The tale begins on a Christmas Eve exactly seven years after the death of Ebenezer Scrooge’s business partner. Scrooge has no place in his life for kindness, compassion, charity or benevolence. He hates Christmas, calling it “humbug”, refuses his nephew Fred’s dinner invitation, and rudely turns away two gentlemen who seek a donation from him to provide a Christmas dinner for the Poor… (Summary by Wikipedia and Kara) [chương_files]
A series of essays based on Christian doctrines on how to attain true happiness. – Summary by Lynne T [chương_files]
William Blake’s volume of poetry entitled Songs of Innocence and Experience is the embodiment of his belief that innocence and experience were “the two contrary states of the human soul,” and that true innocence was impossible without experience. Songs of Innocence contains poems either written from the perspective of children or written about them. Many of the poems appearing in Songs of Innocence have a counterpart in Songs of Experience, with quite a different perspective of the world. The disastrous end of the French Revolution caused Blake to lose faith in the goodness of mankind, explaining much of the despair found in Songs of Experience. Blake also believed that children lost their innocence through exploitation and from a religious community which put dogma before mercy. He did not, however, believe that children should be kept from becoming experienced entirely. In truth, he believed that children should indeed become experienced but through their own discoveries, which is reflected in a number of these poems. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Annie Coleman) [chương_files]
In this series of essays, British feminist and novelist Mona Caird discusses marriage customs at various points in history, offers thoughtful and informed criticisms of the state of marriage in the Victorian era, and debunks prevailing sexist beliefs of her time. She advocates for an equal partnership between wives and husbands and calls for the reform of the relations between the sexes, sharing her vision of a future society that affords women greater dignity and freedom. (Summary by Scarbo) [chương_files]
The WWI (European war) for Ukrainians was the hope of its nation unity and freedom from Austria-Hungary but mostly from Russian Empire. Galicia was the bone in the throat for Russian government because Austria-Hungary provided Ukrainians with permission for their national development on its territory. Thanks to this Ukrainian patriotic literature spread all over the Ukrainian territories. Ukrainians who were trapped under Russian regime were inspired by the thought of their independence. Russia, fearing of riots and protests, pushed their propaganda about oppression of the Russians by Austria-Hungary in Galicia to annex it. This was the threshold of the European war. Meanwhile, realizing the inevitability of the war between Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary, Ukrainian people all as one started to prepare for the struggle for their freedom. (Summary by Anastasiia Solokha) [chương_files]
Abbandonati gli studi giuridici nel 1908 [Gozzano] si dedica completamente alla poesia e nel 1911 pubblica il suo più importante libro, I colloqui, i cui componimenti sono divisi, secondo un progetto ben preciso, in tre sezioni: Il giovenile errore, Alle soglie, Il reduce. Il successo avuto con I colloqui valse a Gozzano una grande richiesta di collaborazione giornalistica con importanti riviste e quotidiani, come La Stampa, La lettura, La Donna, sulle cui pagine pubblicò per tutto il 1911 sia prose che poesie. [chương_files]
This is a deeply moving novel centered around the lives of Uncle Tom and others and which very effectively portrays the suffering caused by the practice of slavery in the American South, prior to and during the time of the Civil War. It also provides a fascinating character study of a wide variety of people, including various slave owners, families of slave owners, traders, bystanders, the slaves themselves, and participants in the underground railroad. On one hand there is the ignorance, false mindsets, indifference and even blatant cruelty and abuse on the part of some, and on the other hand there is great love and compassion and sacrifice on the part of others. This was the best-selling novel of the 19th Century and is said to have helped fuel the cause of the abolitionists. (Summary by Larraine Paquette and Wikipedia) [chương_files]
LibriVox volunteers bring you 21 recordings of The Little Star, author unknown, which parodies the previous week’s children’s favourite The Star. This was the Weekly Poetry project for March 31st, 2013. [chương_files]
“Believing as I do that James Thomson is, since Shelley, the most brilliant genius who has wielded a pen in the service of Freethought, I take a natural pride and pleasure in rescuing the following articles from burial in the great mausoleum of the periodical press. There will doubtless be a diversity of opinion as to their value. One critic, for instance, has called “The Story of a Famous Old Jewish Firm” a witless squib; but, on the other hand, the late Professor Clifford considered it a piece of exquisite mordant satire worthy of Swift. Such differences are inevitable from the very nature of the subject. Satire, more than any other form of composition, rouses antipathy where it does not command applause; and the greater the satire, the more intense are the feelings it excites.” (G. W. Foote in his Preface) [chương_files]
Romance and crime in the mid-19th century British Civil Service. In this early novel,Trollope draws on his own experiences as a junior clerk in the General Post Office to provide an entertaining and moving account of how ambition within the service can affect friendship and love. (Summary by Anthony Ogus) [chương_files]
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