QB Literature Challenge #2

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Drama, 1595 Shakespeare Puck, Bottom, Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, Egeus, Oberon, Titania Hermia loves Lysander, Lysander loves Hermia, Demetrius loves Hermia, Helena loves Demetrius, and no one loves Helena. Egeus wants his daughter killed if she doesn't follow his plan of marrying Demetrius. Titania and Oberon are quarrelling, Lysander and Hermia have run off together and gotten lost in the woods, and Demetrius and Helena have followed. Puck has put love potion on Lysander's eyes by accident, causing him to fall in love with Helena and forsake Hermia. Oberon enchants Demetrius and he too falls in love with Helena. Puck has turned Bottom's head into that of a donkey. Lysander and Demetrius fight; Hermia and Helena fight. Puck leads Demetrius and Lysander in opposite directions; Hermia and Helena's fight seems irreparable. Oberon releases Titania from the spell. Puck gives Lysander the remedy juice. Demetrius declares that he's in love with Helena. Theseus announces that the couples will be married. Also, Bottom awakens with his own head back. The three couples are married in Athens. Pyramus and Thisbe is performed, and Oberon, Titania, and Puck bless the house and the couples.

Pilgrim's Progress

Novel, 1678 Bunyan n Part 1, Franklin talks about his reasons for writing the Autobiography, saying that since you can't live your life over again, the next best thing is to recapture it by writing it down. He describes his early life in Boston, his love for reading, and his job training. Franklin apprentices as a printer to his brother James, but he hates working for him, and runs away to Philadelphia at age sixteen. In Philadelphia, Franklin begins working for a printer named Keimer. The governor, Sir William Keith, offers to set Franklin up on his own as a printer and sends him to England to get supplies. Once in England, though, Franklin finds out that Keith's a liar and a cheat - and he's stuck in London without money or a way to get back to America. Franklin works hard at Watts' printing shop, learns about his craft, and makes some important connections. After he saves up enough money, he returns to America with his friend Mr. Denham, who's offered him a job. Franklin works hard for Denham until his employer dies, and then he has to go back to Keimer. That doesn't last long, because Franklin quits. He decides to start his own business with another former Keimer employee, Hugh Meredith. Even though there's competition, they get a couple of lucky breaks, like printing the Pennsylvania Gazette. After Meredith bows out, Franklin gets some contracts to print paper money, and his rival Keimer retires. As the business really starts to take off, Franklin marries his old flame Deborah Read. He also helps found a gentleman's club called the Junto, which is for talking about and debating philosophical and scientific ideas. One of their first big projects is creating a subscription library. Franklin stops writing here because of the American Revolution. Part 2 begins with Franklin writing from Passy, France, receiving letters from two of his friends, Abel James and Benjamin Vaughan. They basically tell Franklin that he is awesome, that his life story is awesome, and he should keep writing it. Franklin's persuaded. Let's face it: we probably would be too. He goes back to where he stopped in Part 1 and tells us more about how the Junto created the Library system, then about his personal work on achieving the virtues of modesty and thrift. Franklin writes a list of virtues and works on them daily. He says he doesn't go to church, but prays by himself: he leaves religion out of his virtue list and says he'll get to it later in a book called The Art of Virtue, which he never writes. He ends this section by saying pride is the hardest virtue to overcome, and he's still working on it. Part 3 picks up five years later, with Franklin in Philadelphia. He writes Poor Richard's Almanac; it and his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, are really successful. His business continues to expand. Franklin develops his ideas about religion in two encounters with preachers, both of whom he likes. The first, Samuel Hemphill, advocates virtue, but he's cast out by the public because he copies other guys' sermons in his own (yeah, that's plagiarism). The second, George Whitefield, is a great traveling preacher who, Franklin says, has amazing rhetoric. Franklin's club, the Junto, gets bigger and founds the first American fire department. On a personal level, Franklin reconciles with his brother James, who's dying, and explains how his own son Francis died of smallpox. Professionally, Franklin is made General Assembly Clerk and Postmaster. He decides Pennsylvania needs two things: a better military and a better institution for higher education. Franklin writes Plain Truth, which calls for a better military, but turns down a position as colonel; however, he's still got a lot of influence over Pennsylvania's militia. He also talks about the problems Quakers face as pacifists trying to contribute to a system of defense. With the Junto, he founds the University of Pennsylvania. Franklin also works on creating the first American public hospital, better paving for Philadelphia's streets, and a better system for dusting London's streets. The French and Indian War is coming. Franklin writes a plan for uniting all the American colonies, but it doesn't go over well. They stay organized by individual colony. He helps General Edward Braddock get military supplies on credit from Pennsylvania citizens; since they don't know Braddock, Franklin has to put up collateral. This will bite him in the butt, though. In the middle of doing important military stuff - preparing for a battle at Monongahela to take over Fort Duquesne - Braddock doesn't listen to Franklin's advice. They lose the battle and Braddock is killed. Luckily, he gives Franklin a large chunk of the money before that happens. Another general, Shirley, comes through for Franklin with more of the money. (Franklin never gets the rest.) Meanwhile, Franklin helps build forts in Pennsylvania for defense against the Native Americans and learns about the Moravian religion. He's briefly honored as a colonel, but turns down a position as general. Franklin also has scientific success: he works on experiments in electricity with his friends Peter Collinson and Ebenezer Kinnersley. Collinson tells the Royal Society about Franklin's ideas, and his work is published. He gets into a scholarly fight with Abbé Nollet, who has competing ideas, but the scientific public promotes Franklin's as the best. He's made a member of the Royal Society. The new governor, Denny, is having problems with the Pennsylvania Assembly. The Assembly wants to pass a law that taxes colonists and Proprietors (the guys who own the colonies) more fairly to gather money for defending the colonies, part of which will be under the direction of General Loudon, but Denny won't sign it. Despite being delayed by Loudon, Franklin finally gets to go to London on behalf of the Assembly to work on mediation. (He never gets the rest of the money he covered for Braddock.) In Part 4, Franklin consults with his friend Dr. Fothergill about the problem the Assembly's having and meets with Lord Granville, head of the King's privy council, about it. Lord Granville says the King makes laws just by talking, but Franklin argues that he can only approve/deny the colonists' laws once - he shouldn't be able to go back on his word. Lord Granville disagrees. Franklin and the Proprietors meet at Thomas Penn's house to talk about the dispute, and Franklin has to argue with the other side's attorney, Ferdinand Paris. He and the colonists spend one year waiting for the decision. Meanwhile, the Assembly and Governor Denny finally agree on the bill. The Proprietors petition to keep the bill from happening, because they don't want to be tasked, and everyone goes to court. There, Lord Mansfield mediates the case, and everyone comes to an agreement.

