Зарубежная классика
Различные книги в жанре Зарубежная классикаThe Shepherd of the Hills
Set in the hills of the Ozark Mountains, «The Shepherd of the Hills», is Harold Bell Wright's mostly fictional tale of mountain folklore. The story is principally concerned with the relationship of Grant Matthews, Sr. and «the shepherd» a wise old man who has chosen the peace of the backwoods over the hustle and bustle of the city. Set against this story is also the love affair between the pretty young Samantha Lane and Grant Matthews, Jr. «The Shepherd of the Hills» weaves the tales of numerous inhabitants of the Ozark Mountains into a captivating picture of regional culture and life.
Life on the Mississippi
"Life on the Mississippi" is Mark Twain's depiction of his life on the Mississippi river as a steamboat pilot; beginning with a brief history of the river, continuing with a depiction of his early training as a steamboat pilot and following many years later with a description of his trip on a steamboat from St. Louis to New Orleans. Combined with many tall tales «Life on the Mississippi» is a charming depiction of a bygone era in American history.
Freckles
Set in the Limberlost Swamp area of Indiana, «Freckles» is American writer and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter's 1904 novel about a one-handed adult orphan who takes a job guarding timber in the swamp. While there, he becomes enchanted by the beauty of the wildlife in the swamp and of a nameless young woman that he meets there, whom we know only as 'The Swamp Angel'. Our main character, whom we know only as 'Freckles' is challenged by the mystery of his past and parentage. While he is loved and admired by all he meets, he feels unworthy of Angel's love and must struggle to overcome this feeling of lowliness.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is Oscar Wilde's classic tale of the moral decline of its title character, Dorian Gray. When Dorian has his portrait painted by Basil Hallward and wishes that he would stay young while his picture changes, his wish comes true. In exchange for this Dorian gives up his soul and as he ages the bad deeds that he commits are reflected in his painting and not him. «The Picture of Dorian Gray», arguably Wilde's most popular work, was considered quite scandalous when it was first published in the late 1800s in Victorian England.
McTeague: A Story of San Francisco
First published in 1899, this graphic depiction of urban American life centers around McTeague, a dentist practicing in San Francisco at the turn of the century. While at first content with his life and friendship with an ambitious man named Marcus, McTeague eventually courts and marries Trina, a parsimonious young woman who wins a large sum of money in a lottery. The greed of the majority of the characters in the novel creates a chain of events that lead to many painful, gruesome deaths. Norris' work, so strikingly different from that of his contemporaries, is an admirable example of social realism, which provided America with a shocking reflection of its sordid sense of survival. From the opening description of San Francisco to McTeague's final desperate flight far from his 'Dental Parlors,' this novel examines human greed in a way that still causes readers to pause and reflect over one hundred years later.
The Warden
The first novel of Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire series, this work introduces the fictional cathedral town of Barchester and many of its clerical inhabitants. Originally published in 1855, the story centers on Mr. Septimus Harding who has been granted the comfortable wardenship of Hiram's Hospital, an almshouse from a medieval charity of the diocese. Mr. Harding, a fundamentally good man and an excellent musician, conscientiously fulfills his duties to the twelve elderly occupants of the hospital. He also cares for his younger daughter Eleanor, who is in love with a young doctor named John Bold. The misfortunes of Harding begin when Bold becomes an enthusiastic reformer and endeavors to expose the great disparity in the allotment of Hiram's antiquated charity funds. This leads to a sequence of events that he becomes powerless to stop, from the editorials of Tom Towers in 'The Jupiter' to the legal interference of Archdeacon Grantly. The novel is a thoughtful description of clerical life infused with the romance of a young couple, which combines to form a novel with a melancholy conclusion.
The Mysteries of Udolpho
An unparalleled example of Gothic romance, Radcliffe's novel portrays the multitude of misfortunes heaped upon the admirable French heroine, Emily St. Aubert. Losing first her mother, then her beloved father, the orphaned Emily must be separated from her newfound love Valancourt to live with her aunt and new guardian, Madame Cheron. Emily then faces the evil machinations of her aunt's husband, the Italian brigand Signor Montoni, who imprisons the two women in the dismal, degenerate, and isolated castle Udolpho. It is here where Emily must overcome persecution from an unwelcome suitor, the threats of Montoni, and, most frightening of all, the psychological terror of apparently supernatural occurrences and her own riotous, horrified imagination. Radcliffe transitions from the striking mountain landscapes of France and Italy to the illusory and even phantasmal terrain of the heroine's mind creates an enthralling tale that explores the farthest reaches of a young woman's experiences of outer and inner life.
The Satyricon
In the classical tale «The Satyricon,» Petronius Arbiter makes a strong, yet humorous, statement about the social life of the Romans. Rather than telling the story of Encolpius and his companions heroically, which was the typical approach of other writings around 1 AD, Petronius chose to show the true life and vernacular of the Roman lower and middle class through satire and comedy. Narrator Encolpius, a former gladiator, goes on adventures with his best friend and former lover Ascyltos as well as his slave and current lover Giton. Yet Encolpius constantly worries about whether or not Giton's affections are waning. The trio participates in various parties, events, and celebrations, but their attention is less focused on properly worshipping the gods and more fixated on the sexual nature of the wild bacchanals. Written during Emperor Nero's era, with «The Satyricon,» Petronius gives the reader a realistic sense of what life during the famously cruel emperor's life was truly like. While he was known for his tyrannical persecution of Christians, Nero's reign was also filled with over-the-top celebrations in honor of the gods. Petronius was a frequent visitor to Nero's bacchanals, meaning that «The Satyricon» is a fictional first-hand account of the time. The work is not only a precious gem of Western literature because of its wit, but because it gives modern readers a realistic glimpse into history.
Ethan Frome
"Ethan Frome" is considered by many to be one of Edith Wharton's greatest literary accomplishments. Set in rural New England, «Ethan Frome» is the story of its title character who marries Zenobia, a nagging hypochondriac of a woman, and finds himself trapped in an unfulfilling life. When Zenobia's young cousin Mattie Silver comes to live with them, Frome falls in love with her. Ethan Frome is the story of forbidden love and its tragic consequences.
War and Peace (Volume 2 of 2)
Considered one of the best books ever written, «War and Peace» has remained in the upper echelon of world literature because it masterfully captures an intimate view of humanity on an epic scale. Through the use of fictional narrative, Tolstoy utilizes a huge cast of characters, centering on five aristocratic Russian families in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars. These characters, particularly Pierre, Prince Andrei, and the beautiful Natasha, demonstrate different human struggles that are affected by their history, present era, and culture. They simultaneously develop the concepts on which Tolstoy expounds in the thematic essays interspersed throughout the narrative: a person's free will and the shaping of historical events, morality in an imperfect world, youth and age, marriage and death, and, of course, war and peace, in a work so groundbreaking that it was not considered a novel when published in 1865. In redefining the fictional novel, Tolstoy's genius has explored what is fundamentally human with scope and Russian spirit. Presented here in this edition is the second of two volumes.