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

08 - July 9, 1722 -- 00:06:33
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

09 - July 23, 1722 -- 00:05:38
Read by Darcy Smittenaar

10 - August 13, 1722 -- 00:10:55
Read by Patti Cunningham

11 - August 20, 1722 -- 00:04:48
Read by Patti Cunningham

12 - September 10, 1722 -- 00:05:54
Read by Patti Cunningham

13 - September 24, 1722 -- 00:04:44
Read by Patti Cunningham

14 - October 8, 1722 -- 00:06:08
Read by Patti Cunningham
Total running time: 1:20:51
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Book Coordinator: Kimberly Krause
Dedicated Proof-Listener: TriciaG & Kimberly Krause
Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: TriciaG
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