Catagory: Classics

‘If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!’
In trying to create life, Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings him to the very brink of madness. The botched creation, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear. The young scientist is pushed to embark on a treacherous journey to end the monster’s existence. This timeless gothic novel presents the epic battle between man and monster, and is a remarkable exploration of the dangers of human creativity.

Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth and precocious Amy-the four March sisters couldn’t be more different. With their father away at war and their mother working
to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Through sisterly squabbles, midnight plays, Christmas celebrations, happy times and sad, they discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do.

Sense and Sensibility‘s two heroines-so utterly unlike each other-experience the most violent passions when they are turned down by the men they love. What differentiates them, and gives this extraordinary novel its complexity and brilliance, is the way each expresses her suffering: Marianne-young, impetuous, ardent-
falls into paroxysms of grief when she is rejected by the dashing John Willoughby; while her sister, Elinor-wiser, more sensible, more self-controlled-masks her despair
when she discovers that Edward Ferrars is to marry the mean-spirited and cunning Lucy Steele. All, of course, ends happily-but not until Elinor’s ‘sense’ and Marianne’s ‘sensibility’ come together to reveal the profundity of the emotional undercurrent beneath the surface of Austen’s immaculate art.

‘He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal. ‘
Set among the English countryside gentry at the turn of the nineteenth century, Pride and Prejudice is a story of love, marriage, manners, relations, the pride that is derived from possessing wealth and the prejudice of social classes. In a sparkling comedy of manners that begins with the arrival of two highly-eligible bachelors, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy in the neighbourhood, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging people based on first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life. Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen’s masterpiece-an entertaining portrait of the way people behave in society, and of matrimonial theatrics and rivalries-and is timeless in its hilarity and honesty.

Charles and Mary Lamb have delighted generations of readers with their famed prose renderings of Shakespeare’s plays. Bringing the greatest works to life in a form that encourages readers to enjoy and explore, Tales from Shakespeare provides an entertaining and informative introduction to Shakespeare’s writing while retaining much of the lyricism, phrasing and rhythm of the original work. It is a captivating work of romantic storytelling as well as the first-of-its-kind literary homage to the Bard of Avon.

Mr Jones of Manor Farm is so lazy and drunken that one day he forgets to feed his livestock. The ensuing rebellion under the leadership of the pigs Napoleon and Snowball leads to the animals taking over the farm. Vowing to eliminate the terrible inequities of the farmyard, the renamed Animal Farm is organized to benefit all those who walk on four legs. But as time passes, the ideals of the rebellion are corrupted, then forgotten. And then something new and unexpected emerges . . .
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell-author of 1984, one of Britain’s most popular novels-is a brilliant political satire and a powerful, affecting story of revolutions and idealism, power and corruption.

Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet, he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, the symbolic head of the Party. Longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with fellow worker Julia, but soon discovers that the true price of freedom is betrayal. More relevant than ever before, 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable-the destruction of truth, freedom and individuality.

Wuthering Heights is the story of the relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the orphan boy her father adopts. While Catherine feels deeply attached to Heathcliff, her brother Hindley despises him as a rival. Heathcliff is torn between his love for Catherine and the rage and humiliation he suffers at the hands of everybody else. When he can no longer stand it, he leaves the Heights during a violent summer storm. In his absence Catherine marries, but her tormented heart belongs eternally to Heathcliff, who is determined to extract his tyrannical revenge. With its defiance of social convention and its unparalleled emotional intensity, Wuthering Heights is a deeply moving tale of tragedy.