Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was a true American novelist, passionate abolitionist and supporter of women's suffrage. Her foremost novel, «Little Woman», is beloved by readers who enjoy Alcott's sentimental style. Daughter of noted transcendentalist, reformer and educator, Bronson Alcott, she was influenced by such well known figures as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller. This collection ...
Henry James's novel «What Maisie Knew» is the story of Beale and Ida Farange and their daughter Maisie. When the two divorce the court orders that the custody of Maisie be split between the two. Spending six months with each, Maisie finds herself in an unstable position as the immoral and frivolous Beale and Ida use Maisie to intensify their animosity for each other. «What Maisie Knew» is a tragic tale of the consequences of a child caught ...
Charles Dickens' «David Copperfield», which originally appeared in serial format between May 1849 and November 1850, is considered as the most autobiographical of all his novels. A classic «Bildungsroman», i.e., a novel of self-cultivation, it is the story of its title character from childhood to maturity which chronicles the struggle between the emotional and moral aspects of his life. Central to the theme of the novel is the idea of «the ...
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) was one of the first African American writers to gain national notoriety, and in his very short career amassed a wonderful collection of short stories, novels, plays, songs, essays and poetry. Dunbar used two very distinct styles in his writing: the standard, classical English, and the dialect of the black community at the turn of the century. Because of this, he was highly popular with both white and black reade ...
The first major work of the father of French Naturalism, «Therese Raquin» is the shocking initial success of Zola's impressive writing career. Published in 1867, the plot revolves around a young woman, Therese, who is unhappily married to her cousin Camille, largely due to her domineering, if well-intentioned, aunt, Madame Raquin. After moving the little family to Paris, the selfish Camille meets up with an old friend, Laurent, who quickly ...
Little is definitively known about Charlotte Lennox (1730?-1804) before the publication of her novels and poetry other than she was probably born in Gibraltar to the English captain-lieutenant, James Ramsay, and moved to New York when she was ten. It is thought that she spent much of her childhood reading romance novels as a solution to the boredom of living at small frontier outposts. She was particularly drawn to Miguel de Cervantes' «Don ...
In this sequel to «Eight Cousins» we find the title character Rose returning from a two year trip traveling the world. Rose, a wealthy woman, finds herself the object of many suitors, but how can she tell who loves her for her and who loves her for her money? A delightful coming of age story, «Rose in Bloom» will delight readers both young and old. ...
"The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym," the only full-length novel that Edgar Allan Poe wrote, is the story of a boy, Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship. Along with Augustus, the captain's son, Arthur Gordon Pym avoids discover aboard the ship while witnessing a series of incredible events. Rich with symbolism and allegory, «The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym» is an exciting gothic sea adventure that greatly influenced the genre o ...
From the writer of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess comes the story of how Queen Crosspatch and her band of fairies help to save the Racketty-Packetty House. With classic illustrations by Harrison Cady, «Racketty-Packetty House» is Frances Hodgson Burnett’s whimsical tale of wonder with a positive message that will enchant and delight young readers. ...
