Elective Affinities, also translated under the title Kindred by Choice, is the third novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1809. The title is taken from a scientific term once used to describe the tendency of chemical species to combine with certain substances or species in preference to others. The novel is based on the metaphor of human passions being governed or regulated by the laws of chemical affinity, and examines whether or not the science and laws of chemistry undermine or uphold the institution of marriage, as well as other human social relations. The story is situated around the city of Weimar. Goethe's main characters are Eduard and Charlotte, an aristocratic couple both in their second marriage, enjoying an idyllic but semi-dull life on the grounds of their rural estate. They invite the Captain, Eduard's childhood friend, and Ottilie, the beautiful, orphaned, coming-of-age niece of Charlotte, to live with them...
Werther is a young artist of a sensitive and passionate temperament. He meets Charlotte, a beautiful young girl who takes care of her siblings after the death of their mother, and falls in love with her although knowing beforehand that she is engaged. Despite the pain it causes him, Werther keeps spending time with Charlotte, but his pain eventually becomes so great that he is forced to leave. After a short absence, he comes back to find Charlotte married, and his agony becomes a threat.
Wilhelm Meister- the hero of the story - undergoes a journey of self-realization. The story centres upon Wilhelm's attempt to escape what he views as the empty life of a bourgeois businessman. After a failed romance with the theatre, Wilhelm commits himself to the mysterious Tower Society. Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years or His Travels - Consisting largely of discrete short stories and novellas woven together with elements of the epistolary novel, lengthy sections of aphorisms, and several interspersed poems, the sequel is a treat to read! A major theme running through the various parts of the novel is that of "Entsagung," translatable as "renunciation." The most famous section of the novel is probably the episode in which the protagonist and his son Felix visit the "Pedagogical Province."
Ninety-Three (Quatrevingt-treize) is the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo. Published in 1874, shortly after the bloody upheaval of the Paris Commune, the novel concerns the Revolt in the Vendée and Chouannerie - the counter-revolutionary revolts in 1793 during the French Revolution. It is divided into three parts, but not chronologically; each part tells a different story, offering a different view of historical general events. The action mainly takes place in Brittany and in Paris. Ayn Rand greatly praised this book (and Hugo's writing in general), acknowledged it as a source of inspiration, and even wrote an introduction to one of its English-language editions.
Set in the late 1820s and 1830s, after the Napoleonic Wars, the novel spans a period of 10 to 15 years and details the life of Maggie Tulliver, and her brother Tom, growing up at Dorlcote Mill on the River Floss at its junction with the more minor River Ripple near the village of St Ogg's in Lincolnshire, England. The story begins when Maggie is 9 years old, 13 years into her parents' marriage. Main focus of the story is on her relationship with her older brother Tom, and her romantic relationships with Philip Wakem (a hunchbacked, sensitive and intellectual friend) and with Stephen Guest (a vivacious young socialite in St Ogg's and assumed fiance of Maggie's cousin Lucy Deane) constitute the most significant narrative threads.
Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship centers upon the protagonist attempt to escape what he views as the empty life of a bourgeois businessman. Wilhelm is introduced to William Shakespeare's dramas by Jarno, and after extensive discussion of Shakespeare's work they decide to gather a theater group. They give a production of Hamlet, in which Wilhelm plays the lead role. After a failed romance with the theater, Wilhelm commits himself to the mysterious Tower Society, and undergoes a journey of self-realization.
The purpose of this book is to indicate the Natural Principles governing the relation between Mental Action and Material Conditions, and thus to afford readers an intelligible starting-point for the practical study of the subject of Mental Science. Contents: - Spirit and Matter. - The Higher Mode of Intelligence Controls the Lower - The Unity of the Spirit - Subjective and Objective Mind - Further Considerations Regarding Subjective and Objective Mind - The Law of Growth - Receptivity. - Reciprocal Action of the Universal and Individual Minds - Causes and Conditions - Intuition - Healing - The Will - In Touch With Subconscious Mind - The Body - The Soul - The Spirit
The present book is written from the standpoint that we possess latent powers which a better knowledge of the truth regarding ourselves will enable us to develop, and that the purpose of the Bible is to lead us into this knowledge in a perfectly natural manner, while guarding us against the dangers arising from misuse of it. Contents: - The Creation. - The Fall. - Israel. - The Mission of Moses. - The Mission of Jesus. - The Building of the Temple. - The Sacred Name. - The Devil. - The Law of Liberty. - The Teaching of Jesus. - The Forgiveness of Sin. - Forgiveness. - The Divine Giving. - The Spirit of Antichrist.
Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More published in 1516 in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries.
A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation is a work written by Thomas More while imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534. The Dialogue is set in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1528, between the invasions of Suleiman the Magnificent. It is a fictional dialogue between Vincent and his uncle, Anthony. The book begins with Vincent paying a visit to his uncle. He is terrified by the invasions of the Ottomans and seeks comfort from Anthony.
