The earliest of her six major novels, NorthangerAbbey remained unpublished until after Jane Austen’s death. A deliciouslywitty satire of popular Gothic romances, it is perhaps Austen’slightest, most delightful excursion into a young woman’s world.Catherine Morland, an unlikely heroine—unlikely because she is soordinary—forsakes her English village for the pleasures and perilsof Bath. There, among a circle of Austen’s wonderfully vain,dissembling, and fashionable characters, she meets a potentialsuitor, Henry Tilney. But with her imagination fueled bymelodramatic novels, Catherine turns a visit to his home,Northanger Abbey, into a hunt for dark family secrets. The resultis a series of hilarious social gaffes and harsh awakenings thatfor all of Austen’s youthful exuberance nevertheless conveys hermature vision of literature and life—and the consequences ofmistaking one for the other.
Jane Austen's last completed novel, Persuasion is a delightfulsocial satire of England's landed gentry and a moving tale oflovers separated by class distinctions. After years apart,unmarried Anne Elliot, the heroine Jane Austen called "almost toogood for me," encounters the dashing naval officer others persuadedher to reject, as he now courts the rash and younger LouisaMusgrove. Superbly drawn, these characters and those of Anne'sprideful father, Sir Walter, the scheming Mrs. Clay, and theduplicitous William Elliot, heir to Kellynch Hall, becomeluminously alive--so much so that the poet Tennyson, visitinghistoric Lyme Regis, where a pivotal scene occurs, exclaimed:"Don't talk to me of the Duke of Monmouth. Show me the exact spotwhere Louisa Musgrove fell " Tender, almost grave, Persuasionoffers a glimpse into Jane Austen's own heart while itmagnificently displays the full maturity of her literary power.
With their call for "simplicity, simplicity, simplicity ," forself-honesty, and for harmony with nature, the writings of HenryDavid Thoreau are perhaps the most influential philosophical worksin all American literature. The selections in this volume representThoreau at his best. Included in their entirety are "Walden," hisindisputable masterpiece, and his two great arguments fornonconformity, "Civil Disobedience" and "Life Without Principle." Alifetime of brilliant observation of nature--and of himself--isrecorded in selections from "A Week On The Concord And MerrimackRivers, Cape Cod, The Maine Woods" and "The Journal."
The blind energies and defiant acts that bring an ambitiousmanto power can also destroy him. This is the theme thatThomas Hardyexplores through his greatest and mosttragic hero: MichaelHenchard, the driven grain merchant of Casterbridge. From hisdrunken sale of his wife and baby at a county fair to hissubjugation of a farming village, Henchard's life is an epicattempt to bring the world to heel as he hides, even from himself,all vestiges of emotionalvulnerability. Combining the suspense of amystery with the poetry of the most powerful English novels, TheMavyor of Casterbridge is a masterpiece of psychological insightand profound tragedy.
Alex Jennings will be the reader for this unabridged recordingof the The Sonnets. --This text refers to the AudioCassette edition.
Play in three acts by Luigi Pirandello, produced and publishedin Italian in 1921 as Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore. IntroducingPirandello's device of the "theater within the theater," the playexplores various levels of illusion and reality. It had a greatimpact on later playwrights, particularly such practitioners of theTheater of the Absurd as Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, and JeanGenet, as well as Jean Anouilh and Jean-Paul Sartre.
These controversial epic poems demonstrate Milton's genius forfusing sense and sound, classicism and innovation, narrative anddrama in profound explorations of the moral problems of God'sjustice-and what it truly means to be human.
Flamboyant and controversial, Oscar Wilde was a dazzlingpersonality, a master of wit, and a dramatic genius whose sparklingcomedies contain some of the most brilliant dialogue ever writtenfor the English stage. Here in one volume are his immensely popularnovel, The Picture of Dorian Gray; his last literary work, “TheBallad of Reading Gaol,” a product of his own prison experience;and four complete plays: Lady Windermere’s Fan, his first dramaticsuccess, An Ideal Husband, which pokes fun at conventionalmorality, The Importance of Being Earnest, his finest comedy, andSalomé, a portrait of uncontrollable love originally written inFrench and faithfully translated by Richard Ellmann. Every selection appears in its entirety–a marvelous collection ofoutstanding works by the incomparable Oscar Wilde, who’s been aptlycalled “a lord of language” by Max Beerbohm.
