Серия книг «Penguin Popular Classics» — 169 книг — стр. 4

Blending high spirits and mistaken identities with the suffering of loss and unrequited love, "Twelfth Night" is the most poignant of Shakespeare's comedies.
Disguised as a young man, Viola becomes the page to Orsino, Duke of Illyria. Her duty is to win the love of the beautiful but cold Olivia for the Duke. But Viola - now in love with Orsino herself - becomes the object of Olivia's affections. Confusion and deception give way to mirth and merriment as this most good-humoured comedy reaches its joyful conclusion.

Blending high spirits and mistaken identities with the suffering of loss and unrequited love, "Twelfth Night" is the most poignant of Shakespeare's comedies.
Disguised as a young…

From her position of wealth and happy respectability, Fanny Hill looks back at her early life and disreputable adventures. Arriving in London alone, poor and innocent, she falls into the hands of a brothel-keeper. But only when she is separated from the man she loves does she enrol in the "unhappy profession" of prostitution. Fanny becomes a kept woman and also works in an
elegant bawdy-house, entertaining polite voluptuaries. By the age of eighteen, she can afford to retire; in her marriage she can at last combine sexual passion with romantic love.

Like its heroine, the novel "Fanny Hill" has also risen to respectability. It is now recognized as an erotic entertainment that exemplifies both the philosophy of libertinism and the attitudes of eighteenth century bourgeoisie, combining sensibility, irony and enlightened self-interest.

From her position of wealth and happy respectability, Fanny Hill looks back at her early life and disreputable adventures. Arriving in London alone, poor and innocent, she falls…

The myth that has grown up around Robert Burns, Scotland's greatest popular poet, has sometimes obscured his original poetic gifts. The educated son of a poor cotter, Burns became known for his rustic background, his fraternity with the

The myth that has grown up around Robert Burns, Scotland's greatest popular poet, has sometimes obscured his original poetic gifts. The educated son of a poor cotter, Burns became…

"Peter Pan" is one of the most popular of all children's classics. It blends autobiography, fancy, Oedipal myth and fantasy so satisfyingly that, like Alice in Wonderland, its child's world appeals and intrigues on many levels.

"Peter Pan" is one of the most popular of all children's classics. It blends autobiography, fancy, Oedipal myth and fantasy so satisfyingly that, like Alice in Wonderland, its…

It would be unfair to say that any of the three men were hypochondriacs: it was simply that they suffered from a constant malaise, consisting of every symptom but housemaid's knee. The only cure for it was a revitalizing river trip in an open boat.
Bearing frying pans, elusive toothbrushes, pies, lemonade and whisky, for medicinal purposes only, the three men and Montmorency the dog (whose ambition in life is to get in the way) embark on their hilarious adventures on the Thames. After considerable enjoyment and irritation - getting lost in the maze, arguing with some quarrelsome swans, falling in the river - the three men decide that being out of a boat seems a more inviting alternative.
Despite being over a century old, its sparkling insights into human - and canine - nature ensure that Three Men in a Boat is as fresh and invigorating today as when it was first published.

It would be unfair to say that any of the three men were hypochondriacs: it was simply that they suffered from a constant malaise, consisting of every symptom but housemaid's…

Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit-hole and into a series of extraordinary adventures in Wonderland, a country of crazy logic where the absurd and surreal are the norm. Riddles have no answers, songs turn into nonsense and everything is punctuated with dreadful puns. The animals who live there can not only speak but are positively argumentative; however, the self-possessed Alice is well able to cope with everything she meets.

Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit-hole and into a series of extraordinary adventures in Wonderland, a country of crazy logic where the absurd and surreal are the…

What is the secret of the speckled band that brings death in its wake? What terrible villainy is going on behind the respectable facade of the house at Copper Beeches? How has a priceless diamond found its way into the gullet of a goose? Why does an envelope containing five orange pips inspire such terror in its recipients? And what of the clever and beautiful Irene Adler, who proves more than a match for the famous detective?
For the eagle-eyed Sherlock Holmes no challenge is too great. Aided by his faithful friend Dr Watson he uses his razor-sharp wit and remarkable powers of deduction to solve the seemingly unsolvable.

