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Since its first publication in 1678, The Pilgrim's Progress has never been out of print -- and that fact reflects the timeless relevance and wisdom of this long-form Christian allegory. The text follows the journey of the title character, Christian, as he makes his way from the earthly sphere represented by the "City of Destruction" to the "Celestial Sphere," which represents Heaven, battling sin, temptation, and every other conceivable
...Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a harrowing critique of social class and the powerlessness of women. Tess, a beautiful young woman, is pushed on her rich "relatives" by her grasping father. When the young Lord does with her as he likes, Tess's whole life falls into ruins from which she attempts to free herself. The novel met with mixed reviews upon publication, because it challenged the precepts of society. It is now considered a classic of
...Hailed as one of American literature's most influential works, The Red Badge of Courage has a young recruit facing the trials and cruelties of war. Stephen Crane's 1895 novel is set in the American Civil War. Private Henry Fleming flees from battle and his battalion, considering all lost. Stumbling upon injured soldiers, he feels the shame of deserting and of not possessing the "red badge of courage", the wounds of war. But later when Henry
...The Swiss Family Robinson tells the story of a Swiss family who are shipwrecked in the East Indies. First published in 1812, Johann David Wyss intended the novel to teach his sons family values and and self-reliance. The adventures in the book contain lessons in natural history and moral guidance, and include an impossible array of flora and fauna on a single island that the children use for their survival. The "Robinson" of the title refers
...Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift is a witty and insightful satirical novel recounts the history of Lemuel Gulliver, "First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of several Ships". In his travels Gulliver visits the Land of Lilliput, where he towers over the local inhabitants, the land of Brobdingnag where he is much smaller than the citizens, the floating island of Laputa, infested with fanatical scientists who in their obsession with reason
...This Side of Paradise is a novel about post-World War I youth and their morality. Amory Blaine is a young Princeton University student with an attractive face and an interest in literature. His greed and desire for social status warp the theme of love weaving through the story.
88) The idiot
89) The steppenwolf
An American classic first published in 1985 by William Morrow and adapted into an Academy Award-winning film, The Cider House Rules is among John Irving's most beloved novels. Set in rural Maine in the first half of the twentieth century, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch—saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. It is also the story of Dr. Larch's favorite
...93) The Fall
Young Londoners Kate and Merton are engaged, but have no money to marry on. When the wealthy but terminally ill American heiress Milly arrives in London, Kate schemes for a way to inherit her fortune. But when Kate achieves all she had hoped for, she finds that the money and the gentle, beautiful Milly have changed everything.
Although Jane Austen is best known for novels such as Pride and Prejudice that deal with romantic entanglements and class conflicts, she was also a skilled essayist and humor writer. In Love and Freindship (sic), Austen sends up the epistolary novels that were popular in her day, as well as skewering some of the satire-worthy ideas about love and marriage that were common in the era.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, The Beautiful and Damned explores many of the same themes and subjects that would animate his later work, including Tender is the Night and The Great Gatsby. This novel delves into the mysteries and complexities of marriage, taking as its focus the relationship of heir and bon vivant Anthony Patch and his wife Gloria, a couple that critics believe reflect many autobiographical elements of
...The Portrait of a Lady is perhaps Henry James' greatest novel. It tells the story of Isabel Archer, a young American heiress who "affronts her destiny". Dealing with one of James' recurrent themes, the American in Europe, and the differences between the two cultures, The Portrait of a Lady is a tale of the conspiracy to separate Isabel from her fortune and the value of autonomy and accountability.
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit is, according to Dickens, a novel about selfishness. And every member of the Chuzzlewit family is given the chance to display their own brand thereof, among them the infamous villain Jonas Chuzzlewit. After sales of the first few serial installments were poor, Dickens moved the action to America, which he satirized as a vast wilderness peopled by likewise selfish characters.
100) Ivanhoe: A Romance
Lose yourself in a masterpiece of historical fiction. Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe explores the plight of early Britain in the aftermath of the Norman conquest. Courageous warrior Wilfred of Ivanhoe, estranged from his family, fights for love and honor. This swashbuckling tale of knights, medieval politics, tournaments, and romantic entanglements offers something for everyone.
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