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  Short-Timers The (Unabridged)

  Charles Dickens

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  Charles Dickens was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
  THE SHORT-TIMERS: Within so many yards of this Covent-garden lodging of mine, as within so many yards of Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul's Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, the Prisons, the Courts of Justice, all the Institutions that govern the land, I can find must find...

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  Psychology

  Katherine Mansfield

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  "Psychology" is a 1920 short story by Katherine Mansfield. It was first published in Bliss and Other Stories.
  A man visits a woman for tea. He tells her this is the only place he pays attention to in terms of its furniture and so on. He also loves her 'little boy'. They then talk about the state of the novel as a literary genre - coming to the conclusion that the psycho-novel is shoddy. She feels anguished about possibly having failed in not following suit with that genre however, and he leaves...

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  Agnes Grey

  Anne Brontë

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  When young Agnes Grey’s family falls on hard financial times, she decides to take a job as a governess with the wealthy Bloomfield family, and then later the even-wealthier Murray family. But they are cruel and unkind, and with them Agnes is lonely isolated, and very aware of how vulnerable she is.
   
   
   
  What Agnes wants is happiness and fulfillment, but are they out of reach for her?
   
   
   
  Agnes Grey is Anne Brontë’s first novel and based on the author’s own experiences of the challenges faced by young women born without many opportunities.
   
   

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  A Wagner Matinee - From their...

  Willa Cather

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  Willa Sibert Cather had Welsh ancestry but like her parents Charles and Mary, was born in Virginia, on 7th December 1873.  Despite strong roots in the community, Willa was 9, when the family moved to Nebraska, to work the rich soil and avoid TB of which there were numerous outbreaks in Virginia.   
  The vastness and drama of the Nebraska prairie and its’ extreme weather conditions as well as the many diverse cultures of the local families proved to be a major influence on her and can be evidenced in much of her later writing.   
  Her first writing was for the local journal when she was at the University of Nebraska and later became the managing editor of the student newspaper.    
  In 1896 she obtained work for a woman’s magazine in Pittsburgh and soon after became a regular contributor to the Pittsburgh Leader and wrote poetry and short stories for the Library, another local publication.   
  Her first collection of short stories, ‘The Troll Garden’, was published in 1905 and contains several of her most famous including ‘A Wagner Matinee’ and ‘Paul's Case.’ As a writer Cather was now taking immense strides forward.   
  Between 1913 and 1918 Cather wrote her Prairie Trilogy: ‘O Pioneers!’, ‘The Song of the Lark’, and ‘My Ántonia’ and in 1922 the Pulitizer Prize was hers for her novel ‘One of Ours’ set during WWI.  
  Acknowledged as one of America's greatest writers’ further honours flowed. In 1943 she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The following year Cather received the gold medal for fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters.  
  A determinedly private person, Cather destroyed many old drafts, personal papers, and letters. Her will would also restrict the ability of scholars to quote from personal papers that remained. 
  On 24th April 1947, Willa Siebert Cather died of a cerebral haemorrhage at her Manhattan home. She was 73.

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  Herman Melville 3 Complete Works...

  Herman Melville

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  Herman Melville, born in 1819 in New York City, led a life filled with adventure, literary exploration, and contemplation. His early experiences as a sailor aboard whaling ships provided the inspiration for his most famous work, "Moby-Dick," a literary masterpiece that would later secure his place in literary history. Melville's writings delve into profound themes such as obsession, the human condition, morality, and the conflict between man and nature. 
   
  While Melville's works did not achieve commercial success during his lifetime, his legacy grew in the years following his death in 1891. The publication of "Moby-Dick" in 1851 was met with mixed reviews, but the novel's exploration of existential themes and its rich symbolism garnered appreciation and recognition from later generations of readers and scholars. Today, Melville is considered one of the greatest American writers, with "Moby-Dick" hailed as a monumental achievement in American literature. 
   
  Melville's writings often reflect his own personal struggles and the tumultuous historical context of his time. His novella "Billy Budd, Sailor" explores themes of justice, innocence, and the corrupting influence of authority, drawing parallels to the social and political conflicts of the mid-19th century. His early novels, such as "Typee" and "Omoo," were based on his real-life experiences as a sailor in the South Seas, highlighting the clash between Western civilization and the indigenous cultures he encountered. 
   
  Herman Melville's life and writings continue to resonate with readers, inviting them into a world of adventure, philosophy, and introspection. His works inspire deep reflection on the human condition and the mysteries of existence. Melville's legacy as a literary pioneer, exploring the depths of the human psyche and confronting existential questions, remains enduring.

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  The Charterhouse of Parma

  Stendhal

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  "In the shadows of a miniature court, a young man searches for glory—and finds a sublime, dangerous love."
  
  Follow the idealistic and impulsive Fabrice del Dongo as he rushes to join Napoleon's army, witnessing the chaos of the Battle of Waterloo without ever quite understanding what he is seeing. This early taste of "heroic reality" sets the stage for his return to Italy, where he becomes a pawn in the sophisticated power games of the Court of Parma. Guided by his brilliant and daring aunt, the Duchess Sanseverina, and her lover, the master-politician Count Mosca, Fabrice must navigate a world of secret police, high-stakes imprisonment, and a forbidden passion for the jailer's daughter, Clelia Conti. Stendhal weaves a rich tapestry of irony and romance, proving that the battles of the heart are just as treacherous as those on the field of war.
  
  The "Modern" View of War: Stendhal's depiction of Waterloo is legendary for its realism. Instead of a panoramic view of a great general's victory, we see through the eyes of a confused young man who can't tell if he's in a battle or a riot. This "soldier's-eye view" influenced generations of writers, including Tolstoy.
  
  The Chessboard of Parma: The novel is a masterclass in political satire. The tiny Duchy of Parma is a microcosm of power, where a misplaced word or a secret letter can mean the difference between life and death. The relationship between the Duchess and Count Mosca is one of literature's most mature and fascinating portrayals of love entangled with political survival.
  
  Why It Is a Literary Triumph: The Charterhouse of Parma is beloved for its "Stendhalian" energy—a mix of cynicism about the world and an unshakeable belief in the beauty of passion. It captures the spirit of an age where the grandeur of the Napoleonic era was fading into the complex, clockwork diplomacy of the Restoration.
  
  Enter a world of high-stakes romance. Purchase "The Charterhouse of Parma" today.

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