What is the secret of the speckled band that brings death in its wake? What terrible villainy is going on behind the respectable facade of the house at Copper Beeches? How has a…

Who has not dreamed of life on an exotic isle, far away from civilization? Here is the novel which has inspired countless imitations by lesser writers, none of which equal the power and originality of Defoe's famous book. Robinson Crusoe, set ashore on an island after a terrible storm at sea, is forced to make do with only a knife, some tobacco, and a pipe. He learns how to build a canoe, make bread, and endure endless solitude. That is, until, twenty-four years later, when he confronts another human being. First published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has been praised by such writers as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Samuel Johnson as one of the greatest novels in the English language.

Who has not dreamed of life on an exotic isle, far away from civilization? Here is the novel which has inspired countless imitations by lesser writers, none of which equal the…

Those are the famous lines of Dickens's stirring tale of two cities, London and Paris, at the time of the French Revolution. Suspense gathers from the opening scene, the dramatic coach journey to Dover and the rescue of Dr. Manette from incarceration in the Bastille. At the centre of the novel are the figures of Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay, both men in love with the doctor's beautiful daughter Lucie, linked together by fate and by the engulfing terrors of revolution.
A Tale of Two Cities was written at a time of crisis in Dickens's life. It is a wonderful love story and, aside from The Pickwick Papers, the most popular of all Dickens's novels.

Those are the famous lines of Dickens's stirring tale of two cities, London and Paris, at the time of the French Revolution. Suspense gathers from the opening scene, the dramatic…

If anything, Othello has increased its stature as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies ever since it was first written, between 1603 and 1604, due to the victimisation suffered by its tragic hero, Othello, as a result of his skin colour. Othello is a "noble Moor", a North African Muslim who has converted to Christianity and is deemed one of the Venetian state's most reliable soldiers. However, his ensign Iago harbours an obscure hatred against his general, and when Othello secretly marries the beautiful daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio, Iago begins his subtle campaign of vilification, which will inevitably lead to the deaths of more than just Othello and Desdemona.

If anything, Othello has increased its stature as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies ever since it was first written, between 1603 and 1604, due to the victimisation suffered…

It is when Mr Utterson, a dry London lawyer, peruses the last will of his old friend Henry Jekyll that his suspicions are aroused. What is the relationship between upright, respectable Dr Jekyll and the evil Edward Hyde? Who murdered the distinguished MP, Sir Danvers? So begins Stevenson's spine-tingling horror story, the story of Dr Jekyll's infernal alter ego, and of a hunt throughout the nocturnal streets of London that culminates in some dreadful revelations.

It is when Mr Utterson, a dry London lawyer, peruses the last will of his old friend Henry Jekyll that his suspicions are aroused. What is the relationship between upright,…

Behind the facade of a Soho shop selling dubious merchandise lives Verloc with his wife Winnie, her mother and her retarded brother, Stevie. Verloc is an overweight, indolent anarchist who conceals his political activities, such as they are, under a veneer of domesticity and family life.
According to the First Secretary, Mr Vladimir, Verloc has done little to earn his money in recent years and it is time for a 'dynamic outrage' to provoke he middle classes. So Verloc, accepting his duty, plants a bomb at the Greenwich Observatory. But when the blast has done its work, Verloc finds he has destroyed a great deal more than the complacency of the bourgeoisie.
The Secret Agent is arguably one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century. Its brilliant depiction of a terrorist underworld, its ruthless irony and its black satire on a morally corrupt society is the culmination of many influences on Conrad, including that of Dickens and of Dostoyevsky.

Behind the facade of a Soho shop selling dubious merchandise lives Verloc with his wife Winnie, her mother and her retarded brother, Stevie. Verloc is an overweight, indolent…

In this haunting tale, Marlow, a seaman and wanderer, recounts his experiences in Africa when he led an expedition into the impenetrable and mysterious core of the jungle. The darkness he encounters is both moral and physical: Mr Kurtz, the agent dealing in ivory whom he is to meet, is the embodiment of corruption, decay and exploitation.
As an outsider, Marlow finds himself drawn to the charismatic Kurtz, but after witnessing the malevolence and tyranny that emanate from him, Marlow is forced to look into his own soul and reassess his values.

