Saint Joan & Pygmalion
‘Saint Joan’ , first staged in 1923, is a dramatization of the life of 15th-century French military icon and religious martyr Joan of Arc, based on the historical records of her trial in 1431. Saint Joan has become one of Shaw’s most popular plays; a film adaptation starring Jean Seberg was produced in 1957, and […]
Regret and Other Stories
‘Regret’ by Guy de Maupassant, tells a story of an old bachelor, Monsieur Saval, who is about to celebrate his 62nd birthday. The story starts with descriptions of Monsieur Saval’s life which has been rather sad and empty. Although Monsieur Saval has had a number of great opportunities, he has unknowingly let them go. The story then […]
Pride & Prejudice
‘Pride and Prejudice’, a novel by Jane Austen, was published anonymously in three volumes in 1813. A classic of English literature, written with incisive wit and superb character delineation, it centers on the Bennet family. The novel follows the romantic entanglements of the Bennet sisters, includes themes of love, class, and, as one might […]
O.Henry Collection of Short Stories Part I – Part III
The following publication presents a three-volume collection of short stories by O. Henry. Henry’s rich canon of work is distinctive for its witticism, clever wordplay, and unexpected twist endings. His stories are full of coincidence, humor, grim and irony, and often have surprise endings, a device that became identified with his name and cost him […]
Heartbreak House & Major Barbara
‘Heartbreak House’ is a play by George Bernard Shaw. Published in 1919, it first played at Garrick Theater in 1920. The play begins as Ellie Dunn, her father, and her fiancé are invited to one of Hesion Hushabye’s infamous dinner parties. The party is being held at the house of her eccentric father, Captain Shotover, […]
Kim
Once upon a time, there was an orphan named Kimball O’Hara, Kim for short. Kim spent his time in the city of Lahore running around, scrounging food, and generally leading a carefree and mischief-heavy life. Apparently, Kim’s luck changed once he found a Red Bull on a green field. Kim was originally released in a […]
Othello
‘Othello, in full ‘Othello, the Moor of Venice’, tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written in 1603–1604 and published in 1622. The play derives its plot from ‘Giambattista Giraldi’s De gli Hecatommithi’ (1565), which Shakespeare appears to have known in the Italian original. The play is set in motion when Othello, a heroic black […]
Romeo and Juliet
‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a tragedy about two young Italian star-crossed sweethearts whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare’s most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ belongs to […]
The Merchant of Venice
‘The Merchant of Venice’ is centered around a merchant named Antonio who defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare’s other romantic comedies, the play is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known […]
The Comedy of Error
‘The Comedy of Errors’ is probably one of the most complicated plays, involving two sets of identical twins with multiple identity confusions. The play begins with a Syracuse merchant, Egeon, being led to his execution for defying the ban against travel between Syracuse and Ephesus. As he is taken to the gallows, he tells Duke […]