"Legends of Norseland" is a book intended to everyone who wants to learn more about Viking mythology: Valkyrie The Beginning Ygdrasil Odin at the Well of Wisdom Odin and the All-wise Giant The Stolen Wine. Part Loke's Theft Thor's Hammer The Theft of the Hammer The Finding of the Hammer The Apples of Life Loke's Wolf The Fenris-wolf Defeat of Hrungner Thor and Skrymer Thor and the Utgard-King Thor and the Midgard Serpent Valkyries' Song The Dying Baldur The Punishment of Loke The Darkness that fell on Asgard
"The Life of St. Patrick and His Place in History" is the first truly authoritative biography of Saint Patrick's life and a well researched study of the times in which he lived in. Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland. Contents: - On the Diffusion of Christianity Beyond the Roman Empire - The Captivity and Escape of Patrick - In Gaul and Britain - Political and Social Condition of Ireland - In the Island-Plain, in Dalaradia - In Meath - In Connaught - Foundation of Armagh and Ecclesiastical Organisation - Writings of Patrick, and His Death - Patricks Place in History
John Bagnell Bury saw the Byzantine Empire as a continuation of the Roman Empire and he explicitly called Byzantine History, Roman History. In this book Bury deals with one of the most important periods of Byzantine Empire, a period of Empire's transition from Ancient kingdom into medieval state.
This series includes three novels about the First World War written by Joseph A. Altsheler who witnessed the described events himself: The Guns of Europe The Forest of Swords: A Story of Paris and the Marne The Hosts of the Air: The Story of a Quest in the Great War Joseph Alexander Altsheler was an American newspaper reporter, editor and author of popular juvenile historical fiction. He was a prolific writer, and produced fifty-one novels and at least fifty-three short stories. Thirty-two of his novels were part of his seven series: The Civil War Series, The French and Indian War Series, The Gold Series, The Great West Series, The Texan Series, The World War Series, The Young Trailers Series.
The Hunters of the Hills: A Story of the French and Indian War The Shadow of the North: A Story of Old New York and a Lost Campaign The Rulers of the Lakes: A Story of George and Champlain The Masters of the Peaks: A Story of the Great North Woods The Lords of the Wild: A Story of the Old New York Border The Sun of Quebec: A Story of a Great Crisis
The Texan Star & The Texan Scouts are historical action adventure novels. The story is set in the early stages of the Texas revolution. Stephen Austin and his young friend Ned begin the adventure of traveling back to Texas to warn the others of Santa Anna's plan to take his army north. Along the way they will have encounters with the Mexican army, the Native Americans and the Texan cowboys...
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of Saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. In Chesterton's portrayal St. Francis is a mysterious figure and a man of paradox. Putting him and his life into historical perspective, Chesterton describes why his asceticism was necessary for his cause and what drove him to his life.
"We may believe in the doctrine of Progress or we may not, but in either case it is a matter of interest to examine the origins and trace the history of what is now, even should it ultimately prove to be no more than an idolum saeculi, the animating and controlling idea of western civilisation." Contents: - Some Interpretations of Universal History: Bodin and Le Roy - Utility the End of Knowledge: Bacon - Cartesianism - The Doctrine of Degeneration: the Ancients and Moderns - The Progress of Knowledge: Fontenelle - The General Progress of Man: Abbe De Saint-Pierre - New Conceptions of History: Montesquieu, Voltaire, Turgot - The Encyclopaedists and Economists - Was Civilisation a Mistake? Rousseau, Chastellux - The Year 2440 - The French Revolution: Condorcet - The Theory of Progress in England - German Speculations on Progress - Currents of Thought in France After the Revolution - The Search for a Law of Progress: - "Progress" in the French Revolutionary Movement (1830-1851) - Material Progress: the Exhibition of 1851 - Progress in the Light of Evolution
A Short History of England is a history book written by G. K. Chesterton in which he summarizes British history from the time of Roman provinces on the British Island to the great wars in 20th century. Chesterton takes a rather romanticized view of the absolute monarchy of olden times and naturally gets increasingly more political as his history nears his own time period of World War I. Chesterton's unique perspective as a Catholic and as a collectivist are all reflected in his interpretation of everything from the dissolution of the monasteries to the poor laws of the 19th and 20th centuries
Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic, widely recognized as a literary genius. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. G. K. Chesterton took great interest in the literature of Charles Dickens, writing several books concerning his life and his works: Charles Dickens - Biographical Sketch Charles Dickens - Critical Study Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens
The New Jerusalem is a history book written by G. K. Chesterton which deals with the world of the Middle East, and serves as a eulogy on the Middle Ages and the true end of the Roman Empire. Revolving around the central idea of Jerusalem and Zionism, the book gives the basic idea of the Middle East history, offering some insights to its future. Chesterton recognizes the profound differences in approaching the world among groups like Arabs, Jewish people and Western people, and offers some interesting and poetical insights of the Middle East.