Candide

Novel, 1759 Voltaire Candide, Pangloss, The Old Woman, Miss Cunegonde. Westphalia, loves Cunegonde, leaves country to join Bulgar Army, flees to Holland, leaves for Lisbon, earthquake, arrested, freed but watched his teacher get hanged, helped by Old Woman, kills Cunegonde's masters, marriers her

The Three Musketeers

Novel, 1844 Dumas D'Artagnan, Milady, Constance D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with almost no money, hoping to become a Musketeer. D'Artagnan fights with the Musketeers against the Cardinal's Guards, and makes friends with said Musketeers. The Queen needs her diamond studs back. D'Artagnan tricks Milady. She swears his death. Milady escapes from prison and heads back to France, seemingly unstoppable. Constance dies. Milady is executed. D'Artagnan is promoted to lieutenant in the Musketeers.

Vanity Fair

Novel, 1848 Thackeray Amelia Sedley, of good family, and Rebecca Sharp, an orphan, leave Miss Pinkerton's academy on Chiswick Mall to live out their lives in Vanity Fair — the world of social climbing and search for wealth. Amelia does not esteem the values of Vanity Fair; Rebecca cares for nothing else. Rebecca first attempts to enter the sacred domain of Vanity Fair by inducing Joseph Sedley, Amelia's brother, to marry her. George Osborne, however, foils this plan; he intends to marry Amelia and does not want a governess for a sister-in-law. Rebecca takes a position as governess at Queen's Crawley, and marries Rawdon Crawley, second son of Sir Pitt Crawley. Because of his marriage, Rawdon's rich aunt disinherits him. First introduced as a friend of George Osborne, William Dobbin becomes the instrument for getting George to marry Amelia, after George's father has forbidden the marriage on account of the Sedley's loss of fortune. Because of George's marriage, old Osborne disinherits him. Both young couples endeavor to live without sufficient funds. George dies at Waterloo. Amelia would have starved but for William Dobbin's anonymous contribution to her welfare. Joseph goes back to his post in India, claiming such valor at Waterloo that he earns the nickname "Waterloo Sedley." Actually he fled at the sound of the cannon. Both Rebecca and Amelia give birth to sons. Rebecca claims she will make Rawdon's fortune, but actually she hides much of her loot, obtained from admiring gentlemen. When she becomes the favorite of the great Lord Steyne, she accumulates both money and diamonds. In the meantime innocent Rawdon draws closer to Lady Jane, wife of Rawdon's older brother, Pitt, who has inherited from the rich aunt. When Rawdon discovers Rebecca in her treachery, he is convinced that money means more to her than he or the son whom she has always hated. He refuses to see her again and takes a post in Coventry Island, where he dies of yellow fever. Because her parents are starving and she can neither provide for them nor give little Georgy what she thinks he needs, Amelia gives up her son to his grandfather Osborne. William Dobbin comes back from the service, reconciles old Osborne to Amelia, whereat Osborne makes a will leaving Georgy half of his fortune and providing for Amelia. Rebecca, having lost the respectability of a husband, wanders in Europe for a couple of years and finally meets Joseph, Georgy, Amelia, and William on the Continent. Rebecca sets about to finish what she started to do at the first of the book — that is, to ensnare Joseph. She does not marry him, but she takes all his money and he dies in terror of her, the implication being that she has, at least, hastened his death. At the end of the book Rebecca has the money necessary to live in Vanity Fair; she appears to be respectable. William has won Amelia. Rebecca has been the one who jolted Amelia into recognition that George, her first love, wasn't worthy. Little Rawdon, upon the death of his uncle Pitt and his cousin Pitt, becomes the heir of Queen's Crawley. Little George, through the kindness of Dobbin, has lost his distorted values obtained in Vanity Fair. The reader feels that these young persons of the third generation will be better people than their predecessors in Vanity Fair.

