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  Walking

  Henry David Thoreau

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  In this essay, Henry David Thoreau expounds upon the virtues of a simple walk in the wild. One of his most read lectures, this piece was originally published in 1851. 

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  A Hunger Artist

  Franz Kafka

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  A Hunger Artist is a short story by Franz Kafka.     The protagonist, a hunger artist who experiences the decline in appreciation of his craft, is an archetypical creation of Kafka: an individual marginalized and victimized by society at large. The title of the story has been translated also to "A Fasting Artist" and "A Starvation Artist".    A Hunger Artist explores the familiar Kafka themes of death, art, isolation, asceticism, spiritual poverty, futility, personal failure and the corruption of human relationships.    There is a sharp division among critical interpretations of "A Hunger Artist". Most commentators concur that the story is an allegory, but they disagree as to what is represented. Some critics, pointing to the hunger artist's asceticism, regard him as a saintly or even Christ-like figure. In support of this view they emphasize the unworldliness of the protagonist, the priest-like quality of the watchers, and the traditional religious significance of the forty-day period. Other critics insist that A Hunger Artist is an allegory of the misunderstood artist, whose vision of transcendence and artistic excellence is rejected or ignored by the public. This interpretation is sometimes joined with a reading of the story as autobiographical. According to this view, this story, written near the end of Kafka's life, links the hunger artist with the author as an alienated artist who is dying.    The moral of the story, says literature critic Maud Ellmann, is that it is not by food that we survive but by the gaze of others and "it is impossible to live by hunger unless we can be seen or represent doing so".

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  The Mayor of Casterbridge

  Thomas Hardy

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  A shameful act of drunken impetuousness results in Michael Henchard losing his wife and daughter in an auction. This evil deed remains secret for years, during which time Henchard climbs the social ladder from working as a roving hay-trusser to becoming the upstanding Mayor of Casterbridge.
  
  An intricate tale of duplicity, comeuppance and regret, this novel puts its characters' principles to the test.

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  A Son At The Front

  Edith Wharton

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  In the realm of classic literature, there exists a treasure trove of stories that capture the essence of human emotions and experiences during times of conflict. One such masterpiece is "A Son at the Front," a novel written by Edith Wharton and published in 1923. This poignant work of fiction delves into the lives of its characters against the backdrop of World War I, weaving a narrative that explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the unrelenting toll of war. 
   
  The story primarily revolves around the protagonist, John Campton, an American painter residing in Paris. John is a devoted father, and his world revolves around his beloved son, George. The novel traces John's inner turmoil as he wrestles with his desire to protect his son from the horrors of war while also coming to terms with his own artistic ambitions. 
   
  As the novel unfolds, we witness the complex interplay of personal and societal forces on the characters. John Campton's internal conflict reflects the broader dilemma faced by countless individuals during the Great War. The choice between pursuing one's creative aspirations and succumbing to the overwhelming demands of duty and patriotism is a recurring theme that resonates with readers even today. 
   
  Edith Wharton, celebrated for her incisive social commentary and keen insight into human nature, portrays the characters in "A Son at the Front" with depth and nuance. John's struggles are a testament to the emotional turmoil experienced by parents who see their children heading to the frontlines of battle. The fear, anxiety, and helplessness that John grapples with are emotions that transcend time and place, making his character all the more relatable to modern readers.

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  A Wicked Woman - From their pens...

  Jack London

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  John Griffith Chaney was born on January 12th, 1876 in San Francisco.   
  His father, William Chaney, was living with Flora Wellman when she became pregnant.  Chaney insisted she have an abortion.  Flora's response was to turn a gun on herself.  Although her wounds were not severe the trauma made her temporarily deranged. 
  In late 1876 his mother married John London and the young child was brought to live with them as they moved around the Bay area, eventually settling in Oakland where now, calling himself Jack, he completed grade school. 
  Jack worked hard at several jobs, sometimes 12-18 hours a day, but his dream was university.  He studied hard and borrowed the money to enrol in the summer of 1896 at the University of California in Berkeley. 
  In 1897, at 21, Jack searched out newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and for the name of his biological father. He wrote to Chaney, then living in Chicago, who claimed he could not be Jack’s father because he was impotent and casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men.  Jack, devastated by the response, quit Berkeley and went to the Klondike. Other accounts suggest that his dire finances presented Jack with the excuse he needed to leave. 
  In the Klondike Jack began to gather material for his writing but also accumulated many health problems, including scurvy, which together with hip and leg problems he would carry for the rest of his life. 
  During the late 1890's Jack was regularly publishing short stories and by the turn of the century full blown novels. 
  By 1904 Jack had married, fathered two children and was now in the process of divorcing.  A stint as a reporter on the Russo-Japanese war of 1904 was equal amounts trouble and experience. But that experience was always put to good use in a continuing and remarkable output of work. 
  In 1905 he married Charmian Kittredge who at last was a soul and companion who brought him some semblance of peace despite his advancing alcoholism and his incurable wanderlust. 
  Twelve years later Jack had amassed both wealth and a literary reputation through such classics as ‘The Call of the Wild’, ‘White Fang’ and many others. He had a reputation as a social activist and was a tireless friend of the workers.   
  Jack London died suffering from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism and uremia, aged only 40, on November 22nd 1916 at his property in Glen Elen in California.

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  History of Mr Polly The...

  H. G. Wells

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  Mr Polly is an ordinary middle-aged man who is tired of his wife's nagging and his dreary job as the owner of a regional gentleman's outfitters. Faced with the threat of bankruptcy, he concludes that the only way to escape his frustrating existence is by burning his shop to the ground, and killing himself. Unexpected events, however, conspire at the last moment to lead the bewildered Mr Polly to a bright new future - after he saves a life, fakes his death, and escapes to a life of heroism, hope and ultimate happiness.

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