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  Billy Budd

  Herman Melville

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  "Billy Budd" is a novella written by Herman Melville, completed shortly before his death in 1891. It tells the story of Billy Budd, a handsome and popular sailor who becomes embroiled in a conflict with his ship's master-at-arms, John Claggart, on board a British naval vessel during the late 18th century. The novella explores themes of innocence, morality, justice, and the inherent conflict between good and evil.The narrative centers around the character of Billy Budd, a young and virtuous sailor admired by his peers for his exceptional charm and simplicity. However, his life takes a dramatic turn when he is falsely accused of inciting mutiny by Claggart, a malevolent and envious officer. The novella delves into the psychological dynamics between the two characters and the moral dilemmas faced by the ship's captain, Captain Vere, as he grapples with the decision of how to handle the situation."Billy Budd" explores the clash between absolute goodness and institutional authority, with Melville examining the complexities and ambiguities of human nature. The novella raises profound questions about the nature of justice, the corrupting influence of power, and the struggle to maintain one's moral integrity in a society driven by hierarchy and oppression.Melville's writing in "Billy Budd" is characterized by his rich prose, nuanced characterization, and philosophical inquiries. The novella incorporates nautical terminology and imagery, drawing on Melville's own experiences as a sailor, and employs a multi-layered narrative that invites readers to contemplate deeper moral and existential questions.

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  The Jungle Book

  Rudyard Kipling

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  "The Jungle Book" is a literary classic penned by British author Rudyard Kipling and first published in 1894. Set in the heart of the Indian jungle, it is a captivating collection of stories that combine adventure, morality, and the relationship between humans and animals. At its core, the book explores the idea of the "Law of the Jungle," which represents the rules and principles that govern life in the wild. 
  The central character of "The Jungle Book" is Mowgli, a young boy who finds himself orphaned in the jungle and subsequently raised by a pack of wolves. His upbringing in the jungle introduces him to the intricate web of life and survival strategies that animals employ. Mowgli learns to communicate with various creatures, developing unique friendships and alliances with the jungle's inhabitants. 
  Among his closest animal companions are Baloo, the jovial and wise bear who imparts valuable life lessons to Mowgli, and Bagheera, the sleek and protective black panther who serves as his guardian. Together, they guide Mowgli through the challenges of the jungle, instilling in him the importance of respecting nature and the Law of the Jungle. 
   
  However, not all of Mowgli's encounters in the jungle are friendly. Shere Khan, a fearsome Bengal tiger, serves as one of his primary adversaries. Shere Khan harbors a deep-seated animosity toward humans and poses a constant threat to Mowgli, leading to numerous confrontations throughout the story. 
   
  Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was a British author best known for his works of fiction and poetry, often set in the context of the British Empire. He was born in Bombay, India, and spent a significant part of his life there, which greatly influenced his writing. Kipling's notable works include "The Jungle Book," "Kim," "Just So Stories,".

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  Why Read the Classics?

  Italo Calvino

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  Italo Calvino was not only a prolific master of fiction, he was also an uncanny reader of literature, a keen critic of astonishing range. Why Read the Classics? is the most comprehensive collection of Calvino's literary criticism available in English, accounting for the enduring importance to our lives of crucial writers of the Western canon. Here—spanning more than two millennia, from antiquity to postmodernism—are 36 immediately relevant, elegantly written, accessible ruminations on the writers, poets, and scientists who meant most to Calvino at different stages of his life. 
  Following the title essay, which explores fourteen definitions of "the classic," Calvino offers writings that are at once critical appraisals and personal appreciations of, among others: Homer, Xenophon, Ovid, Pliny, Nezami, Ariosto, Cardano, Galileo, Defoe, Voltaire, Diderot, Ortes, Stendhal, Balzac, Dickens, Flaubert, Tolstoy, Twain, Henry James, Stevenson, Conrad, Pasternak, Gadda, Montale, Hemingway, Ponge, Borges, and Queneau. At a time when the Western canon and the very notion of "literary greatness" have come under increasing disparagement by the vanguard of so-called multiculturalism, Why Read the Classics? gives us an inspiriting corrective.

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  Lord Jim

  Joseph Conrad

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  Lord Jim tells the story of a young, idealistic Englishman-"as unflinching as a hero in a book"-who is disgraced by a single act of cowardice while serving as an officer on the Patna, a merchant-ship sailing from an eastern port. His life is ruined: an isolated scandal has assumed horrifying proportions. But then he is befriended by an older man named Marlow who helps to establish him in exotic Patusan, a remote Malay settlement where his courage is put to the test once more. Lord Jim is about courage and cowardice, self-knowledge and personal growth. It is one of the most profound and rewarding psychological novels in English. Set in the context of social change and colonial expansion in late Victorian England, it embodies in Jim the values and turmoil of a fading empire.

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  Iliad The (Unabridged)

  Homer

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  The Iliad is one of the two great epics of Homer, and is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time, but to say the Iliad is a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters: Achilles, Helen, Hector, and other heroes of Greek myth and history in the tenth and final year of the Greek siege of Troy.

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  The Story of the Greeks

  H. A. Guerber

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  This survey of ancient Greece introduces students to the myths of Icarus and Oedipus, as well as historical figures like Socrates and Alexander the Great.In The Story of the Greeks, historian and mythologist H. A. Guerber presents an engaging overview of ancient Greek life, from the earliest inhabitants of the Greek peninsula to its eventual conquest by Rome. Written specifically for students, Guerber focuses her narrative on significant individuals and the roles they played in history. She also covers important Greek myths and the meanings they had for the people of the time. From mythical origin stories to the founding and development of Greek city-states, Guerber tells of the Peloponnesian War and Spartan military domination; the great Athenian philosophers, Socrates and Plato; the rise of Macedon under Philip and his son Alexander the Great; Ancient Greek drama; the Olympic Games; the Colossus of Rhodes; and much more.

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