One of the most important works of the Modernist era, James Joyce’s “Ulysses” was originally published serially in the American journal “The Little Review” from March 1918 to December 1920. Subsequently published as a book in 1922, “Ulysses” chronicles the passage of Leopold Bloom through Dublin during an ordinary day, June 16, 1904. While the novel appears largely unstructured at first glance it is in fact very closely paralleled to Homer’s “Odyssey”, containing eighteen episodes that correspond ...

"A Doll's House" is the story of Nora Helmer who has secretly borrowed a large sum of money to help her husband recover from a serious illness. Nora who has borrowed this money by forging her father's signature soon discovers the value of the relationship she has with her husband, Torvald, when he becomes the director of the bank that employs the man, Nils Krogstad, who has lent the money to Nora. When it is discovered that Nils has commited a forgery himself, Nils threatens to reveal Nora's secret to her husband if she does not convince Torvald to allow ...

“Constructive Anatomy” is George B. Bridgman’s excellent book of anatomical drawing instruction. Ideal for beginning to intermediate artists, “Constructive Anatomy” begins with instruction on drawing hands and works its way through the human body giving detailed instruction on how to draw realistic human figures. Bridgman’s drawing methodology builds upon the analysis of human anatomy, how the skeleton fits together, and how muscle sits upon the skeleton to create the human form. Once an artist comprehends the anatomical ...

Considered one of the most important and widely read novels ever written in the Italian language, “The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi)” is Alessandro Manzoni’s 1827 historical novel, which details the terribly oppressive rule of the Spanish over Italy in the early 1600s. At the center of the novel is the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, whose marriage is forbidden by the local baron, who wishes to wed the lovely Lucia himself. Forced to flee their homes, Renzo and Lucia are separated and must struggle against the ravages of war ...

During his lifetime Australian Folklorist Joseph Jacobs would become one of the most important English authorities on folklore. Beginning in 1888, Jacobs began publishing his anthologies of popular world myths and legends. Drawing upon numerous literary sources Jacobs would popularize what have become some of the world’s best known folktales. In this 1891 collection of “Celtic Fairy Tales” Jacobs turned his attention for the first time to the myths and legends of the Celtic people. Like the famous German fairy tales collected by the Brothers ...

The second book in Booth Tarkington’s “Growth” trilogy, “The Magnificent Ambersons”, is considered by many to be his greatest novel. The novel depicts Mid-Western life from the post-Civil War era to the early twentieth century. First published in 1918, and awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1919, this novel follows, through three generations, the decline of the Ambersons, an aristocratic family of the upper-class society of Indianapolis. Following the American Civil war, the second industrial revolution gives rise to a new group ...

Edna St. Vincent Millay’s childhood was a life of transient poverty. Her mother Cora, who was separated for many years from, and finally divorced in 1904, her father Henry Tolman Millay, moved Edna and her two sisters constantly from town to town during their upbringing. The family would finally settle in a small house on the property of Cora’s aunt in Camden, Maine. It was here that Edna would write some of her first lines of poetry. Edna would first gain recognition when her 1912 poem “Renascence” garnered a fourth place prize in ...

The second play in William Shakespeare’s tetralogy of plays which also includes “Richard II”, “Henry IV, Part 2”, and “Henry V”, “Henry IV, Part 1” is believed to have been written no later than 1597. A history play, the drama concerns the unquiet reign of Henry Bolingbroke. Following the usurpation of the throne, Henry IV is plagued with guilt over his role in the imprisonment and death of King Richard II. In order to resolve himself of this internal conflict Henry IV leads a crusade to the Holy Land. ...

Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863-1933) was training to become a lawyer and barrister when he wrote his sixth novel, "The Prisoner of Zenda", in 1894. It took one month to finish the first draft, and it quickly achieved such great success that Hope turned to full-time writing. The story is set in the fictional country of Ruritania, on the eve of the new king's coronation. When the king is suddenly abducted, an Englishman who bears a striking resemblance to him is brought in as a political decoy. Like most of Hope's stories, the novel is full of plot twists, ...

Dante Alighieri was born in Florence, Italy in the middle of the 13th century and what is principally known of him comes from his own writings. One of the world’s great literary masterpieces, “The Divine Comedy” is at its heart an allegorical tale regarding man’s search for divinity. The work is divided into three sections, “Inferno”, “Purgatorio”, and “Paradiso”, each containing thirty-three cantos. It is the narrative of a journey down through Hell, up the mountain of Purgatory, and through the ...