The Flying Inn is set in a future England where the Temperance movement has allowed a bizarre form of "Progressive" Islam to dominate the political and social life of the country. Because of this, alcohol sales to the poor are effectively prohibited, while the rich can get alcoholic drinks "under a medical certificate". The story relates the adventures of Humphrey Pumph and Captain Patrick Dalroy, who roam the country in their cart with a barrel of rum in an attempt to evade Prohibition, exploiting loopholes in the law to temporarily prevent the police taking action against them. Eventually the heroes and their followers foil an attempted coup by an Islamic military force.
Due to certain irreconcilable differences two Scottish men, one being Catholic and the other being atheist, decide to fight a duel to the death. However, duels are against the law, so they have to find a secret place for that occasion. Searching for such place they must avoid authorities, and also numerous kinds of people who all try to convince them to give up on a duel, leading to many comic adventures.
Manalive concerns Innocent Smith, a mysterious man who arrives as the new tenant at Beacon House, a London boarding establishment. This man is accompanied by a great wind and he breathes new life into the household with his games and antics. During his first day in residence the eccentric Smith creates the High Court of Beacon and helps several other tenants to accomplish some great deeds. However, when the household is at its happiest two doctors appear with awful news: Smith is wanted on charges of burglary, desertion of a spouse, polygamy, and attempted murder. Before Smith can be taken to a jail or an asylum, one of the tenants declares that the case falls under the purview of the High Court of Beacon and suggests that the household investigate the matter before involving the authorities or the press. Although things do not look good for Smith, evidence presented to the court will throw a new light on his convictions.
Gabriel Syme is recruited at Scotland Yard to a secret anti-anarchist police corps. Lucian Gregory, an anarchistic poet, lives in the suburb of Saffron Park. They meet at a party and, after a heating debate, Gregory takes Syme to London underground, revealing that he is an influential member of the European anarchist council. The central council consists of seven men, each using the name of a day of the week as a cover. The position of Thursday is about to be elected by Gregory's local chapter and Gregory expects to win the election. However, just before the election, Syme reveals to Gregory after an oath of secrecy that he is a secret policeman. Fearful that Syme may use his speech in evidence of a prosecution, Gregory's weakened words fail to convince the local chapter that he is sufficiently dangerous for the job. Syme then makes a rousing anarchist speech and wins the vote. He is sent immediately as the chapter's delegate to the central council.
In the summer of 1914, John Campton, divorced American painter who lives in Paris, is expecting the arrival of his son George and plans to spend a month traveling with him. However, the war breaks out in Europe and they must cancel their vacation, but the bigger problem for them is that George can be enlisted in the army, since he was born in France. John and his ex wife, as well as her second husband, try to pull some strings to keep their son away from the battle, but George enlists, leaving his parents in agony of expectation.
The book I now publish is not a history of the French Revolution; that history has been written with too much success for me to attempt to write it again. This volume is a study on the Revolution. The French people made, in 1789, the greatest effort which was ever attempted by any nation to cut, so to speak, their destiny in halves, and to separate by an abyss that which they had heretofore been from that which they sought to become hereafter. For this purpose, they took all sorts of precautions to carry nothing of their past with them into their new condition; they submitted to every species of constraint in order to fashion themselves otherwise than their fathers were; they neglected nothing which could efface their identity.
"On the Field of Glory" is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz. The novel tells a story of a young impoverished Polish nobleman and his love for a young aristocratic woman. The story is set during the reign of King John III Sobieski up to the eve of the Battle of Vienna.
Quo Vadis is a historical novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. "Quo vadis, Domine?" is Latin for "Where are you going, Lord?" and appears in Chapter 69 of the novel in a retelling of a story from the apocryphal Acts of Peter, in which Peter flees Rome but, on his way, meets Jesus and asks him why he is going to Rome. Jesus says, "If thou desertest my people, I am going to Rome to be crucified a second time", which shames Peter into going back to Rome to accept martyrdom.
The richness of the Treasure Valley, high in the mountains of Stiria is lost through the evil of the owners, the two elder "Black Brothers", Hans and Schwartz, who in their foolishness mistreat Southwest Wind, Esquire, who in turn floods their valley, washing away their "liquid assets", and turning their valley into a dead valley of red sand. Forced into a trade other than farming, Hans and Schwartz become goldsmiths. They cruelly melt their younger brother Gluck's prize heirloom, a golden mug. This action releases the King of the Golden River for Gluck to pour out of the crucible as a finely dressed little golden dwarf. The dwarfish king offers a proposition to brothers: if someone were to climb up to the source of the Golden River high in the mountains and throw into it at least three drops of "holy water", it would become, for that person only, a river of gold. That person must do it on his first and only attempt or be overwhelmed by the river to become a black stone.
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