What begins as a middle-aged country gentleman absorbed with novels of chivalry deliberately evolves into a tale of purely imaginative knight-errantry in this highly influential work of the Spanish Golden Age. This first of modern novels was written in the experimental episodic form, allowing Don Quixote and his 'squire' Sancho Panza to go on quests that just as often as not land them in trouble or earn them the incredulity of those fu ...
Emile Zola is perhaps the most important, and certainly one of the most controversial, writers of 19th century French literature. Zola dramatically shaped the course of literature through the development of naturalism, characterized by the unsentimental and realistic portrayal of class in French society. His twenty novel cycle «Les Rougon-Macquart» is epic in scope, often drawing comparisons to the prolific output of Balzac. Here in the fourth i ...
Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. During the years of novel-writing, she also published travel sketches and an assortment of essays. Her novels appeared in serial form in journals such as «Household Words» and «All the Year Round» edited by the renowned Charles Dickens and «Cornhill Magazine» edited by William Makepeace Thackeray. Many of Gaskell's novels offer a detailed p ...
A sequel to the «The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,» this 1904 publication delves once more into the Land of Oz in a story that follows the adventure of a boy named Tip. After escaping the witch Mombi, he travels the lands of Oz with a group of friends, encountering General Jinjur’s army, escaping Jackdaws, seeking Glinda the Good, and ultimately meeting his destiny in the Emerald City. Baum infuses his land of fantasy with new characters while utilizi ...
Revered as a true gothic masterpiece, «Melmoth the Wanderer» is the last complete work by the Irish author and playwright, Charles Maturin. Since its publication in 1820 it has been admired by such authors as Sir Walter Scott, Honore de Balzac, Edgar Allan Poe, and Maturin's great nephew, Oscar Wilde. In this story of temptation, villainy, and a satanic bargain for immortality, Maturin offers his social commentary on early nineteenth centur ...
"Little Lord Fauntleroy" is the story of Cedric Errol who is living in poverty with his mother in New York. When his father, an Englishman who was disinherited for marrying an American, dies, Cedric is summoned to England by his grandfather. Cedric's grandfather, an Earl, intends to transform Cedric into a lord so that he may one day take his place as the lord of the manner. However, it is Cedric who transforms his grandfather with his ...
First published in 1778, this novel of manners tells the story of Evelina, a young woman raised in rural obscurity who is thrust into London’s fashionable society at the age of eighteen. There, she experiences a sequence of humorous events at balls, theatres, and gardens that teach her how quickly she must learn to navigate social snobbery and veiled aggression. Evelina, the embodiment of the feminine ideal for her time, undergoes numerous trial ...
William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was born in the British embassy in Paris in 1874, son of a British solicitor and his socialite wife. He developed a stammer in childhood, which prevented him from entering into a legal profession like his father and brothers, so it was decided that he would study medicine. His secret passion for literature led to the publication of «Liza of Lambeth» in 1897, and sparked a literary career that would make Maugh ...
"The Call of the Wild" is considered to be one Jack London's greatest novels. During the Yukon Gold Rush of the late 19th century London traveled there to strike it rich. While he didn't find any gold he came away with the experiences that would inspire some of his greatest writing. «The Call of the Wild», one of the greatest examples of this inspiration, is an exciting tale of adventure set in the great frozen north of the Yukon ...