David Copperfield

Novel, 1850 Dickens David Copperfield's life starts where all of our lives start: birth. He's born on a Friday, at 12:00 am, in Blunderstone, Suffolk. David comes into the world soon after his mother loses her husband, David's father. As a widow with basically no money, Mrs. Copperfield has some hope that David's great aunt, Miss Betsey Trotwood, will step in and look after David financially. Unfortunately, Miss Betsey (who is about as stubborn and opinionated a character as you'll find anywhere in literature) is so disappointed that David is a boy and not a girl that she refuses to have anything to do with the family. Mrs. Copperfield is left on her own, with no one but her housekeeper, Peggotty, to help her raise David. When David is around six, Mrs. Copperfield begins seeing Mr. Murdstone. Mr. Murdstone is a stern, cruel man who flatters the sweet, young Mrs. Copperfield until she agrees to marry him. Once Mrs. Copperfield finally marries Mr. Murdstone, he and his sister Jane both move into Mrs. Copperfield's house (which used to belong to David's father). Together, the two of them bully Mrs. Copperfield until she becomes too afraid to say anything to protest the Murdstones' verbal and physical abuse of David. One night, Mr. Murdstone whips David with a switch. In a blind panic, David bites Mr. Murdstone's hand. Mr. Murdstone uses this bite as an excuse to send David away to a boarding school called Salem House, run by Mr. Creakle. Before David goes away to school, he is allowed to visit the hometown of his mother's housekeeper, Peggotty. Peggotty is from the coastal village of Yarmouth. Her brother is still a fisherman there. He owns a boat that he has converted to a house on shore. Mr. Peggotty's boat house shelters three needy people: two orphans, Ham and Emily, and Mrs. Gummidge, the widow of his former business partner. Mr. Peggotty is a generous man, and David loves the two weeks he spends at Yarmouth. He also gets a giant crush on little Emily, who is a pretty and kind-hearted child. Once David arrives at his new school, Salem House, he finds that the headmaster, Mr. Creakle, has been warned that David is a bad kid. Mr. Creakle makes it his personal duty in life to beat David (and all of the other boys at Salem House) as often as possible. The only good thing about David's life at school is David's new hero, James Steerforth, a handsome and accomplished boy who manages to charm everyone, including Mr. Creakle. David spends two terms at Salem House learning what he can and trying to avoid being beaten by Mr. Creakle. He makes friends not only with Steerforth, but also with Tommy Traddles, a good-natured boy who likes to draw skeletons whenever he gets upset. But one day, David hears terrible news from home: his mother and his baby brother have both died. David is completely torn apart, and rushes back to Suffolk for the funeral. Mr. Murdstone is experiencing financial troubles and no longer wants to bother with his unloved stepson. Mr. Murdstone decides to send David into London to work at his wine bottling factory (when David is only ten years old!). David goes to work in London without any family to protect him. Fortunately, David winds up making true friends out of his new landlords, the Micawbers. Mr. Micawber and his wife are both on the edge of financial ruin, but they don't let it get their spirits down too much. The Micawbers keep looking for new jobs or ventures for Mr. Micawber, but nothing ever turns up - so they get deeper and deeper into debt. They each tell David all about their marital and money troubles, which makes David think they have forgotten exactly how old he is. He enjoys their company very much. He's really disappointed when Mr. Micawber is finally arrested and sent to debtors' prison (which is a Victorian thing - for more on debtors' prison, check out our detailed summary of Chapter 11). Now that David's best friends in London are in prison (which they're actually kind of enjoying), he decides that the time has come to make a change. David remembers the stories Peggotty used to tell him about his great aunt, Miss Betsey Trotwood, so he resolves to run away to find her and ask for help. David walks all the way from London to Dover (which is about seventy miles away) and turns up one morning at Miss Betsey's doorstep, totally bedraggled, sunburned, exhausted, and broke. Miss Betsey takes David in. Even though Miss Betsey is