Washington Square

Literature & Fiction

JAMES,HENRY

Classics

Assembled Stories

At the age of 22, Catherine Sloper is regarded as a rather mature blossom. Yet although she is neither clever or beautiful, Morris Townsend finds Catherine exceedingly charming. Meanwhile her father, Dr Sloper, finds all this extremely entertaining.

'Two on a Tower' is Hardy's ninth novel and contains perhaps his most complete treatment of the theme of love across the class and age divide, and also the fullest expression of his fascination with astronomy and science.

Two on a Tower

HARDY, THOMAS

Moonfleet

FALKNER, J. MEADE

"This story is the record of a struggle between two temperaments, two consciences and almost two epochs. It ended, as was inevitable, in disruption. Of the two human beings here described, one was born to fly backward, the other could not help being carried forward."

Father and Son

GOSSE, EDMUND

Following in the tradition of Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels," Samuel Butler published "Erewhon" privately in 1872.  Arguably the first  first anti-Utopian or dystopian novel, Erewhon anticipates later and better known works such as Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and George Orwell's "1984." Whereas More and other utopianists were primarily interested in attacking society's ills and making the world a better place, the anti-utopians engaged primarily in either satire of the society in which they lived or in making dire predictions about the dismal fate that awaits humanity. Butler is most decidedly in the former category, since he proves in not only "Erewhon" but also his more famous work, the semi-autobiographical novel, "The Way of All Flesh," that his main concern is in attacking the complacency and hypocrisy he saw infecting Victorian society. Like More's island of Utopia, Butler's Erewhon is a remote kingdom, not to be found on any map, which is discovered by the narrator of the novel (biographers of Butler have assumed it is modeled on a part of New Zealand, which anyone who has viewed the "Lord of the Rings" movies can attest has some spectacular landscapes). Cut off from the rest of the world, the citizens of Erewhon live according to their own rules and dictates. Butler breaks from the tradition of creating an idealized world in favor of a more realistic society. In Butler's world money, the rich, the poor, and even a monarchy still exist. It is when we notice strong parallels between Erewhon and the members of Victorian society that we start to see Butler's true purpose.  Hypocrisy is rampant in Erewhon, where citizens think nothing of agreeing with things they do not believe in and their friends know that they do so. While the citizens pretend to worship deities that are the personification of lofty human qualities such as love, justice, and hope, they really worship a goddess, Ydrgun, and the Church of England is transformed into the system of "Musical Banks." As Butler hits his stride in this novel he creates a topsy-turvy world where illness is treated as a crime (there are no physicians in the country) and criminal behavior, such as theft, are seen as minor weaknesses in character. Unlike Francis Bacon's utopian work "The New Atlantis," where science was seen as the salvation of humanity that would correct all ills and provide all necessities, Butler's world has outlawed machinery because they might one day become the masters rather than the servants of humanity. Clearly Butler was no more enamored of the Industrial Revolution than he was of Victorian society. In many ways this is the section of "Erewhon" where Butler makes his most cogent arguments. It is also the point where the book's narrator, whose initial attitude of admiration turns to one of surprise, now becomes one of condemnation as the eccentricities of the citizens of Erewhon are fully revealed. Ultimately, the shortcomings Butler sees in them are the same of which he accuses British society, politics, and religion. Because Butler is satirizing Victorian society his value to modern readers remains inferior to that of Huxley and Orwell, not to mention Edward Bellamy ("Looking Backward 2000-1887") and Yevgeny Zamyatin ("We"). However, in many ways "Erewhon" is a pivotal novel in the history of utopian literature, not only because of how it sets the stage for what other forgotten writers of dystopian fiction, but because it remains one of those novels where historical significance outweighs literary appeal.

Erewhon

Butler, Samuel

<p>An enduringly popular classic of children's fiction, The Coral Island tells the story of three boys stranded on a seemingly idyllic desert island. Thoughtful Ralph, clever, brave Jack and mischievous Peterkin soon find, however, that their new home has more than a few surprises in store! Wayne Forester's energetic reading brings this classic adventure vividly to life. The Coral Island inspired a whole genre of adventure literature, influencing Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and William Golding's Lord of the Flies.</p>

The Coral Island

Ballantyne, R.M.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections                                      such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact,                                       or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections,                                       have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works                                       worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.                                                                             ++++                                      The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification:                                      ++++                                       The Professor Charlotte Brontë Smith, Elder, 1872

The Professor

BRONTЁ, CHARLOTTE

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition.

The Beloved Vagabond

Locke, W. J.

Anna of the Five Towns

• With an exclusive Introduction by John Potter and prepared with the support of the Arnold Bennett Society.Anna, a reserved and subtle woman of great integrity, lives with her overbearing and miserly father. Wooed for her money by the darkly handsome Henry Mynors, Anna courageously defies her father’s wrathful indignation. But the complex passions aroused lead to tragedy and heartache. Set in the Potteries against a background of dour Wesleyan Methodism, Anna of the Five Towns is a brilliantly perceptive novel of provincial life in Victorian England.

Bennett., Arnold

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Books by Assembled Stories

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Washington Square

Washington Square

Two on a Tower

Moonfleet

Father and Son

Erewhon

The Coral Island

The Professor

The Beloved Vagabond

Anna of the Five Towns