Dive into the dark and pulsating streets of Victorian England with Charles Dickens' timeless masterpiece, "Oliver Twist." Follow the captivating destiny of Oliver Twist, a brave young orphan, as he confronts the injustice, poverty, and cruelty of the world around him. Oliver, mistreated in an orphanage, escapes to London where he becomes entangled with a gang of thieves led by the infamous Fagin. But Oliver is different. His innocence and purity...

First published in the "First Folio" in 1623 and likely written in the 1590s, "King John" is one of William Shakespeare's best historical plays. It centers on the events of King John's reign of England during the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. King John, son of Henry I of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, inherits the throne after the death of his older brother, King Richard I. John's claim to the throne is challenged by the King of...

Two minor characters from "Hamlet" .. take the lead role and offer a ... 'worm's-eye' view ... where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

A dictatorship called Big Brother rules the people in a collectivist society where Winston Smith works in the Ministry of Truth. Winston joins the underground where he becomes involved in a forbidden love affair.

An annotated edition of Shakespeare's historical drama about the Duke of Gloucester's lust for power and obsessive pursuit of his brother's throne, with an introduction, an essay by Harold Bloom, and a note on the text used.

One of George Bernard Shaw's best-known plays, Pygmalion is based on ancient Greek mythology. Pygmalion fell in love with one of his sculptures, which then came to life. The general idea of that myth was a popular subject for Victorian era British playwrights. Shaw's updated and revised version of this ancient Greek legend was first presented in England in 1914. Poking fun of the antiquated British class system, it introduces Henry Higgins, a professor...

What Would Jane Do? What’s a strong, independent-minded woman supposed to do in a world of insipid dating guides? Sinéad Murphy responds by asking: Who has more time-tested secrets than Jane Austen, whose novels continue to captivate us almost two hundred years later? Whether you can recite paragraphs from Pride and Prejudice If you look closely at the women of Jane Austen’s books, as the witty scholar Sinéad Murphy has, you’ll discover Austen’s...

The complete works; the comedies, histories, tragedies, and poetry, including the sonnets.

This 48 lecture series surveys the great movements of European painting, sculpture, and architecture from the age of Charlemagne to the onset of World War II.

Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theatre of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities. His compelling tale of justice and cruelty, friendhsip and love comes to life in this clear, modern version. Thge stofy of Shylock's deadly cleaim for a pound of Antonio's flesh, of the horror and helplessness of Antonio's friends, and of the mysterious young lawyer...