intimidating and stern, she is also quite charitable: in addition to David, she has also adopted an older man named Mr. Dick. Mr. Dick is a decent guy who happens to be mentally ill; he was quite mistreated by his brother before Miss Betsey took him in. David settles in happily with Miss Betsey and Mr. Dick. Eventually, Mr. Murdstone tracks David down, but Miss Betsey sends him and his awful sister away without too much trouble. Miss Betsey makes David her ward and sends him to a much better school in the nearby town of Canterbury. In Canterbury, David rents a room with Miss Betsey's business manager, Mr. Wickfield. Mr. Wickfield has a lovely daughter named Agnes, who is about David's age. Agnes keeps house for Mr. Wickfield and David. Mr. Wickfield also has an extremely creepy clerk, Uriah Heep, who comes to work for him during the day and then goes home at night to his mother. Uriah Heep keeps telling everyone that he's very humble, but David suspects that he's an evil hypocrite. Eventually, David finishes his studies with Doctor Strong and has to figure out what to do next. Before deciding on a career, he goes to visit his old nurse, Peggotty, in Yarmouth. On his way to Yarmouth, David stops at an inn in London, where he happens to run into his Salem House school friend, Steerforth. Steerforth is studying at Oxford and is currently on vacation. David and Steerforth decide to visit Yarmouth together. Steerforth seems charmed by the picturesque boat house and its rustic inhabitants (even though, in private, he gets a bit condescending about the Peggotty family's poverty). During their stay, David is glad to see Ham Peggotty and Emily announce their engagement; Mr. Peggotty could not be more proud of these two orphans he has brought into his home. Steerforth is so delighted by Yarmouth and its inhabitants that he decides to buy a boat and hang out there from time to time. David returns to his aunt's house in Dover. He and Miss Betsey decide that David should become an apprentice in a proctor's office. (A proctor is a specific kind of lawyer in the British legal system, who deals with stuff like contracts, wills, and marriage licenses.) So, David moves to London, finds an apartment, and starts working at the law office of Spenlow and Jorkins. David continues his friendship with Steerforth and also meets up with another familiar face from Salem House, Tommy Traddles, who is a lawyer struggling to make ends meet. Oddly enough, Tommy Traddles happens to be renting his rooms from another familiar face: Mr. Micawber! The Micawbers are just the same, always going from the heights of happiness to the depths of despair, always worrying about money, always running up debts, and always living well in spite of their troubles. David has now hit the ripe age of 17 and has fallen in love. The lady's name is Dora Spenlow, and she is the daughter of his boss. Dora is a childlike, naive girl who loves to be flattered by David, but cannot bear to think of serious matters like housekeeping or household accounts. David is so charmed by her innocence that he doesn't mind that Dora hasn't got a practical bone in her body. Ham Peggotty and Emily have been engaged for some time now. Ham Peggotty clearly dotes over Emily. But Emily was very impressed with Steerforth when he came to visit Yarmouth with David. It turns out that, while David has been in London, Steerforth and his servant, Littimer, have been hanging around Yarmouth trying to convince Emily to run away with them. Finally, Emily agrees. She deserts her fiancé and run away - unmarried, which is a hugely big deal in 1850 England - with Steerforth. Ham Peggotty is heartbroken. Mr. Peggotty hears that Emily has disappeared and resolves to roam the earth for as long as it takes to find his beloved little girl. David goes back to the Steerforth house to tell Mrs. Steerforth what her son has done, and that Steerforth has ruined the reputation of a good woman. Mrs. Steerforth is furious at Emily for seducing her son, and David leaves her house unsatisfied and angry. Speaking of ruined lives, there are two major earthquakes in David's London life at this point. They both revolve around Mr. Wickfield, Miss Betsey's business manager and David's old landlord from his school days in Canterbury. First, David happens to bump in to Uriah Heep, Mr. Wickfield's clerk, when he, Mr. Wickfield, and Agnes are all visiting London. David discovers that Uriah has come