Maurice Leblanc, a contemporary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, created the character of Arsene Lupin, who in French-speaking countries rivaled the popularity of Sherlock Holmes. Arsene Lupin is a confidence man and thief who steals only from the rich. In this collection of short stories we are first introduced to Lupin in the following nine stories: «The Arrest of Arsene Lupin», «Arsene Lupin in Prison», «The Escape of Arsene Lupin», «The Mysterious ...
Set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during the years 1830-32, George Eliot's «Middlemarch» is a work of epic scope filled with numerous characters, which explores a plethora of themes including the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism and self-interest, religion and hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Considered one of the great works of the English language, George Eliot's «Middlemarch» was immensel ...
"The Ball and The Cross" is the story of conflict that arises between an ardent Roman Catholic and a militant atheist shopkeeper when the Roman Catholic becomes enraged by a blasphemous display in the latter's shop window. The two get into a scuffle and after being hauled away by the police agree to a duel. As they search the city for the perfect place to duel they meet numerous interesting characters that persistently interrupt their ...
Kate Chopin (1850-1904) was an American novelist and short story writer who is being increasingly recognized as a forerunner to the feminist authors of the twentieth century. Chopin wrote short stories which were published in such magazines as «Atlantic Monthly», «Vogue», and «The Century Magazine», as well as two novels. Her stories were typically set in Louisiana, particularly New Orleans, and reflected her experiences there during her marriag ...
Published in 1862 after Dostoyevsky's imprisonment in a Siberian labor camp, «The House of the Dead» is a collection of memoirs, related by themes, that portrays the horrific life of convicts. The author drew on his own experiences in prison to depict the squalor, destitution, and severity of a Siberian camp with remorseless detail. Dostoyevsky reveals the characters of many of the other convicts, which includes the depravity many have come ...
Jerome K. Jerome is an English humorist best known for his book «Three Men in a Boat» and its sequel «Three Men on the Bummel.» Jerome tried his hand at a number of professions ranging from acting, writing, and journalism, but nothing seemed to fit. It wasn't until Jerome married his wife Ettie in 1888 that he found his inspiration. The two honeymooned on a small boat floating on the Thames River, and the trip inspired Jerome to think that ...
"She Stoops to Conquer" is the comedic drama that depicts the story of Charles Marlow, a wealthy young man who is promised to a woman that he has never met. While he is eager to meet her, Charles is quite shy in the company of women of wealth, however in the company of women of the lower classes he transforms into a lecherous rogue. Learning of this, Kate Hardcastle, the woman he is promised too, pretends to be a serving-maid in order to wi ...
This daring tale of revenge and exotic intrigue is demonstrative of Stevenson's broad range and unique genius. «The Master of Ballantrae», first published in 1889, follows the conflict between two Scottish brothers of noble origins during the tumultuous Jacobite Risings of 1745. Greed and envy threaten to tear the brothers apart as a race for the family inheritance intensifies. James Durie, the protagonist and Master of Ballantrae, is as ch ...
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (1850-1894), a Scottish novelist, poet and essayist, was influential to the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, and J. M. Barrie. His most famous works include «Treasure Island» and «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde». Originally intending to study engineering at the University of Edinburgh, Stevenson expended more energy dodging lectures than attending them. He shifted his studies to law, passing ...