Publisher: Charles River Editors
William Shakespeare needs no formal introduction. In his 52 years of life Shakespeare wrote dozens of the most famous plays in history which have earned him the reputation as the finest writer the English language has ever had. This version of Shakespeares King Richard III includes a table of contents.
"For Freedom of Spelling: The Discovery of an Art" by H. G. Wells is a short essay. H. G. Wells once different, humorous social satire and ironic.It is curious that people do not grumble more at having to spell correctly. Yet one may ask, Do we not a little over-estimate the value of orthography?Show book
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 9 02 - White Bread by Zona Gale 03 - A Redeeming Sacrifice by Lucy Maud Montgomery 04 - The Stones of the Village by Alice Dunbar Nelson 05 - A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell 06 - Couching at the Door by D K Broster 07 - Devereux's Last Smoke by Izola Forrester 08 - The Octoroon's Revenge by Ruth D Todd 09 - Guests Unexpected. A Thanksgiving Story by Maude K Griffin 10 - Miss Ogilivy Finds Herself by Radclyffe Hall 11 - The Mystery of the Gables by Elsie Norris 12 - Blessed Are the Meek by Mary Webb 13 - Those Who Wait by Ethel Dell 1Show book
Ranked among the classic novels of the English language and the inspiration for several unforgettable movies, this early work of H. G. Wells was greeted in 1896 by howls of protest from reviewers, who found it horrifying and blasphemous. They wanted to know more about the wondrous possibilities of science shown in his first book, "The Time Machine", not its potential for misuse and terror. In The Island of Dr. Moreau, a shipwrecked gentleman named Edward Prendick, stranded on a Pacific island lorded over by the notorious Dr. Moreau, confronts dark secrets, strange creatures, and a reason to run for his life. While this riveting tale was intended to be a commentary on evolution, divine creation, and the tension between human nature and culture, modern readers familiar with genetic engineering will marvel at Wells's prediction of the ethical issues raised by producing "smarter" human beings or bringing back extinct species. These levels of interpretation add a richness to Prendick's adventures on Dr. Moreau's island of lost souls without distracting from what is still a rip-roaring good read.Show book
The classic short story - To Build a Fire - by American author Jack London, is brought to life in ways he probably never imagined when it was published in 1908. The subtle blending of narration and music create a vivid image of the “Man” and his “Wolf Dog” as they set out on foot along the Yukon in temperatures colder than –50 F. With plans to meet his friends at a logging camp by 6:00pm, the Man finds himself pitted in a life and death struggle with nature. Whether or not you’ve read this great American classic, you’ll be riveted by this audio version with sound enhancements of the Man’s harrowing adventure in the Gold Rush Era of Alaska.Public Domain (P)2012 Brook Forest VoicesShow book
A collection of three short stories and two novellas written between 1897 and 1898. All the stories had first been published in various monthly periodicals and this was the first volume to collect these stories. Contains: The Crystal Egg; The Star; A Story of the Stone Age; A Story of the Days To Come; The Man Who Could Work Miracles.Show book