up in the world: he has become Mr. Wickfield's partner in the business. But this partnership is not a just reward for hard work, oh no. Uriah Heep has gotten it thanks to extortion and blackmail. Second, one day, David comes home from work to find Miss Betsey, Mr. Dick, and Peggotty sitting in his apartment, surrounded by boxes. Yes, Miss Betsey has been ruined thanks to unfortunate stock market investments. And even though Miss Betsey says that these investments were all her fault, she is actually covering the misdeeds of Mr. Wickfield, whom she pities because she knows that Uriah Heep is encouraging Mr. Wickfield's drinking problem and ruining his life. So, the long and short of it is that Miss Betsey is totally out of luck, and she's come to ask David to rise to the occasion and support her. David willingly throws himself into further work: at the advice of Tommy Traddles, he learns shorthand and gets a job reporting government debates for the newspapers. He does this in his spare time as he continues his contracts work. David also gets another job working for his former headmaster, Doctor Strong, who has retired from teaching and now lives in Highgate, London. Doctor Strong hires David as a secretary. Throughout all of these troubles, David continues to pursue Dora Spenlow, who really seems to love him. Sadly, her father does not approve, and firmly refuses to allow Dora to marry David. Luckily (depending on whose perspective we're talking about here), Mr. Spenlow dies suddenly, leaving Dora an orphan in the care of her two aunts. Once Mr. Spenlow dies, everyone realizes that he had much less money than everyone thought; Dora is left pretty much without a dime. Her two aunts meet with Miss Betsey, decide that David is an honest man, and eventually agree to allow their niece to marry David. Miss Betsey sends David to check on her property in Dover; David uses this visit as an opportunity to check in with the Wickfields. Now that Uriah Heep has become Mr. Wickfield's full partner, he has hired a new clerk of his own - Mr. Micawber! Mr. Micawber refuses to say anything bad about his new employer, Uriah Heep. David also visits with Agnes, who comforts him about his new poverty. To cap off this horrible visit, after dinner, Mr. Wickfield has a mild breakdown about having ruined his daughter's life with his own weakness: Mr. Wickfield knows that Uriah Heep wants to marry Agnes, and that Agnes is worth a thousand Uriah Heeps. At this point, David is 21. He and Dora get hitched and set up house together. Miss Betsey and Mr. Dick find their own place to live in Highgate, London, near Doctor Strong. David continues to work incredibly hard to support his new wife. Things at the law office have really slowed down after Mr. Spenlow's death, so David has started to write fiction pieces for magazines. David is finding some success, but even though the new couple has some money coming in, Dora is such a hopeless housekeeper that their servants often cheat them. Dora begs David to remember that she is his "child-wife" (44.101). Even though she is sort of trying to be adult about their lives together, she isn't good at acting like a grown-up. David slowly comes to realize that he and Dora have different outlooks on life, but he continues to love her devotedly. She gets pregnant and miscarries. This miscarriage leaves Dora unable to walk, so David carries her up and down the stairs everyday so that she can sit in the parlor. David worries about how light Dora is getting in his arms. Miss Betsey loves Dora, and comes to stay in David's house to nurse her. Meanwhile, Mr. Peggotty has been searching for signs of his lost Emily all of this time. David has kept in touch with Mr. Peggotty whenever Mr. Peggotty has come back to London in his travels throughout Europe. Finally, one evening, an acquaintance of Emily and David's, Martha Endell, seeks David out and leads him to a poor attic room where Emily is staying in London. David overhears a friend of Steerforth's, Miss Rosa Dartle, cursing and mocking Emily for staying alive after ruining the Steerforth household. Mr. Peggotty comes up the stairs just as Miss Dartle leaves, embraces Emily, and carries her downstairs. Later on, Mr. Peggotty comes to David's house to thank him for his help. Mr. Peggotty explains that Emily had been held prisoner in Italy by Steerforth's rascally servant, Littimer. Eventually, she managed to escape, but she fell ill