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Bartleby the Scrivener, A Story of Wall Street.

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Published 1800 - 1900
Chapter: 4 | Listen: 7

“Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” is a short story by Herman Melville. The story first appeared, anonymously, in Putnam’s Magazine in two parts. The first part appeared in November 1853, with the conclusion published in December 1853. It was reprinted in Melville’s The Piazza Tales in 1856 with minor textual alterations. The work is said to have been inspired, in part, by Melville’s reading of Emerson, and some have pointed to specific parallels to Emerson’s essay, “The Transcendentalist.” The story has been adapted twice: once in 1970, starring Paul Scofield, and again in 2001, starring Crispin Glover. [chương_files]

The Rape of the Lock

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Poetry, Satire
Chapter: 6 | Listen: 4

The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope, first published anonymously in Lintot’s Miscellany in May 1712 in two cantos (334 lines), but then revised, expanded and reissued under Pope’s name on March 2, 1714, in a much-expanded 5-canto version (794 lines). The final form was available in 1717 with the addition of Clarissa’s speech on good humour. The poem satirizes a petty squabble by comparing it to the epic world of the gods. It was based on an incident recounted by Pope’s friend, John Caryll. Arabella Fermor and her suitor, Lord Petre, were both from aristocratic recusant Catholic families at a period in England when under such laws as the Test Act, all denominations except Anglicanism suffered legal restrictions and penalties (for example Petre could not take up his place in the House of Lords as a Catholic). Petre, lusting after Arabella, had cut off a lock of her hair without permission, and the consequent argument had created a breach between the two families. Pope, also a Catholic, wrote the poem at the request of friends in an attempt to “comically merge the two.” He utilized the character Belinda to represent Arabella and introduced an entire system of “sylphs,” or guardian spirits of virgins, a parodized version of the gods and goddesses of conventional epic. [chương_files]

LibriVox 17th Anniversary Collection

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Essays & Short Works, Poetry, Short Stories
Chapter: 30 | Listen: 6

“LibriVox is a hope, an experiment, and a question: can the net harness a bunch of volunteers to bring books in the public domain to life…” Hugh McGuire, LibriVox’s founder, August 9, 2005 In celebration of LibriVox’s seventeenth anniversary, here is collection of short works of various kinds and from varied authors which include in their title the words ‘seventeen’ or ‘seventeenth’ or the number ’17.’ Each piece is selected and read by a LibriVox volunteer. [chương_files]

Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 092

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Essays & Short Works, Non-fiction
Chapter: 20 | Listen: 3

Calling men the “Bawling Brotherhood,” Sarah Grand penned a lively essay on The New Aspect of the Woman Question in 1894. Stenography and the Typewriter, and Home Hints were other women centric selections from the 20 reader-chosen nonfiction pieces in volume 092. Social and political history figured in many readings: The Birthplace of American Independence (1687); Roman Remains in Great Britain; the Spanish American War; Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade (1788); State of the Union Address (1817); Disunion Sentiment (1794); and Monument to General Sheridan. Climate’s role in human events was recognized in Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations; The Day the Piano Went Up the Hill; and Launching Icebergs. Selections from science and medicine included The Discovery of Radium; Mercury in Treating Venereal Disease; and William James’ lecture on the possibility of Human Immortality. Rounding out the volume are thoughts on Literature and the Stage; some notes on drawing (Of Line and Form); a bit of Mark Twain humor (The Bee); and an biographical essay on W.H.R. Rivers. – Summary by Sue Anderson [chương_files]

Woodlanders (version 2)

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Published 1800 - 1900, Romance
Chapter: 48 | Listen: 1

The Woodlanders is one of Hardy’s later novels, although he originally intended it as a successor to Far From The Madding Crowd. It concerns the life and loves of Giles Winterborne, Grace Melbury, Edred Fitzpiers, Felice Charmond and Marty South. The topics of class, fidelity and loyalty are dealt with in Hardy’s exquisite style and set in the beautiful woodlands of Hintock (T.Hynes) [chương_files]

Trumpet Major

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Published 1800 - 1900
Chapter: 42 | Listen: 4

Our heroine, Anne Garland, lives quietly in a rural community deep in the English countryside. However, the arrival of several regiments preparing for an expected invasion brings colour and chaos to the county. A graceful and charming young woman, Anne is pursued by three suitors: John Loveday, the trumpet-major in a British regiment, honest and loyal; his brother Robert, a merchant seaman and womaniser, and Festus Derriman, the cowardly son of the local squire. Set at the time of the Napoleonic wars, this is the author’s only historical novel, and unusually for Hardy’s books, some of the characters live happily ever after. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Cori Samuel.) [chương_files]

