Literary Criticism
Charles Dickens Great Expectations
In this captivating exploration of Charles Dickens's masterpiece, Great Expectations, literary detective Sarah Dillon delves into the story …
Confidence
This light and somewhat awkward comedy centers on artist Bernard Longueville, scientist Gordon Wright, and the sometimes inscrutable heroine…
Nana
Excerpt from Introduction:"Nana" stands third in popularity among the Zola novels. It is a study of the prostitute type and it giv…
Lord Beaupre
What is a young man to do, when because of his pleasant disposition, and (of course) his considerable wealth, he finds himself besieged by b…
The Autobiography of Goethe
A literary celebrity by the age of 25, Goethe was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Carl August in 1782 after first taking up residence t…
Under the Shadow of Etna
The short stories of Giovanni Verga, one of the leading authors of Italian verismo, or realism, tell mostly of working-class characters in r…
Mardi
Mardi is Melville's first purely fictional work. In it he contemplates man's beliefs, and questions whether or not one faith has value over …
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a timeless tale that explores the transformative power of compassion and redemption. Follow the jour…
The Innerglow Effect
Drug companies continue to come out with powerful new medicines. Some produce wondrous responses while others have unforeseen side effects.…
Brazilian Tales
"Brazilian Tales" is a collection of six short stories selected by Isaac Goldberg as best representative of the Brazilian Literatu…
Poor Folk
Known as Fyodor Dostoyevski's first novel, Poor Folk portrays the life of poor people and poverty in a general sense. This novel is short i…
A Long Way from Disney
It's the 1980s in Boston: the Celtics are rolling, the Patriots got crushed by the Bears, and the Sox are the Sox. Adam Berkman is learning …
Must Not Sleep
By turns hilarious and chilling, poet and novelist Michael Brownstein's latest novel MUST NOT SLEEP is a shamanic initiation into personal f…
Two Sides To Every Question
'Two Sides to Every Question’: From a South Australian Standpoint is a meditation on poverty, wealth, and social aspiration set in the free …
Howards End
The Schlegels frequently encounter the Wilcoxes. The youngest, Helen, is rejected by the younger Wilcox brother, Paul. The eldest, Margaret,…
Camilla
Camilla is Frances Burney's third novel. It became very popular upon its publication in 1796. Jane Austen referred to it, among other novels…
The Light That Failed
This novel, first published in 1890, follows the life of Dick Heldar, a painter. Most of the novel is set in London, but many important even…
Germinal
This epic about French coal miners and the burgeoning labor movement is considered one of Zola's finest novels. - Summary by Matt Pierard
Pushing Leaves Towards the Sun
When Oso gets yanked off his motorcycle and killed by a closed parking lot chain, Billy feels guilty for having taught him to hop curbs and …
Demos
"Richard Mutimer is delighted to inherit a large fortune. As a socialist, he means to use it well: he will open a factory in which work…