Carl Felman is a young man who, at the start of the story, is returning to his parents’ home following an extended absence. He stole money from his parents before leaving home, did a stint in the army, and spent some time traveling America as a hobo. Carl fancies himself a poet, but has had no training in writing. During the story he finds his poetic voice, but also uncovers a personality that is at odds with the world he tries to describe.

Learn about the many talents and achievements of Oscar Wilde—the playwright, novelist, critic, poet, and essayist.Author Charles J. Finger is critical of Wilde as a novelist, claiming that only The Picture of Dorian Gray will be remembered in posterity. But he is effusive in his praise of Wilde as a playwright and essayist, and explores each creative aspect of this talented man’s endeavors.

Long considered one of America’s greatest novels, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, has remained the quintessential look at the “Roaring Twenties.” This new audio edition includes a nearly 2-hour study guide to The Great Gatsby, including a chapter-by-chapter analysis, descriptions of the key characters, and an overview of the important themes and symbols in the book.The novel unfolds as a memoir in the voice of Nick Carraway, a young man from the Midwest who travels to New ...

This collection of 35 short poems was first published in 1927, and is a sequel to When We Were Very Young, which was the first anthology of verse dealing with the domestic adventures of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.As the author explains in the introduction: “We have been nearly three years writing this book. We began it when we were very young … and now we are six. So, of course, bits of it seem rather baby-ish to us, almost as if they had slipped out of some oth...

What does it mean to become real? That’s what the velveteen rabbit wants to know. Having been gifted to a small boy, the velveteen rabbit becomes a beloved toy. But he is troubled, for he cannot hop like the rabbits outside.When his young owner becomes sick with scarlet fever, the velveteen rabbit faces an even greater question: Will he escape the fate of the other toys and books in the germ-ridden nursery? Or will he somehow get away and discover a new kind of life?

Andy Blunden’s Hegel Marx & Vygotsky, Essays in Social Philosophy presents his novel approach to social theory in a series of essays. Blunden aims to use the cultural psychology of Lev Vygotsky and the Soviet Activity Theorists to renew Hegelian Marxism as an interdisciplinary science. This allows psychologists and social theorists to share their insights through concepts equally valid in either domain. The work includes critical reviews of the works of central figures in Soviet p...

Alice Adamsfollows the day-to-day life of a young woman who dreams of climbing the social ladder and escaping from her middle-class background.She struggles with the constant tension between her parents and her older brother. When a wealthy young man becomes interested in her, she weaves a fictional life during their discussions—but how long can she maintain the façade?

Mistaken identity (which the Elizabethans called “Error”) is nearly always amusing, whether on the stage or in actual life. The Comedy of Errors is a play in which this situation is developed to the extreme of improbability – but we lose sight of this improbability in the roaring fun which results. Nowadays we should call a play of this type a farce, since most of the fun comes from situations which are improbable and the play depends on these for success, rather than on character...

This play is a dramatization of Boccaccio’s story of Gillette of Narbonne. Only the comic parts were of Shakespeare’s invention; he added the characters of the pusillanimous Parolles, the lofty courtier Lafew, the Clown Lavatch, and the long suffering Countess. He gave new depth and vitality to the leading characters, who are mere outlines in Boccaccio’s tale.The comedy has for its heroine a young woman who loves the haughty Bertram with an unrequited and despised passion,...

Antonio, a wealthy and popular merchant, is in financial difficulty. He approaches a Jewish money lender, Shylock, who agrees to provide 3000 ducats, with a very curious bond – a pound of the merchant’s flesh, to be levied if Antonio fails to make a timely repayment. Feeling confident that his argosies will arrive in time to cover the debt, Antonio agrees to this bizarre transaction.Meanwhile, a wealthy gentlewoman, Portia, must choose a suitor using a curious ritual mandated by he...

Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It are usually regarded as Shakespeare’s crowning achievements in the world of mirth and humor. In this group of plays, written during the playwright’s Second Period (1595–1600), the author depicts chiefly the cheerful, energetic side of life.In As You Like It, a wicked Duke expels his virtuous brother, the lawful ruler, from his domains. The banished Duke takes refuge with his followers in t...

This collection contains nine early stories featuring the Continental Op, an un-named middle-aged detective working for the San Francisco branch of the fictional Continental Detective Agency.The stories are narrated in the first person. The “hardboiled detective” narrative voice was later used by author Dashiell Hammett in The Maltese Falcon, featuring Sam Spade, and the Thin Man series of stories.