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The Pirate Island - A Story of the South Pacific - cover

The Pirate Island - A Story of the South Pacific

Harry Collingwood

Publisher: Wilder Publications

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Summary

Set sail for adventure! A swashbuckling tale of the high seas full of courage and danger. "The barometer had been slowly but persistently falling during the two previous days; the dawn had been red and threatening, with a strong breeze from S.E.; and as the short dreary November day waxed and waned this strong breeze had steadily increased in strength until by nightfall it had become a regular "November gale," with frequent squalls of arrowy rain and sleet, which, impelled by the furious gusts, smote and stung like hail, and cleared the streets almost as effectually as a volley of musketry would have done. It was not fit for a dog to be out of doors. So said Ned Anger as he entered the snug bar-parlour of the "Anchor" at Brightlingsea, and drawing a chair close up to the blazing fire of wreck-wood which roared up the ample chimney, flung himself heavily down thereon to await the arrival of the "pint" which he had ordered as he passed the bar."

Available since: 08/28/2015.

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Jane Eyre

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“I would always rather be happy than dignified.”“There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow-creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort.”From Jane EyreJane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë, published under the pen name "Currer Bell", on October 16, 1847, by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first American edition was published the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York. Jane Eyre is a Bildungsroman that follows the experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr. Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall. The novel revolutionized prose fiction by being the first to focus on its protagonist's moral and spiritual development through an intimate first-person narrative, where actions and events are colored by a psychological intensity. Charlotte Brontë has been called the "first historian of the private consciousness". The work contains elements of social criticism with a strong sense of Christian morality at its core, and it is considered by many to be ahead of its time because of Jane's individualistic character and how the novel approaches the topics of class, sexuality, religion, and feminism. Jane Eyre is one of the most famous romance novels of all time.

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What is Enlightenment?

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In the modern era, we take the concept of Enlightenment for granted. The concepts of personal freedom, liberty and the ability to think for one-self have become a personal choice and fundamental to our everyday lives. Yet in 1784, when the essay was written, the concept of Enlightenment was an emerging idea and still a vague notion to most people. What is important for the modern listener in this essay is how Kant outlines those things that discourage enlightenment as well as those things that can enhance it on a personal and social level. The WIKIPEDIA link below provides a more detailed analysis of the essay, although the listener will appreciate how many of the issues defined by Kant are still relevant in today's world.

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Lady Windermere's Fan

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"Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman" is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first produced 22 February 1892 at the St James's Theatre in London. The play was first published in 1893. Like many of Wilde's comedies, it bitingly satirizes the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage. 
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An Author's Republic audio production.

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Alistair Maclean is a soldier in the employ of Lee's Regiment and an agent of Bonnie Prince Charlie at the height of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Amidst seeking support from the English Grandees for his masters cause, he finds himself embroiled in twisted web of deceit and betrayal that lies in the very heart of the Jacobite cause. He finds help coming from the unlikely source of the mysterious "Midwinter" and his all seeing army of Spoonbills. Men of "Old England" who see much and are seldom seen in turn. Can Alastair save the Prince's rebellion? Can he win the heart of the young Jacobite Claudia Norreys? 
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