Perhaps the most light-hearted of all Chesterton's «serious» works, Manalive pits a group of disillusioned young people against Mr. Innocent Smith, a bubbly, high-spirited gentleman who literally falls into their midst. Accused of murder and denounced for repeatedly marrying his wife and attempting to live in various houses (all of which turn out to be his own), Smith prompts his newfound acquaintances to recognize an important idea: that life is worth living.
"Martin Eden" is Jack London's classic and tragic tale of its title character. Martin is in love with Ruth Morse, however as a common sailor from a working-class background, he feels that he is not good enough to win the hand of Ruth, who comes from a bourgeois family. Martin seeks to educate himself as a writer and lift up his status so that he may one day have his true love. Rich with the social theme of class struggle, «Martin Eden» is one of Jack London's best-loved works.
