Showing results by author "ciesse" in All Categories

Candide, ou l’Optimisme, (“Candide, or Optimism”) (1759) is a picaresque novel by the Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. Voltaire never openly admitted to having written the controversial Candide; the work is signed with a pseudonym: “Monsieur le docteur Ralph”, literally “Mister Doctor Ralph.”Sardonic in outlook, it follows the naïve protagonist Candide from his first exposure to the precept that “all is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds,” and on through a series of adventures that dramatically disprove that precept even as the protagonist clings to ...

Scenes of Clerical Life, which appeared in book form in 1858 (after serial publication in the previous year), was the first published fiction by George Eliot, the pen name for Mary Anne Evans. It consists of three novellas based on the lives of country clergymen and their communities. These characters interest Eliot not for their theology — she had abandoned conventional Christian belief — but for their humanity. In these stories, we find the earliest signs of the narrative voice, the humanism, and the realism that would make George Eliot one of the greatest novelists of the 1800s. (...

Also known as "A Political History of the Devil" This book is divided into two parts: first, the history of the devil from his fall from heaven up to the time the book was written and second about his private conduct. Partly funny, partly religious, and partly critical of what was written before, the book is purely delightful to read. This is a lesser known work by the author of Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders. ( Stav Nisser.)

Brother Jacob is a short story by George Eliot, in which she explores the relationship between the selfish, self-centered and ambitious David Faux and his idiot brother, Jacob. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

This is a lively and highly accessible overview of the life and times of one of England's most beloved authors. Using excerpts from a wide variety of sources, such as Austen's own personal correspondence and the works of her contemporaries, Mitton chronicles her literary career and family life amidst the changing climate of the Georgian and Regency eras, giving the reader a sense of what it was like to live in her world. A must-read for the dedicated Austen aficionado! - Summary by Tomas Peter

Louisa May Alcott's overwhelming success dated from the appearance of the first part of Little Women: or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, (1868) a semi-autobiographical account of her childhood years with her sisters in Concord, Massachusetts. Part two, or Part Second, also known as Good Wives, (1869) followed the March sisters into adulthood and their respective marriages. (Summary from Wikipedia)

This book is a biography of four woman authors whose names were well known by readers at the time of its publication (1883) : Anna Barbaud, Maria Edgeworth, Amelia Opie, and Jane Austen. Though most of us today are only familiar with the writings of Austen, all four of these women are well worth taking the time to get to know. The author, Anne Thackeray Ritchie, was the eldest daughter of William Makepeace Thackeray. - Summary by Ciufi Galeazzi

Only 15-years-old, Eleanor Vane is very happy with her lot: educated in an expensive finishing school in Paris, the apple of her father's eye, and disposed to be kind. Of course there are things missing: she does not remember her mother who died when she was young. But at least she has her father... Until he unexpectedly dies. Now Eleanor is at the mercy of her half-siblings who were never in touch with her, and the rest of the world who would consider her an orphaned beggar. Sent to work as a lady's companion to an old friend of her late father's, Eleanor might, just might, be able to win a ...

This scene of 'Domestic Bliss' is from Poems of Cheer by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. (Pub 1914) - Summary by David Lawrence

Frustrated with life in the tenements generally and the negative influences on his children specifically, a father decides to move his family to the country, where they live off the land and breathe fresh air. - Summary by David Gore

The adventures of Tyltyl and The Fairy Berylune. Of all the girls he knows, who does he love the most? Read on to find out. - Summary by Michele EatonCast List:Gaffer Tyl: Alan MapstoneNeighbour: Alan MapstoneThe Miser: Algy PugJalline: Annie MarsAimette: Belinda LovedayRoselle: Matea BracicChild: Jenn BrodaBelline/Child: Joanna Michal HoytThe Great Ancestor/Daddy Tyl: Wayne CookeMummy Tyl: SoniaRosarelle: Kelly S TaylorMytyl: Lauren-Emma BlakeLight: LydiaNarrator: MichaelMaggsMilette: MinnieSmallest Child: Mira WilliamsAnother Child 1: Jim LockeThe Shape/Destiny: Andrew GaunceBeryllune the ...

Catherine is a beautiful woman, and despite being a respectable married woman, enjoys matchmaking, flirting and mischief. The tale is set in the French countryside, amid a simple people, who are no match for her machinations. - Summary by LynneT

The Chateau D'Or, or The Castle of Gold, looked gloomy and gray from the train rattling through the French countryside from Paris to Marseilles. How did it get its grand name? Stories and legends abound, but this is just one as related by two interested travelers. Also included are two shorter stories, Norah and Kitty Craig - Summary by LynneT

Inspired by the real life story of Caroline Norton, a friend of the author's, this book tells about a lively woman who is trapped in a miserable marriage. Yet Diana is not one to give up in her quest for love, happiness and fulfillment. - Summary by Stav Nisser

This collection from renowned author Washington Irving (famed for his haunting tale "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the fantastical legend of "Rip Van Winkle") offers a diverse mix of stories ranging from the spooky and strange supernatural folk tales surrounding his native New England to stories more exotic of ancient legends and travel sketches from faraway places reflective of the time Irving spent journeying through Europe. - Summary by Ben Tucker

Edward Sylvester Ellis was a major American author during the era of inexpensive fiction of the nineteenth century (dime novels). Because he wrote under dozens of pseudonyms, as well as under his own name, it is virtually impossible to know exactly how many books he wrote, but it is believed to be in the hundreds. He specialized in boys' stories, inspirational biography, and history for both children and adults. (From FictionDB.com)This is a western, set in the Pecos River valley in the late 19th century, post Civil War era. This is the sequel to "In the Pecos Country", and the second half of ...

First published in 1893, this novel came to question many subjects which were considered taboo. Through a few interconnected plots and sub plots, the story examines the role of women and the different opportunities women and men had. Through the twins of the title, a girl and a boy, and through two other ladies we discover the Victorian world in a different light. What does a woman have to do if, after marriage, she discovers very unsettling things about her husband's past? Yes, society expects her to stay with him and honor the marriage. But what if she is not willing? What are women expected...

Qui ne connaît Carmen, immortalisée par l'opéra de Bizet? Quoique... Le narrateur rencontre don José, qui lui raconte son aventure de contrebandier avec la belle Gitane. Quant à la Vénus d'Ille, cette statue à l'allure maléfique est à l'origine d'événements mystérieux.Who does not know Carmen, immortalized by Georges Bizet in his most famous opera? Although... The narrator tells his encounter with don Jose, who tells him of his life as a smuggler with the beautiful Gipsy. As for the Venus from Ille, this statue with its malevolent looks is causing mysterious events. (Summary by ...

Charles Hanson Towne was a well known editor, author and poet. He was a popular New York celebrity who was considered by many as being the quintessential New Yorker. Besides being the editor at such magazines as Smart Set, Delineator, McClure’s, Designer, and Harper’s Bazaar, Towne also taught poetry at Columbia University. His most notable student was author J.D. Salinger. At the age of 63, Town joined the company of the Broadway hit, Life with Father, and at 68 wrote his autobiography, So Far, So Good. - Summary by Nemo

Beautiful, playful young Deirdre, caught in the crosshairs of Ireland's wily, chauvinistic King Conachur, who desires to marry her after his own wife Maeve has escaped his clutches, is one of many prequels to the legend of “The Great Tain”, Ireland's national epic. Sometimes called "The Irish Iliad", this saga of war between rival Irish and Scottish kings, with its many characters, was preserved in oral tradition with many variations, until committed to writing in the Middle Ages. Stephens gives his own interpretation, insights and humor of the Deirdre story as he spins court intrigue, ...