"The Gambler" is a novella by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky that was originally published in 1867. The story, inspired by Dostoyevsky's own real life gambling addiction, tells the tale of a young tutor named Alexei Ivanovich who begins gambling to win enough money to become a rich man and therefore win the … [Read more...] about The Gambler
The Idiot
"The Idiot" is a novel in four parts written by the famed Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was originally published in serial form in "The Russian Messenger" from 1868 to 1869. The title is a reference to the main character of the novel and his general good nature and open-mind which lead many of the more jaded … [Read more...] about The Idiot
The Invisible Man
"The Invisible Man" is a science fiction novella by the English writer H.G. Wells. The story was first published in serial format in a magazine called "Pearson's Weekly" in 1897. The novella was published on its own later that year due to the public interest. The novella is told in the third person and revolves around … [Read more...] about The Invisible Man
The Lesson
First performed in 1951. "The Lesson" is a one act play with three characters. There is the Professor, who is mercurial and becomes intimidating as the play progresses. There is the Pupil, a young girl who is studying to take her doctorate exams, and there is the pragmatic Maid. An eighteen year old girl arrives at … [Read more...] about The Lesson
We
First published in 1924 by Yevgeny Zamyatin, We is a dystopian story about a future totalitarian state. The main character in the story, D-530 is the main builder of a space ship, Integral. D-530 is a philosopher mathematician. He likes everything to be numerically set in order. The United State he lives in fits the … [Read more...] about We
A Tale of Two Cities
From April to November, 1859, Charles Dickens wrote "A Tale of Two Cities" in weekly installments. This method of writing a novel was genius. The suspense kept the readers excited about the next installment and it made a lot of money. Also, the regular person could read it. At the time most books were owned and read by … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Cities
Common Sense
"Common Sense" is a pamphlet on the topic of American independence, originally written by Thomas Paine in 1775. The pamphlet covers the topics of the illogical and sinful nature of allowing a monarchy to rule, the necessary nature of government, the need for America to rebel against the chains of British tyranny and … [Read more...] about Common Sense
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is the first in a seven-volume series of autobiographies by the American author and poet, Maya Angelou in 1969. Angelou began the book when she was challenged by her friend, fellow author James Baldwin and editor Robert Loomis to write an autobiography that would also function as a … [Read more...] about I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
North and South
"North and South" is a novel by the English author, Elizabeth Gaskell that was originally published in serial installments in the Dickens' magazine, "Household Words" between September 1854 and January 1855. Notable for it's focus on the industrial revolution and the oppression and ill-treatment of factory workers … [Read more...] about North and South
The Magus
"The Magus" is a 1965 novel by the British author John Fowles. It was the first novel written by Fowles, although it was not the first that he had published. The novel was ranked as number 93 on the Modern Library 100 Best Novels in 1999 and number 67 on a BBC reading survey called The Big Read in 2003. The novel … [Read more...] about The Magus