"At the door on summer eveningsSat the little Hiawatha;Heard the whispering of the pine-trees,Sounds of music, words of wonder . . ."The infectious rhythm of The Song of Hiawatha has captured the ears of millions. Once drawn in, they've stayed to hear about the young brave with the magic moccasins, who talks with animals and uses his supernatural gifts to bring peace and enlightenment to his people.America's most popular nineteenth-century poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow devoted himself to providing his country with a national mythology, poetic tradition, and epic forms. Known and loved by generations of schoolchildren for its evocative storytelling, his 1855 classic is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature, combining romance and idealism in an idyllic natural setting.
Torn between his passion for two women and his abiding attachment to his mother, young Paul Morel struggles with his desire to please everyone ― particularly himself. Lawrence's highly autobiographical novel unfolds against the backdrop of his native Nottinghamshire coal fields, amidst a working-class family dominated by a brutish father and a loving but overbearing mother. Lushly descriptive passages range from celebrations of natural beauty and sensual pleasures to searing indictments of the social blight engendered by industrialism. Essential reading for any study of 20th-century literature. Unabridged reprint of the classic 1913 edition.
This landmark book is a founding work in the literature of black protest. W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) played a key role in developing the strategy and program that dominated early 20th-century black protest in America. In this collection of essays, first published together in 1903, he eloquently affirms that it is beneath the dignity of a human being to beg for those rights that belong inherently to all mankind. He also charges that the strategy of accommodation to white supremacy advanced by Booker T. Washington, then the most influential black leader in America, would only serve to perpetuate black oppression.Publication of The Souls of Black Folk was a dramatic event that helped to polarize black leaders into two groups: the more conservative followers of Washington and the more radical supporters of aggressive protest. Its influence cannot be overstated. It is essential reading for everyone interested in African-American history and the struggle for civil rights in America.
A sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards to his Enfield, Connecticut, congregation in July 1741, «Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God» is particularly noted for its vivid descriptions of the torments of Hell and mankind's natural depravity. At the same time, it was also an appeal to man's need for salvation and a reminder of the agonies that awaited the unreformed. Coming during the height of the Great Awakening — a period of religious fervor in the first half of the eighteenth century — the homily was at once regarded by many as the greatest ever given on American soil and vehemently attacked by others as puritanical «fire and brimstone.» One thing seems certain: it made a lasting impact on American Christianity.Accompanying this landmark document are sermons by nine other influential Puritans of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, among them Thomas Shepard's «The Parable of the Ten Virgins,» Cotton Mather's «An Hortatory and Necessary Address,» John Cotton's «The Way of Life,» as well as sermons by John Winthrop, Increase Mather, Jonathan Mayhew, Thomas Hooker, Peter Bulkeley, and Samuel Willard.Enlightening and thought-provoking, the volume will serve as primary source material in many American history and literature courses.
Seven of the best Lawrence stories, each turning on some facet of sexual feeling, attitude, or convention. «The Prussian Officer» focuses on an aristocratic captain's homoerotic obsession for his young orderly. «The Shadow in the Rose Garden» and «The White Stocking» deal with sexual jealousy. «Daughters of the Vicar» brilliantly describes two exceedingly class-conscious mating rituals. «The Christening,» «Second Best» and «Odour of Chrysanthemums» etch memorable portraits of a family’s shame at an illegitimate birth, a country courtship, and a brutish marriage abbreviated by death. Note.
To persuade undecided New York state voters to ratify the new Constitution of the United States, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote 85 compelling essays, under the title The Federalist and signed «Publius,» that appeared in New York City newspapers in 1787–1788. These far-reaching essays, which comprise a masterful exposition and defense of the proposed federal system of government and of the Constitution's carefully designed system of checks and balances, are today considered a keystone of American democracy. Their continuing relevance was demonstrated by the frequent references to Paper No. 65, «On Impeachments,» during the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton.This volume contains 35 of the most famous and important pieces, including ones that deal with «dangers from foreign arms and influence»; with the need for a federal government able to raise revenues through taxation; with the creation of an electoral college; with freedom of the press and the inadvisability of a bill of rights; with the three-fifths rule for counting slaves; with the objectives and powers of the judiciary; and much else. Of lasting value and interest to students of American history and government, this carefully chosen selection will also fascinate any general reader curious about the history of the Constitution and the beginnings of American federalism.
This charming comedy has delighted audiences for over two centuries. First performed in 1773, it concerns Kate Hardcastle, a young lady who poses as a serving girl to win the heart of a young gentleman too shy to court ladies of his own class. A number of delightful deceits and hilarious turns of plot must be played out before the mating strategies of both Kate Hardcastle and her friend Constance Neville conclude happily. Along the way, there is an abundance of merry mix-ups, racy dialogue and sly satire of the sentimental comedies of Goldsmith's day.The extraordinary humor and humanity with which Goldsmith invested this play have made it one of the most read, performed, and studied of all English comedies. It is now available in this inexpensive Dover edition, based on the text of the fourth edition, published in the year of the play's first staging.
By 1792, the idealism of the French Revolution has degenerated into a Reign of Terror. Ruthless mobs rule the streets of Paris, and each day, hundreds of royalists are sacrificed to the guillotine, with hundreds more condemned to follow. Their only hope lies in rescue by the Scarlet Pimpernel, the daring leader of an English faction that spirits aristocrats across the Channel to safety. This historical adventure tale first appeared in 1905, but its irresistible blend of romance, intrigue, and suspense renders it timeless. Readers thrill to the gallantry of the Pimpernel, whose nom de guerre derives from the wildflower he employs as a calling card. A scourge to the French authorities, the Pimpernel is the darling of the people — particularly Marguerite Blakeney, who scorns her foppish husband, Sir Percy, as ardently as she admires the Pimpernel. The basis of a classic film, this ever-popular story has recently been adapted as a musical, to the delight of Broadway audiences.
Shakespeare is without doubt the most quoted writer in English. His plays and poems comprise an inexhaustible source of memorable and often profound thoughts beautifully and concisely expressed. This remarkably affordable volume presents over 400 quotations conveniently arranged by topic: love, marriage, conduct and morality, truth, beauty, time, death, music, and more.Included are such timeless observations as: «All that glitters is not gold,» «Brevity is the soul of wit,» «How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is/ To have a thankless child»; «While you live, tell truth and shame the devil!»; «The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream,» and many more. Romantic thoughts receive a particularly rich treatment; extensive selections on the subject of love include quotes from the plays («The course of true love never did run smooth»; «Speak low if you speak love») and sonnets («For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings,/ That then I scorn to change my state with kings»). Each quote bears a complete citation.Ideal for writers, speakers, students of literature, and any lover of Shakespeare's works, this inexpensive treasury lends itself admirably to a virtually endless number of uses, from casual browsing to designing personal greeting cards.
This poignant study of spiritual regeneration recounts the sins of a Russian nobleman, Prince Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhlyudov, and his attempts in later life to redress his transgressions. Tolstoy conducts readers on a harrowing voyage through Russia's corrupt courts and foul prisons that culminates in a ruthless march to Siberia. A powerful depiction of the injustices of the legal system, the novel assails the vices of petty officialdom and the hypocrisy of organized religion.Today Resurrection is less widely known and honored than the author's earlier works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, but the story was an immense success upon its serial publication in 1899. A panoramic view of Russian social life at the end of the nineteenth century, this darkly compelling tale offers a vivid portrait of the conflict between wealthy aristocrats and starving peasants that erupted into the 1917 revolution.