and had to rely on the charity of the local people to nurse her back to health. Eventually, she made her way back to London. Now that Mr. Peggotty has found Emily, he plans to take her to Australia, where she can start again. At Mr. Micawber's sudden request, David, Traddles, and Miss Betsey all meet Mr. Micawber in Canterbury. He asks them to join him at the Wickfields' house. Once there, Mr. Micawber calls out Uriah Heep and accuses him of blackmail, exploitation, and falsification of documents, with Mr. Wickfield as the main victim. Mr. Micawber has been lucky enough to collect proof of wrongdoing, so Uriah Heep knows the jig is up. Mr. Micawber is so happy to be free of Uriah Heep that he runs straight home and hugs his wife. Sure, he's back in debt and he's gotten involved in some shady dealings, but Mr. Micawber has done the right thing in the end. He, Mrs. Micawber, and their many children agree to immigrate to Australia with Mr. Peggotty and Emily. Still struggling with her health after miscarrying, Dora gets sicker and sicker. David starts to realize that she may die. Agnes comes to nurse Dora. Dora loves Agnes and, just before she finally passes away, Dora sends David out of the room so that she can say something in secret to Agnes. Then, Dora dies. David starts making plans to go to Europe to get away from it all. As David is making these plans, he stays in touch with Mr. Peggotty. Mr. Peggotty brings David a letter. The letter is from Emily to Ham, which David should only give to Ham if he thinks Ham can take it. In the letter, Emily thanks Ham for being so kind to her and hopes they shall meet again in a world where she can be forgiven. David promises Mr. Peggotty that he will bring the letter to Yarmouth. David is worried that Ham will do something reckless if he doesn't have some kind of closure to his relationship with Emily. So, even though Dora has just passed away recently, David decides to go to Yarmouth. At Yarmouth, an immensely strong wind blows up. News comes of a wrecked boat off the shore. Ham Peggotty goes out to attempt to salvage the boat, but the tide is so strong that he drowns. And who should be on the boat but James Steerforth, who also drowns. David decides not to bring the news of Ham's death to Mr. Peggotty and Emily; he doesn't want to break their hearts. David does go to Mrs. Steerforth's house to tell her of James Steerforth's death and to bring her the body of her son. Mrs. Steerforth cannot seem to understand what David is telling her; she faints. David leaves her in the care of her doctors and her resentful caretaker, Miss Rosa Dartle. David goes to the London dock to watch the ship bound for Australia carry away the Micawbers, Mr. Peggotty, and Emily. He also sees that Mr. Peggotty has generously allowed Mrs. Gummidge and Martha Endell to accompany him to the new world. David waves goodbye. David heads to Europe for three years to get away from familiar sights. While he is abroad, he realizes what everyone else has known for, like, years: he should never have married Dora, sweet and beautiful though she was. He should have married Agnes, who is he actually respects and likes to talk to. But David thinks it's too late, and that he can't expect Agnes to marry him after keeping her on the hook all of this time. David returns to England. After about two months back in England, David has taken to visiting Agnes in Canterbury at least once a week. Finally, David asks Agnes point blank if she has feelings for anyone. David realizes that Agnes has feelings for him. David declares his love to Agnes, and the two get engaged. Agnes tells David Dora's last words: Dora made Agnes promise not to let anyone marry David unless it was Agnes herself. Miss Betsey is so excited at the news that she goes into hysterics. David and Agnes marry and have many children. Mr. Peggotty, Emily, and the Micawbers all flourish in Australia. Traddles settles down with his beautiful Sophy. Mrs. Steerforth has fallen into senility, but she continues to be cared for by Miss Rosa Dartle - who also never loses an opportunity to scold Mrs. Steerforth for allowing James to grow up into such an arrogant jerk. Miss Betsey and Peggotty are still going strong. Peggotty and Mr. Dick frequently play with David's children. Still, looking back on his life, the one face that shines out the brightest to David is that of his beloved wife, Agnes, who continues to make David a better man.

