"John Milton's Paradise Lost, an epic poem on the clash between God and his fallen angel, Satan, is a profound meditation on fate, free will, and divinity, and one of the most, beautiful works in world literature. Extracted from the Modern Library's highly acclaimed The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton, this edition reflects up-to-date scholarship and includes a substantial introduction, fresh commentary, and other features - annotations...

An audio adaptation of Malory's epic poem about Arthur's ascension to the throne as a boy, his marriage to Guenever, the formation of the Knights of the Round Table, the quest for the Holy Grail, the ill-fated passion between Guenever and Launcelot, the treachery of Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred, and the ultimate destruction of Arthur's realm.

With an unmatched wit and a keen appreciation for the inanity of social mores, William Makepeace Thackeray provides his own unique spin on the family history genre in The History of Pendennis. Following a young lad who makes his way to London in search of love and a livelihood, the narrative tears through juicy family secrets, shadowy machinations, and all manner of plots and conspiracies. If you liked Vanity Fair, you'll love The

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The renowned work by the English political philosopher examines the structure of society and legitimate government, arguing for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign. ""During the time men live without a common Power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called Warre." Written during the turmoil of the English Civil War, Leviathan is an ambitious and highly original work of political philosophy. Claiming that...

Master storyteller Henry James transports readers to New England in the 1870s for his satire of the American women's rights movement. Charismatic speaker Verena Tarrant is at the center of an acrimonious struggle between two distant cousins. Olive Chancellor sees Verena as a potential leader of the suffragettes and jealously attempts to isolate her protegee from the society of men. The man Olive particularly abhors is cynical Southern lawyer Basil...

Five tales written for Christmas, 1843 to 1848, combining realism and fantasy. "A Christmas Carol in Prose" makes its ghostly appeal to Scrooge, the hard old miser, and "The Chimes" is a variation of the same motive. "The Cricket on the Hearth" is an idyll of home life, "The Battle of Life", an imaginative deliverance on resignation, "The Haunted Man", a fairy tale with the beauty of kindness for its moral.

A utopian classic with a rich legacy–influencing authors from Huxley to Herbert and beyond–Erewhon satirizes Victorian society with biting insight still relevant today. When Higgs, a young traveler, stumbles upon the beautiful land of Erewhon, he soon discovers that its seemingly ideal culture is founded upon bizarre, unsettling beliefs. Crime is a sickness, while sickness is a crime; the greatest scholarly achievement is unreason, and all machines...

First published in 1485, during England's War of the Roses, "Le Morte d'Arthur" or "The Death of Arthur" combines all of the known legends of King Arthur into one creative text. Beginning with the birth of Arthur and telling the tale of his rise to become the head of the Knights of the Round Table and the husband of Guinevere, we also learn of Lancelot, Arthur's most venerated knight. Many of the other knights' stories are told with varying degrees...