Ambrosio, the worthy superior of the Capuchins of Madrid, falls to the temptations of Matilda, a fiend-inspired wanton who, disguised as a boy, has entered his monastery as a novice. Ambrosio then falls in love with one of his penitents and finally kills her in order to escape detection. However, he is discovered, tortured by the Inquisition and sentenced to death. Although extravagant in its mixture of the supernatural, the terrible, and the indecent, the book contains scenes of great eff...

This superb anthology offers a lively and indispensable collection of poems and songs from the eighteenth century. Here are the poets who created the literary tradition of vernacular directness which Burns drew upon and shared.Before Burns includes a substantial selection from the work of Allan Ramsay and Robert Ferguson (Burns's 'elder brother in the muse'), as well as a wider selection from the men and women writers whose good-humoured accessibility so characterised the ...

The Italian, or the Confessional of the Black Penitents (1797) is a Gothic novel written by the English author Ann Radcliffe. It is the last book Radcliffe published during her lifetime.The Italian has a dark, mysterious and somber tone, and concerns the themes of love, devotion and persecution by the Holy Inquisition. It also deals with issues prevalent at the time of the French Revolution, such as religion, aristocracy and nationality. Radcliffe...

After the death of her parents, Emily St. Aubert leaves her beloved home to live with her aunt, a woman of much money and less sense. The marriage of Emily's aunt to a mysterious Italian begins a series of journeys that take Emily across the rugged beauty of the Alps to the wonders of 16th century Venice and then to an isolated and foreboding castle in the Apennines, where she must struggle against the malignant schemes of her aunt's husband and her own fearful imaginings.This read...

Featuring an appendix of discussion questions, the Diversion Classics edition is ideal for use in book groups and classrooms.When an unfortunate accident kills the son of Manfred, lord of the castle of Otranto, on the boy’s wedding day, his father is not just stricken with grief, but with fear. Terrified of an ancient prophecy fortelling the end of Manfred’s family line, the lord attempts to trump fate by divorcing his own wife and marrying his son Conrad’s intended bride.I...

Original text of the first edition, unabridged and carefully revised, and supplemented by numerous contemporary illustrations from early editions. "Adeline, a young orphan, by mysterious ways comes into the care of Pierre de la Mottes, an impoverished nobleman who is fleeing the long arm of the law with his family. In a secluded, dilapidated abbey in the middle of a dark forest, the refugees find temporary accommodation. But the calm does not last long: The Marquis de Montalt, the owner of...

Can you be re-lit by poetry? This little book offers everyone one of the oldest of all remedies for stress: the reading of poetry.Intended to help you endure some of your stressful moments and painful experiences, these poems tell us we are not alone. Returned again and again over the centuries by great imaginations are love and death and memory – remembrance of childhood joy, of happy days and beautiful places, of loved ones we have lost or feeling at peace and at...

“Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?” —Mary OliverThis luminous anthology brings together great poets from around the world whose work transcends culture and time. Their words reach past the outer divisions to the universal currents of love and revelation that move and inspire us all. These poems urge us to wake up and love. They also call on us to relinquish our grip on ideas and opinions that confine us and, instead, to risk moving forward into the lif...

'Just Imagine' brings together two Rhyme Whisperer Books, 'As The Moon And The Sun' and 'In The Madness Of Meeting' in an anthology of poetry on love, faith and dreaming that will provoke minds and brighten hearts of readers of all ages.

Fish Heads and Roses: The title reflects the strange fruit found within this anthology.We have the witch who swapped places with her cat and his life.The poetic story of a woman trapped in a Library, who is she?An orchestra of violins, cats and conspiracy, stories and poetry, combined into a soup of words by a group of writers converging and enjoying writing.All the writers who have contributed to this anthology would like to express their extreme gratitude to ...

A selection of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's essential poems. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) was an English poet, critic, and philosopher. His Lyrical Ballads, published in 1798 with co-author William Wordsworth, marked the beginning for all intents and purposes of English Romanticism and included “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Other notable poems include "This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison," “Christabel” and “Kubla Khan.”http://www.williamralphpress.com/

This book is broken down into 7 chapters that are named after the parts of the eyes which represent the author's middle name in the Hindi language.It expresses and describes various events in life from passionate never-ending love, continuous pain, growing up in solitude, making it as an introvert, friendships battling anorexia, becoming someone, and many misconstrue occurrences from a relationship with an alcoholic.This book is for those, who need inspiration, awareness or ...