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  Sense and Sensibility - The...

  Jane Austen

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  Sense and Sensibility is a classic novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; By A Lady appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne as they come of age. They have an older half-brother, John, and a younger sister, Margaret.

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  Reparation

  J. D. Beresford

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  John Davys Beresford (1873 – 1947) was an English writer, now remembered for his early science fiction and short stories in the horror story and ghost story genres."Reparation" is a strange short story. Angus, a young engineer returning to England from Cape Town, is offered a first class passage by an ailing acquaintance on the pretext that he needs a secretary during the voyage. Once they set sail it becomes clear that there is in fact no secretarial work to be done and he is puzzled as to why he has been taken on. One evening he is called to his employer's cabin. He old man is dying. On his deathbed, he entrusts Angus with a bag of uncut diamonds and instructions to give them to a young woman, Sarah Browning, who had once been his mistress, and with who he suspects he may have had a child. The old man dies. Angus does his best to find Sarah Browning, but finds that she has already left the address he had been given. But every time he attempts to abandon the quest, strange - and sometimes sinister -  events occur which set him back on the track of the elusive woman.

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  Club-Hauling of the Diomede The...

  Frederick Marryat

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  Captain Frederick Marryat (10 July 1792 - 9 August 1848) was a Royal Navy officer, a novelist, and an acquaintance of Charles Dickens. He is noted today as an early pioneer of nautical fiction, particularly for his semi-autobiographical novel Mr Midshipman Easy (1836). He is remembered also for his children's novel The Children of the New Forest (1847), and for a widely used system of maritime flag signalling known as Marryat's Code.THE CLUB-HAULING OF THE DIOMEDE: We continued our cruise along the coast, until we had run down into the Bay of Arcason, where we captured two or three vessels, and obliged many more to run on shore.

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  Orlando - A Biography

  Virginia Woolf

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  At the beginning of Virginia Woolf's fantastical and satirical 1928 novel, Orlando is a young nobleman in Elizabethan England. At the age of 30, Orlando awakens to have found he's now a woman. Moving through the following centuries, the novel stretches over 300 years, during which time Orlando meets several key figures of English literary history.

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  Oscar Wilde - Short Stories

  Oscar Wilde

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  Welcome to the enchanting world of Oscar Wilde's timeless tales, now available in the captivating digital audiobook version of "Oscar Wilde - Short Stories"! Immerse yourself in the genius of Wilde's storytelling as you explore three beloved classics: "The Canterville Ghost," "The Fisherman and His Soul," and "The Devoted Friend." 
   
  Step into the realms of whimsy, wit, and wisdom with "The Canterville Ghost," a delightful blend of humor and the supernatural. Follow the misadventures of an American family as they encounter the stubbornly persistent ghost of Sir Simon, revealing unexpected twists and heartwarming moments along the way. 
   
  Venture into the mystical journey of "The Fisherman and His Soul," a poignant allegory exploring the conflict between the spiritual and the material. Join a young fisherman as he sacrifices everything for love, encountering mermaids, temptation, and the ultimate pursuit of true freedom. 
   
  Delve into the thought-provoking fable of "The Devoted Friend," a tale that explores the dynamics of friendship, kindness, and selflessness. Witness the evolving relationship between a selfless linnet and a materialistic water-rat, unraveling profound lessons about the true nature of generosity.

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  Female Short Story The - A...

  E M Delafield, Dorothy Parker,...

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  A wise man once said ‘The safest place for a child is in the arms of his mother’s voice’.  This is a perfect place to start our anthology of female short stories. 
   
  Some of our earliest memories are of our mothers telling us bedtime stories. This is not to demote the value of fathers but more to promote the often-overshadowed talents of the gentler sex. 
   
  Perhaps ‘gentler’ is a word that we should re-evaluate. In the course of literary history it is men who dominated by opportunity and with their stranglehold on the resources, both financial and technological, who brought their words to a wider audience.  Men often placed women on a pedestal from where their talented words would not threaten their own.   
   
  In these stories we begin with the original disrupter and renegade author Aphra Behn.  A peek at her c.v. shows an astounding capacity and leaves us wondering at just how she did all that. 
   
  In those less modern days to be a woman, even ennobled, was to be seen as second class.  You literally were chattel and had almost no rights in marriage.  As Charlotte Smith famously said your role as wife was little more than ‘legal prostitute’.  From such a despicable place these authors have used their talents and ideas and helped redress that situation.   
   
  Slowly at first.  Privately printed, often anonymously or under the cloak of a male pseudonym their words spread.  Their stories admired and, usually, their role still obscured from rightful acknowledgement. 
   
  Aided by more advanced technology, the 1700’s began to see a steady stream of female writers until by the 1900’s mass market publishing saw short stories by female authors from all the strata of society being avidly read by everyone.  Their names are a rollcall of talent and ‘can do’ spirit and society is richer for their works.   
   
  In literature at least women are now acknowledged as equals, true behind the scenes little has changed but if (and to mis-quote Jane Austen) there is one universal truth, it is that ideas change society.  These women’s most certainly did and will continue to do so as they easily write across genres, from horror and ghost stories to tender tales of love and making your way in society’s often grueling rut.  They will not be silenced, their ideas and passion move emotions, thoughts and perhaps more importantly our ingrained view of what every individual human being is capable of.    
   
  It is because of their desire to speak out, their desire to add their talents to the bias around them that we perhaps live in more enlightened, almost equal, times.   
   
  Within these stories you will also find very occasional examples of historical prejudice.  A few words here and there which in today’s world some may find inappropriate or even offensive.  It is not our intention to make anyone uncomfortable but to show that the world in order to change must reconcile itself to the actual truth rather than put it out of sight.  Context is everything, both to understand and to illuminate the path forward.  The author’s words are set, our reaction to them encourages our change. 
   
  01 - The Female Short Story. A Chronological History - An Introduction - Volume 10 
  02 - Decay by Marjorie Bowen 
  03 - The Lie by Holloway Horn 
  04 - Joseph by Katherine Rickford 
  05 - The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield 
  06 - The Hoodoo by Martha Gruening 
  07 - The Three Kisses by Violet Quirk 
  08 - Sophy Mason Comes Back by E M Delafield 
  09 - The Death Hound by Violet Mary Firth writng as Dion Fortune 
  10 - After the Funeral by Mary Butts 
  11 - In No Strange Land by Katharine Butler 
  12 - Here We Are by Dorothy Parker 
  13 - Young Magic by Helen Simpson 
  14 - The Casualty List by Winifred Holtby 
  15 - Satan's Circus b

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