Bucking the Tiger

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Published 1900 onward
Chapter: 15 | Listen: 4

A group of down-and-outers decide on the ultimate gamble: they will bankroll one of themselves, chosen by lot, to live well for a year. Then the one chosen must commit suicide after that year, so that the others can cash in on his life insurance policy. Complications arise when the “lucky winner” finds an unexpected turn in his fortunes. How can he get out of it with his honor intact, or will he “welch” on the deal? “Bucking the tiger” refers to the game of Faro, one of the most popular card games played in saloons and gambling halls in the 1800s. The name is thought to have come from early card backs that featured a drawing of a Bengal tiger. (Summary by TriciaG) [chương_files]

Lifted Veil (Version 2)

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Published 1800 - 1900
Chapter: 4 | Listen: 2

George Eliot’s 1859 novella, The Lifted Veil, departs radically from the grounded realism of her longer and better known works, such as Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda. Its tone calls to mind the works of middlebrow Sensationists, like Wilkie Collins (The Moonstone), and of some of the better known authors of Victorian era horror writings, such as Bram Stoker (Dracula) and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein). Eliot here explores mystical themes, considering the world of phenomena which are felt but not seen. Yet in doing so she suggests that the apparent clairvoyance of her main character, Latimer, may in fact be, at least in part, psychological expressions of his early life experiences. This view is supported by the fact that most of Latimer’s vision-based predictions of how people will behave and events unfold do not, in the end, turn out as he had foretold. Much of this work’s power and complexity lie in Latimer’s relationship with Bertha, whom he ultimately, unhappily, marries. Bertha is the one person whose thoughts and feelings he is not able to read, raising the question: What is it about Bertha that renders her inaccessible to his psychic penetration – and what does this tell us about her, and about him. (Introduction by Kirsten Wever) [chương_files]

Hymnen an die Nacht

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Poetry
Chapter: 6 | Listen: 2

Hymnen an die Nacht ist der Titel eines Gedichtzyklus von Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg). Der Zyklus wurde zuerst 1800 in der Zeitschrift Athenäum veröffentlicht. Die Hymnen an die Nacht ist das einzige größere Werk, das zu Novalis’ Lebzeiten veröffentlicht und auch von ihm fertiggestellt wurde. Die Hymnen werden als Höhepunkt seiner Lyrik angesehen und können wohl zurecht als die bedeutendste Dichtung der Frühromantik bezeichnet werden. Der Text besteht aus sechs Hymnen. Diese können in drei Teile zu je zwei Hymnen gegliedert werden. In jedem dieser Teile kann das gleiche Grundmuster gefunden werden. Die jeweils ersten Hymnen beschreiben in einem für Novalis typischen dreistufigen Modell die Entwicklung vom Leben im glücklichen, irdischen Reich des Lichts über eine Phase der schmerzhaften Entfremdung zur Befreiung in der ewigen Nacht. Die jeweils zweiten Hymnen schildern das ernüchternde Aufwachen aus der Vision und die Sehnsucht nach der Rückkehr zu dieser Vision. Die drei Zyklen sind als Steigerung angelegt; in jeder dieser Stufen wird eine höhere Ebene der Erfahrung und des Wissens erreicht. (Wikipedia) English Description: In August 1800, eight months after completion, the revised edition of the Hymnen an die Nacht was published in the Athenaeum. They are often considered to be the climax of Novalis’ lyrical works and the most important poetry of the German early Romanticism. The six hymns contain many elements which can be understood as autobiographical. Even though a lyrical “I”, rather than Novalis himself, is the speaker, there are many relationships between the hymns and Hardenberg’s experiences from 1797-1800. The […]

Ukraina and the Peace-conference

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Essays & Short Works, Modern (20th C), Political Science
Chapter: 8 | Listen: 4

The 19th century was the Golden Age of Nationalism in Europe. By the end of the century many countries achieved their national self-determination. But the asunder of the territories was still a cause of dispute which led to the Great War (WWI) in 1914. Ukrainian nationalism reached its peak in the early years of the 20th century. The Great War was the opportunity of the nation to obtain its unification and liberty from Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary which kept Ukraine under their reign for decades. Ukrainian intelligentsia and peasants of all ages and genders from both parts of the divided Ukraine united for a common goal – the independence of Ukraine. Ukrainian National Republic was created as the result of the struggle. Despite the large population of this nation, UNR still had to fight for its recognition by the world. – Summary by Anastasiia Solokha [chương_files]