Зарубежная классическая проза
6404 кн.
A classic picaresque novel, Francisco de Quevedo's «The Spanish Sharper» chronicles the adventures of Don Pablos, a buscón or swindler, who aims in life to learn virtue and to become a caballero, or gentleman, both of which he fails miserably at. The work is a notable piece of satire that criticizes not only Spanish society but the protagonist Pablos himself. His ambition to elevate his status to that of a gentleman is, in Quevedo's opinion, unobtainable; as such aspirations from the...
| Автор | Francisco de Quevedo |
"The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories" is a collection of Mark Twain's most loved short stories. In this collection you will find the following tales: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, The Facts Concerning The Recent Carnival Of Crime In Connecticut, The Stolen White Elephant, Luck, The £1,000,000 Bank Note, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, The Five Boons Of Life, Was It Heaven? Or Hell?, and The Mysterious Stranger.
| Автор | Mark Twain |
Inspired by The Mussel Slough Tragedy, an 1880 dispute over land titles between California settlers and the Southern Pacific Railroad, Frank Norris' 1901 novel, «The Octopus: A California Story», is the first part in the unfinished trilogy, «The Epic of Wheat». The novel depicts the conflict between wheat farmers in the San Joaquin Valley and the Pacific and Southwestern railroad. When the railroad attempts to take possession of land leased to and improved by the farmers, they are...
| Автор | Frank Norris |
Theodor Fontane (1819-1898) was a German realist who worked for most of his life as a journalist, poet, editor, theater critic, and travel essayist. He could not attain the financial stability to write novels until he was almost sixty, at which point he began writing historical novels. He eventually concentrated on stories about Berlin society and the decline of the aristocracy, such as «Trials and Tribulations» and «Jenny Treibel». One of his best known works was «Effi Briest», a novel about a...
| Автор | Теодор Фонтане |
Among the most sophisticated examples of Gothic romance, «The Italian» was written in 1797 at the height of Radcliffe's power as an author. The dark, shadowed Italy of this novel immediately encapsulates the fast-paced plot concerning Vincentio di Vivaldi and his beautiful love Ellena Rosalba. While they wish to marry, Vincentio's mother is against their marriage. Her scheming to separate them soon involves Schedoni, a mysterious monk, and arguably Radcliffe's most exceptional...
| Автор | Ann Radcliffe |
Written from 1852 to 1856, this autobiographical novel was Tolstoy's first publication. The early life of Nikolai, the son of wealthy landowner in Russia, is fully explored, slowly revealing this young boy's inner mind, relationships, and social standing. As he describes his tutor, angelic mother, aloof father, worldly brother, and later his moralistic friend, Nikolai displays a mind given to dreaming and a personality as complex as it is conflicted. As he grows and moves from his...
| Автор | Leo Tolstoy |
Set in rural New England, «Ethan Frome» is the story of its title character who marries Zenobia, a nagging hypochondriac of a woman, and finds himself trapped in an unfulfilling life. When Zenobia's young cousin Mattie Silver comes to live with them, Frome falls in love with her. «Ethan Frome» is the story of forbidden love and its tragic consequences. In «Summer» we have the story of the sexual awakening of a young woman, Charity Royall. Charity, the daughter of mountain moonshiners, is...
| Автор | Edith Wharton |
Published in 1558, ten years after the author's death, «The Heptameron» is an unfinished work inspired by the «Decameron» by Giovanni Boccaccio, containing seventy-two short stories written in French by Marguerite de Navarre, Queen of Navarre and sister of Francois I. The story begins with five gentlemen and five lady travelers who find themselves stranded in a small town in the Pyrenees, and decide to entertain themselves through story-telling, which rapidly evolves into an all-out verbal...
| Автор | Margaret of Queen |
"The Prince and the Pauper" is the story of how when young Prince Edward Tudor of Wales and Pauper Tom Canty switch clothes that they are mistaken for each other and end up switching places. Prince Edward learns of the struggles of the commoners of England while Tom discovers what it is like to be a Prince and then a King. «The Prince and the Pauper» is both a delightfully comedic tale and a biting social commentary on the inequities among different social classes.
| Автор | Mark Twain |
"The Monk" is Matthew G. Lewis's 1796 novel which is the tale of a monk who is tempted by carnal desire and led down a ruinous path of ungodliness. Ambrosio, a pious, well-respected monk in Spain, is lustfully tempted by his pupil, Matilda, a woman who has disguised herself as a monk. Having satisfied himself with her, he is overcome with carnal desire for the innocent Antonia. With the help of Matilda, who is actually Satan in disguise, Ambrosio seduces Antonia, a seduction that would...
| Автор | Matthew Lewis |
Jules Verne's classic science fiction sequel to «From the Earth to the Moon», «Round the Moon» is a forward-looking examination of the possibilities of space travel. One of the first books to look at the challenges and adventures of space travel, «Round the Moon» starts off where «From the Earth to the Moon» left off. We follow the crew of the projectile built by the Baltimore Gun Club on a journey towards their intended destination. Will they make it safely to the Moon and how will they...
| Автор | Жюль Верн |
