The Sorrows of Young Werther (Die Leiden des jungen Werther) is an epistolary and loosely autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774; a revised edition of the novel was published in 1787. Werther was an important novel of the Sturm und Drang period in German literature, and it also influenced the later Romantic literary movement.The book made Goethe one of the first true international literary celebrities. Toward the end of his life, a personal visit to W...

Can't get enough of the Gilded Age fast talkers, débutantes, and social climbers who populate Edith Wharton's exquisitely wrought novels? Fans of The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence will love The Custom of the Country, which details country girl Undine Spragg's attempt to take a bite out of Big Apple high society.

"Notes from the Underground" is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky that explores the inner psyche of its narrator, a bitter and reclusive underground man. The novel is divided into two parts: the first part is a series of philosophical musings on the meaning of existence, while the second part is a series of vignettes that showcase the narrator's interactions with society. Through the narrator's bleak and misanthropic worldview, the novel delves into themes of human freedom, alienation, and the ...

Herland is a utopian novel from 1915, written by feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The book describes an isolated society composed entirely of women who reproduce via parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction). The result is an ideal social order, free of war, conflict and domination.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' is a semi-autobiographical novel chronicling the spiritual and intellectual awakening and rebellion of Stephen Dedalus against the conventions into which he was born. It was ranked by Modern Library as the third greatest English-language novel of the 20th century. Exuberantly inventive in style, the novel subtly and beautifully orchestrates the patterns of quotation and repetition instrumental in its hero’s quest to create his own character, his own...

The fictitious landscape of Loamshire provides the setting for this country tragedy, with little peace about the intertwined lives of its inhabitants. Dinah Morris is an earnest Methodist preacher who rejects Seth Bede for a life devoted to God. Adam Bede, his brother, is also rejected, but by Hetty Sorrel, a gullible dairymaid who falls for dashing Arthur Donnithorne, the squire's heir. The passions roused in the community of Hayslope have disastrous consequences: a fight between two rivals,...

One might hazard the question whether it were possible for a painter such as Rossetti, seeking expression in his art for this intensity of feeling, to vie in the rendering of the external aspects with those painters who have approached life with that cold acuteness to the appearance of things and aloofness from their meaning characteristic of work that has contributed largely to the actual science of painting. To Rossetti life came over-crowded, over-coloured. There was too much for him to...

Bert and Nan are the older Bobbsey twins, sensible and quick to take charge. Flossie and Freddie are the younger pair, always one step from trouble and twice as much fun. Together the four of them turn an ordinary winter in Lakeport into a string of small adventures — sledding mishaps, a barn fire, a lost kitten, and the everyday chaos of a big, warm household.The book that launched one of the best-loved children's series of the twentieth century. Gentle, funny, and full of old-fashioned f...

The Bostonians is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Century Magazine in 1885–1886 and then as a book in 1886. This bittersweet tragicomedycenters on an odd triangle of characters: Basil Ransom, a political conservative from Mississippi; Olive Chancellor, Ransom's cousin and a Boston feminist; and Verena Tarrant, a pretty, young protégée of Olive's in the feminist movement. The storyline concerns the struggle between Ransom and Olive for Verena's allegiance and affe...

In "Room Number 3, and Other Detective Stories," Anna Katharine Green masterfully weaves a collection of compelling narratives that explore the intricacies of crime and justice in the late 19th century. Renowned as one of the pioneers of the detective fiction genre, Green's work is marked by meticulous plotting, rich character development, and a nuanced understanding of human psychology. These stories not only captivate with their suspenseful twists but also reflect the societal issues of ...

The story follows the journey of Mr. Vane, a young man who discovers a mysterious mirror in his family's attic. Through this mirror, he enters the realm of Fairy Land, where he encounters various fantastical beings and embarks on a quest to confront the enigmatic figure of Lilith, who represents the embodiment of evil."Lilith" delves into profound metaphysical and philosophical concepts. It explores the nature of reality, the complexities of human existence, and the transformative power of...

The man in the corner pushed aside his glass, and leant across the table."Mysteries!" he commented. "There is no such thing as a mystery in connection with any crime, provided intelligence is brought to bear upon its investigation."Very much astonished Polly Burton looked over the top of her newspaper, and fixed a pair of very severe, coldly inquiring brown eyes upon him.She had disapproved of the man from the instant when he shuffled across the shop and sat down op...