In this haunting tale, Marlow, a seaman and wanderer, recounts his experiences in Africa when he led an expedition into the impenetrable and mysterious core of the jungle. The…

A settler in New England, Hester Prynne has waited two years for her husband, an ageing English scholar,
to join her. He arrives to find her in the pillory, a small baby in her arms. She must, as a punishment for
her adultery, wear a scarlet 'A1 embroidered on her breast and is consequently ostracized by her
contemptuous neighbours.

Sworn to keep secret the identity of both her husband and her lover, Hester slowly wins the respect of
society by her charitable acts. Her own strength and the moral cowardice of the man who allows her to
face guilt and shame alone are brought into sharp contrast in a dramatic and harrowing conclusion.

A settler in New England, Hester Prynne has waited two years for her husband, an ageing English scholar,
to join her. He arrives to find her in the pillory, a small baby in her…

Hans Andersen's evocative stories blend wit and pathos, his
light but shrewd touch revealing the selfishness and stupidity of
man. In "The Emperor's New Clothes" it takes a child to point
out the Emperor's foolishness and his excess of pride eventually
makes him a laughing stock. His stupidity is therefore punished,
just as the modesty and good nature of "The Ugly Duckling" is
justly rewarded in the end. Andersen's fresh and vivacious tone
illuminates all of the old favourites in this selection - which
include "The Little Mermaid", "The Princess on the Pea", "The
Tinderbox" and "The Snow Queen".
Формат издания: 11 см х 18 см.

Hans Andersen's evocative stories blend wit and pathos, his
light but shrewd touch revealing the selfishness and stupidity of
man. In "The Emperor's New Clothes" it takes a…

"Don't you think there is a certain resemblance between the mystery of the Mass and what I am trying to do? To give people some kind of intellectual pleasure or spiritual enjoyment by converting the bread of everyday life into something that has a permanent artistic life of its own." (James Joyce, in a letter to his brother). With these fifteen stories James Joyce reinvented the art of fiction, using a scrupulous, deadpan realism to convey truths that were at once blasphemous and sacramental. Whether writing about the death of a fallen priest ("The Sisters"), the petty sexual and fiscal machinations of "Two Gallants," or of the Christmas party at which an uprooted intellectual discovers just how little he really knows about his wife ("The Dead"), Joyce takes narrative places it had never been before.

"Don't you think there is a certain resemblance between the mystery of the Mass and what I am trying to do? To give people some kind of intellectual pleasure or spiritual…

In the stultified air of the wealthy European holiday resorts, Americans cling to their old ways and traditions. Daisy Miller, with her outspoken honesty and innocence of mind, is anathema to them. Even to Winterbourne, the young American "student" whom she meets on the shores of Lake Geneva, she is "uncultivated" and although captivated by her, he feels she is a little too forward for polite society.

In the stultified air of the wealthy European holiday resorts, Americans cling to their old ways and traditions. Daisy Miller, with her outspoken honesty and innocence of mind, is…

George Eliot`s own favourite novel centres on Silas Marner, the linen weaver of Raveloe, a village on the brink of industrialization. Once he was a respected member of a narrow congregation, but the events that took place during one of his cataleptic fits led to the loss of everything that he valued. Now he lives a withdrawn half-life and is an object of suspicion to his new neighbours; he exists only for his work and his golden guineas. But when his precious money is stolen and, shortly after, seemingly and mysteriously replaced by the child Eppie, Silas is awakened to life by the redemptive power of love.

George Eliot`s affectionate but unsentimental portrait of rural life combines irony, humour and sharp social comment. Above all, she demonstrates a profound and enduring knowledge of the human mind and heart.

George Eliot`s own favourite novel centres on Silas Marner, the linen weaver of Raveloe, a village on the brink of industrialization. Once he was a respected member of a narrow…