A philosopher and his disciple journey to find "the best of all possible worlds" in this classic work of eighteenth-century satire. EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES: A concise introduction that gives readers important background information A chronology of the author's life and work A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations Detailed explanatory notes Critical analysis, including modern perspectives on the work Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the wo
A tale of two sisters Two sisters of opposing temperaments are brought to a closerunderstanding by their mutual disappointments—and true love finallytriumphs when sense gives way to sensibility and sensibility tosense. Austen’s insightful representation ofearly-nineteenth-century middle-class provincial life makes hernovels the enduring works on the mores and manners of her time.
Tolstoy startled the world with this powerful story ofadultery and its aftermath, of the human need for love andhappiness, and of the unyielding demands of society.
The 1920s novel of a passion threatened by convention andplayed outagainst a backdrop of New York City-s upper class,unimaginable wealth,and unavoidable tragedy.
Folger Shakespeare Library The world's leading center for Shakespeare studies Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play Scene-by-scene plot summaries A key to famous lines and phrases An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language An essay by leading Shakespeare scholar, William C. Carroll, providing a modern perspective on the play Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs.
The adventures of Mowgli, a man-child raised by wolves in thejungle, have captured the imaginations not just of children, but ofall readers, for generations.
A masterpiece of Western culture, this is the first attempt tolink all the Greek myths in a cohesive whole to the Roman myths ofOvid's day. Horace Gregory, in this modern translation, turns hisown poetic gifts toward a deft reconstruction of Ovid's ancientthemes.
Lush de*ions of the rolling Nebraska grasslands interweavewith the blossoming of a woman in the early days of the twentiethcentury, in an epic novel that chronicles America's past.
Key Features: Study methods Introduction to the text Summaries with critical notes Themes and techniques Textual analysis of key passages Author biography Historical and literary background Modern and historical critical approaches Chronology Glossary of literary terms --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
In The Purgatorio , Dante describes his journey to therenunciation of sin, accepting his suffering in preparation for hiscoming into the presence of God. This brilliant translation ofDante's canticle crystallizes the great poet's immortal conceptionof the aspiring soul.
The beloved sequel to Little Women , this classiccontinues the story of Jo March, who goes on to get married andinherit an estate with which she creates an experimental school forboys.
In 1862 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy Oxford mathematicianwith a stammer, created a story about a little girl tumbling down arabbit hole. Thus began the immortal adventures of Alice, perhapsthe most popular heroine in English literature. Countless scholarshave tried to define the charm of the Alice books–with thosewonderfully eccentric characters the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledum,and Tweedledee, the Cheshire Cat, Mock Turtle, the Mad Hatter etal.– by proclaiming that they really comprise a satire onlanguage, a political allegory, a parody of Victorian children’sliterature, even a reflection of contemporary ecclesiasticalhistory. Perhaps, as Dodgson might have said, Alice is nomore than a dream, a fairy tale about the trials and tribulationsof growing up–or down, or all turned round–as seen through theexpert eyes of a child.
After King Shahryar had his wife killed for cheating, he beganto corrupt-then kill-one virgin a night, as revenge on womankind.Then he meets Scheherazade, who, night after night, saves her ownlife by telling him fantastical tales of genies, wishes, terror,and passion.
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule.' Living with his sister and her husband, Pip is an orphan without any expectations. It is only when he begins to visit a rich old woman, Miss Havisham and her adopted niece that he begins to hope for something better. When it is revealed that Pip has inherited a large sum of money from a mysterious benefactor on the condition that he moves to London to become a gentleman, Pip's adventure really begins. Epic, illuminating and memorable, Dickens mysterious tale of Pip's quest to find the truth about himself is one of his most enduring and popular novels to date.
在线阅读本书 Book De*ion To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Broadway premiere of AlanJay Lerner and Frederick Lowe's "My Fair Lady," this specialedition contains Shaw's original play and the * and lyrics forthe Tony(- and Academy Award(-winning musical. Revisedreissue. Book Dimension length: (cm)16.8 width:(cm)9.9
