Unique Elements  • About the Author • Historical Context • Jane Austen's WITTY SATIRE of Gothic novels at the turn of the 19th century. NORTHANGER ABBEY, written by BRITISH author JANE AUSTEN, is a coming-of-age novel with a satirical turn first published in 1817, posthumously, in the UNITED KINGDOM. An all-time classic novel, the first completed by the pen of beloved authoress, .Jane Austen, follows the journey of Catherine...

In 18th century Boston, a Puritan girl is condemned to wear the letter "A" for bearing an illegitimate daughter.

Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse" is a landmark in modernist literature, celebrated for its introspective narrative and brilliant use of stream-of-consciousness technique. Set in the idyllic yet psychologically complex world of the Ramsay family's summer retreat, the novel weaves together the inner thoughts and emotions of its characters to form a deeply layered meditation on time, memory, and human connection. Through the shifting perspectives...

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is one of the world's first psychological thrillers. A mesmerizing detective story with an intriguing and multifarious central character, Crime and Punishment hinges on the ethical dilemmas and angst of the student Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov who plans and implements the murder of a ruthless pawnbroker. Rodion convinces himself that in killing her he will both solves his financial problems

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The articles collected in George Orwell's Essays illuminate the life and work of one of the most individual writers of this century-a man who elevated political writing to an art. This outstanding collection brings together Orwell's longer, major essays and a fine selection of shorter pieces that includes "My Country Right or Left," "Decline of the English Murder," "Shooting an Elephant," and "A Hanging." With great originality and wit, Orwell unfolds...

In 1271 Marco Polo set out on a journey to China to meet the Mongol Emperor Kublaï Khan. He returned with stories that would take a lifetime to tell. Featuring exotic creatures, strange customs, extraordinary legends, and political intrigues, The Travels of Marco Polo reveals the fantastical treasures of the East in the words of the legendary medieval explorer. Conjuring up a forgotten world filled with mystery where wonder lurks around every...