A Tale of Two Cities

Novel, 1859 Dickens 1775. Trouble is a-brewin' in the French countryside. Apparently, the folks out there don't like to be starved and taxed to death. Who would've guessed it, eh? As our novel starts, a very businessman-like British gentleman makes his way into the heart of Paris. He's on a very unsettling mission. In fact, it's almost enough to make a businessman cry. You see, eighteen years ago, a French doctor was imprisoned without any warning (or any trial). He's been locked up in the worst prison of all prisons, the Bastille. After almost two decades, he was released - again without any explanation - and he's currently staying with an old servant of his, Ernst Defarge. Today, Mr. Lorry (that's our British businessman) is on a mission to the French doctor back to England, where he can live in peace with his daughter. Dr. Manette may be free, but he's still a broken man. He spends most of his time cobbling together shoes and pacing up and down in his dark room. Too accustomed to the space of a prison to understand that he can actually leave his room, Dr. Manette seems doomed to live a pitiful life. Fortunately for Dr. Manette (and for Mr. Lorry, now that we think about it), he happens to have the World's Perfect Daughter. Lucie, the child he left eighteen years ago, is now a grown-up, smiling, blond, perfect ray of sunshine. Everything she touches seems to turn to gold. Vomit if you'd like, but Lucie is indeed perfect. And she'll need every ounce of that perfection to restore her father back to health. Of course, she does manage to bring Dr. Manette back into the everyday world. We never doubted her for a second. Within the space of five years (that's 1780, for those of you who are counting), Dr. Manette is a new man. He's a practicing doctor again; he and Lucie live in a small house in Soho. They don't have much money (Dr. Manette's cash was all seized in France), but Lucie manages to shine her rays of wonderfulness over their lives. In other words, they're pretty happy. And they've adopted Mr. Lorry as a sort of drop-in uncle. As we pick up the story in 1780, Dr. Manette and Lucie have been called as witnesses in a treason case. Apparently, a young man named Charles Darnay is accused of providing classified information to the French government. English trials at the time resemble smoke-and-mirror tricks: Dickens takes great delight in mocking the "esteemed" members of the court. Thanks to Lucie's compassionate testimony and some quick work by a man who looks strangely like Charles Darnay, however, our man Charles is off the hook. A free man, Charles Darnay immediately realizes just how perfect our perfect Lucie actually is. He sets up shop in the Manette house, coming to visit almost every day. The Charles look-alike, a disreputable (but, let's face it, really likable) guy called Sydney Carton, also takes a liking to Lucie. If Charles is shiny and good and perfect, Sydney is... not any of those things. He also likes to beat himself up a lot. (In fact, we're thinking that he could really use one of those twelve-step esteem boosting programs.) Sydney loves Lucie with all his heart, but he's convinced that he could never deserve her. What does he do? Well, he tells her precisely why she could never love him. Surprise, surprise: she agrees. She'd like to help him be a better person, but he would rather wallow in his misery. After all, wallowing sounds like so much fun, doesn't it? Wallow, wallow, wallow. That's Sydney in a nutshell. Charles, meanwhile, fares a little bit better. He marries Lucie. On the day of his wedding, he tells Dr. Manette a secret: he's actually a French nobleman in disguise. A very particular French nobleman, as a matter of fact: the Marquis Evrémonde. Because everything in a Dickens novel has to fit into a neat pattern, it's no real surprise that the Evrémondes were the evil brothers who locked Dr. Manette up in the first place. The good doctor is a bit shocked, of course, but he eventually realizes that Charles is nothing like his father or his uncle (the evil Evrémondes brothers). Dr. Manette is willing to love Charles for the man he is, not the family he left behind. Things are going swimmingly in