Boon

Herbert George Wells

Summary

Wells’s satire on literature, „Boon” was originally published under the pseudonym Reginald Bliss; a follow-up to the Fabian-savaging „The New Machiavelli”. It purports, however, to be by the fictional character Reginald Bliss, and for some time after publication Wells denied authorship. „Boon” is best known for its part in Wells’s debate on the nature of literature with Henry James, who is caricatured in the book. But in „Boon” Wells also mocks himself, calling into question and ridiculing a notion he held dear – that of humanity’s collective consciousness. Among these pieces is the infamous parody of the late style of Henry James, all the more effective for being so distinctive a target. Describing James as the „culmination of the superficial type”, it is not surprising that the „indiscreet, ill-advised” content of Boon, as Wells describes it in his „Introduction”, put a serious strain on the relationship between the two authors.

Available since: 04/14/2017.

Print length: 160 pages.

Other books that might interest you

The Heartbreaker

Rexanne Becnel

A rake seeks to mend his ways, but his new governess could quickly unravel that plan, in this Regency romance by the bestselling author of The Bridemaker. After returning home from adventures in the Orient, James Lindford, Viscount Farley, causes quite a stir in London society. The viscount’s womanizing past has caught up with him, and he decides he must take his illegitimate children into his household to raise. Doing the right thing, unfortunately, costs him both his fiancée and his political aspirations. With the gossip hounds soon on the prowl, he escapes to the calm of his country estate. But between his rowdy children and the beautiful woman next door, James is not about to get any peace. Phoebe Churchill’s quiet life of raising her niece and tending to her cottage is quickly upended upon the arrival of her new neighbor. When she discovers his daughter is stealing from her, James entreats her to be the children’s governess. It is a job Phoebe accepts with great caution. Though she yearns for the viscount’s kiss, she cannot ignore her mother’s warning—that all men are lustful creatures not to be trusted . . . Perfect for fans of the Bridgerton series!Praise for the Matchmaker Series “[A] sensual roller coaster of a book.” —Booklist on The Heartbreaker “Becnel gives us true insight into the human spirit and does not stint on creating the ideal atmosphere and recreating the era to near perfection.” —RT Book Reviews on The Matchmaker “Sparkling romance . . . Playful in tone and rich in character, this book is fun, breezy entertainment.” —Publishers Weekly on The Bridemaker

Show book

The Mask of Love

Barbara Cartland

A half-English, masked but clearly beautiful young girl flees an arranged marriage to an aging Marchese into the gaiety and chaos of the Venice Carnival… A dashingly handsome Marquis in Venice on a top-secret mission for the English Prime Minister… A terrible storm that blows the Marquis’s yacht off course and into the hands of murderous and lustful Barbary Pirates… A hastily arranged prison wedding to save her from a Fate worse than death. And a kiss that changes two lives forever…

Show book

The Unbroken Dream

Barbara Cartland

The Duke of Laverdale is ambitious to be appointed Master of the Horse and the new
Queen Adelaide is determined that behaviour at Court should be moral after the licentiousness of King George IV.
The Duke therefore ends his affaire de coeur with the enchanting Lady Sybil Mersham and drops his ballet dancer mistress as well.
Up to now he has been determined not to be married, but he now decides to become respectable and find a suitable bride as befits his standing.
As he has always avoided debutantes, he asks the Marquis of Coleburn, whom he has known since he was a boy, to help him.
The Marquis is delighted and tells the Duke that he has the perfect wife for him in his beautiful daughter Oleta, who would have been a debutante by now but for family mourning.
The Duke arranges to visit the Marquis, who returns home to tell his daughter that she is a very lucky girl.
Oleta, however, is horrified at the idea of marrying a man she has never seen and who obviously cannot be in love with her. She is very romantic and loves the country especially the woods, which have a magical influence on her and she talks to them when she rides through them on her beloved horse, Apollo.
When the Marquis tells her that she cannot refuse the Duke, even if he has to drag her to the altar, Oleta runs away to her old Nanny in Norfolk, having no idea of the dangers she might face on the journey.
When the Duke arrives to stay with the Marquis, he is appalled to learn that, because she is afraid of him, Oleta has ridden off on her own. He then follows her as he has a much faster horse than anyone else.
How the Duke finds Oleta in a dangerous predicament and how he saves her.
How, not knowing who he is, she is impressed by his intelligence, his kindness and his bravery.
And how, when they finally escape from horse-thieves, he takes her to a place where they can be alone and how there they can both dream the same dream of love, is all told in this thrilling romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Show book

Taggart's Woman

Carole Mortimer

Read this classic romance by USA Today bestselling author Carole Mortimer, now available for the first time in e-book!A marriage for inheritance…To inherit her rightful share of her family business, Heather Danvers is forced to marry her late father’s partner, Daniel Taggart—a rough-edged, self-made millionaire, whose contempt for Heather seems beyond obvious!Yet in the two years since they first met, Heather has fallen for her captivating, yet distant, husband. But Heather doesn’t know that Daniel is hiding a secret—one that, if proved true, could have consequences… Can Heather show Daniel that there’s more to their marriage than convenience?Originally published in 1987

Show book

The Greek's Bought Wife

Helen Bianchin

Nic Leandros knows that most people want only his money. So when he finds out beautiful Tina Matheson is pregnant with his late brother's child, he's certain her price will be high….However, Tina must agree to his terms: no Leandros heir has ever been born out of wedlock; they will marry for the baby's sake….

Show book

A Beautiful Disguise (The...

Roseanna M. White

In Edwardian London, not all that glitters is gold as a lady and an intelligence officer's secret mission take them from the city's dazzling ballrooms to its covert intelligence offices.

Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the field, but when pneumonia lands him behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division just as they're creating a new secret intelligence branch, he's intent on showing his worth. He suspects an aristocrat of leaking information to Germany as tensions mount between the two countries, but he needs someone to help him prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but their results are beyond compare.

Left with an estate on the brink of bankruptcy after their father's death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a private investigation firm for the elite to spy on the elite. Dubbed The Imposters, Ltd., their anonymous group soon becomes the go-to for the crème of society who want answers delivered surreptitiously. But the many secrets Marigold learns about her peers pale in comparison to her shock when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend's father as a potential traitor.

Lady Marigold is determined to discover the truth for her friend's sake, and she's more determined still to keep her heart from getting involved with this enigmatic new client . . . who can't possibly be as noble as he seems.

"White's well-woven plot is engaging from start to finish with delightful threads of mystery, romance, and inspiration."--CARRIE TURANSKY, award-winning author

Show book