King Lear, a tragic play written by William Shakespeare, opens with King Lear, the elderly king of Britain, deciding to retire and divide his kingdom between his three daughters: Regan, Goneril and Cordelia. Before splitting his kingdom, Lear asks his daughters to express the depth of their love for him. Regan and Goneril, Lear's oldest daughters, both offer over-the-top proclamations of love for their father, much to the egotistical Lear's delight.

Titus Andronicus may be Shakespeare's earliest tragedy; it is believed to have been written in the early 1590s. It depicts a Roman general who is engaged in a cycle of revenge with his enemy Tamora, the Queen of the Goths. The play is by far Shakespeare's bloodiest work. It lost popularity during the Victorian era because of its gore, and it has only recently seen its fortunes revive.

Set in a topsy-turvy world like a holiday revel, this comedy devises a romantic plot around separated twins, misplaced passions, and mistaken identity. Juxtaposed to it is the satirical story of a self-deluded steward who dreams of becoming "Count Malvolio" only to receive his comeuppance at the hands of the merrymakers he wishes to suppress.

Adem'den Önce, insanlığın çok eskide kalmış döneminde, yarı-insansı atalarımızı ele alan bir serüven romanı. Jack London, Darwin'e ve evrim kuramının işaret ettiği gerçeklerle paralel detaylar taşıyan kitabında, rüyaları aracılığıyla nesiller önceki atalarının hayatını anımsayan, gen hafızasına kaydedilenlere hapsolmuş birinin ikili yaşantısını anlatıyor. Gündüzleri 20. yüzyıl Amerikasındaki olağan yaşantısına devam eden küçük kahramanımız, geceleri uykuya daldığında bambaşka bir hayatın ve dönemin içerisin

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, Thoreau writes, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. Except for a couple of more explicitly religious works, Walden is my favorite book, one I'd want with me on a desert island surrounded by pond water. -Washington Post

First published in serial form in Household Words in 1854-1855 and in volume form in 1855. On its appearance in 'Household Words,' this tale was obliged to conform to the conditions imposed by the requirements of a weekly publication, and likewise to confine itself within certain advertised limits, in order that faith might be kept with the public. Although these conditions were made as light as they well could be, the author found it impossible to develope the story in the manner originally intended, and,

Vanity Fair, novel of early 19th-century English society by William Makepeace Thackeray, published serially in monthly installments from 1847 to 1848 and in book form in 1848. Thackeray's previous writings had been published either unsigned or under pseudonyms; Vanity Fair was the first work he published under his own name. The novel takes its title from the place designated as the centre of human corruption in John Bunyan's 17th-century allegory Pilgrim's Progress. The book is a densely populated multilaye

Vanity Fair, novel of early 19th-century English society by William Makepeace Thackeray, published serially in monthly installments from 1847 to 1848 and in book form in 1848. Thackeray's previous writings had been published either unsigned or under pseudonyms; Vanity Fair was the first work he published under his own name. The novel takes its title from the place designated as the centre of human corruption in John Bunyan's 17th-century allegory Pilgrim's Progress. The book is a densely populated multilaye

Lady Susan is shortest and least known novel of Austen's and was written in 1794 but not published till 1875 after her death. It is about the horrible flirt Lady Susan Vernon, a widow in her thirties who has an affair with a married man. After her husband's death she stays with her brother and his family and soon enchants the handsome, friendly but naïve and idealistic Reginald de Courcy, who is her brother-in-law. -The Guardian

Originally published in part form, subtitled "A Study of Provincial Life", Middlemarch is a slow, unfolding story of the lives and loves of one Midlands town (thought to be Coventry), as well as a reflection on the bigger political issues and changes in mid-19th century England. -Independent

(With a dictionary for difficult words.) "What is Man?" is Mark Twain's most serious, philosophical and private book. He had worked on it for a long time until he was finally satisfied with it, bu still chose not to release it until after his death. Consisting primarily of a long dialogue between an old man and a young man, the book argues that humans are largely mechanistic in their thoughts and actions. It is a thought-provoking work of philosophy which will make you re-evaluate this much-loved author. A

Die Kunst ist lang! // Und kurz ist unser Leben. - Vers 558 f. / Wagner Vor rund 200 Jahren erschien das wohl bedeutendste Werk der deutschen Literaturgeschichte: Faust von Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Der Teufel, das Gute, das Alter, die Jugend, die Liebe: In Faust werden wenige große Themen des Lebens ausgelassen. In der Tragödie geht es um die historische Figur des Gelehrten Faust, der auf der Suche nach dem Sinn des Lebens einen Pakt mit dem Teufel Mephisto eingeht.

Huckleberry Finns Abenteuer und Fahrten (im Original Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) ist der erfolgreichste Roman von Mark Twain und gilt als Schlüsselwerk der US-amerikanischen Literatur. Erzähler ist Huck Finn selbst. Mark Twain simuliert die Perspektive und die Sprache eines Jungen, der seiner Zeit und seiner Umwelt verhaftet ist, sie aber auch in Frage stellt. In dem Roman gehen ein unbeschulter, individualistischer weißer Außenseiter und ein rechtloser schwarzer Sklave zusammen erfolgreich ihren widrig

When orphaned 11-year-old Pollyanna comes to live with austere and wealthy Aunt Polly, her philosophy of gladness brings happiness to her aunt and other members of the community, somewhat to their surprise.