England. Charles moves in with the Manettes, he makes a decent wage as a tutor, and Dr. Manette seems to be as happy as ever. But wait, wasn't this a tale of two cities? What happened to the other city? OK, you got us. While everything's coming up roses in London, everything's coming up dead in Paris. We only wish we were kidding. People are starving, the noblemen run over little children with their carriages, and everyone is pretty unhappy. In fact, they're so unhappy that they're beginning to band together as "citizens" of a new republic. Right now, Ernst Defarge and his wife are at the center of a revolutionary group. We can tell that they're revolutionary because they're super-secret. And they also call each other "Jacques." That's "Jack" in French. In the village of the Evrémondes, the Marquis has been stabbed in the night. Gasp! The government hangs the killer, but tensions don't ever really settle down. Finally, the steward of the Evrémonde estate sends a desperate letter to the new Marquis: because folks hated the old Marquis so much, they're now throwing the steward into prison. A bunch of fluke accidents conspire to make sure that Charles gets the letter. He's the Marquis, remember? Even though he's thrown off his old title and his old lands entirely, he can't help but feel responsible for the fate of this steward. Without telling his wife or his father-in-law anything about what's been going on, he secretly sets off for France. Unfortunately for Charles, he picked a bad time for a summer vacation. By the time he arrives on the shores of France, the revolutionaries have overturned the country. The King is about to be beheaded. The Queen soon follows suit. Murder and vengeance and mob mentality are all boiling over. Immediately detained, Charles soon realizes that he's made a big, big mistake. By the time he reaches Paris, he's become a prisoner. New laws dictate that he's going to be executed by La Guillotine. Fortunately, Dr. Manette hears about his fate. With Lucie in tow, he rushes to Paris. It turns out that he's something of a celebrity there: anybody who was falsely arrested under the aristocratic rule of old is now revered as one of the heroes of the new Republic. The doctor shows up at Charles's trial and wows the judges with his heroic plea to save his son-in-law. Everything seems happy again. Sure, it's the middle of the French Revolution, but the Manettes and Charles are in the clear. Or at least, that's how it seems for a few hours. All too quickly, however, Charles is arrested again. This time, the Defarges have accused him of being a member of the nobility and a stain on the country's name. Frantic, Doctor Manette tries to intervene. The court case for Charles's second trial goes very differently from the first one, though. Ernst Defarge produces a letter, written by Dr. Manette himself, which condemns Charles to death. Wait a second! Dr. Manette? Impossible! Well, not exactly. Long ago, Dr. Manette scribbled down the history of his own imprisonment and secreted it in a wall of the Bastille. The history tells a sordid tale of rape and murder - crimes committed by Charles's father and brother. Incensed, the jury of French revolutionary "citizens" decides that Charles should pay for the crimes of his father. Before he can be executed, however, Sydney Carton comes to the rescue. A few good tricks and a couple of disguises later, Charles is a free man. He and his family head back to England in (relative) safety. Sydney, however, doesn't fare so well. He takes Charles's place in prison and dies on the guillotine. Crazy, huh? The novel, however, thinks that his sacrifice is pretty heroic. And we've got to say, we agree.

Aeneid

Poem, 19 BC Virgil After the destruction of Troy, the Trojan prince Aeneas leads a small band of survivors in search of a new home in Italy. Unfortunately, as they sail on their way, they get spotted by the goddess Juno. Juno hates the Trojans because of an old grudge, and because they are destined to become the Romans, who will destroy Carthage, her favorite city. Conspiring with the god of the winds, Juno whips up a storm, forcing the Trojans to take refuge in - you guessed it - Carthage. Luckily, Aeneas has connections. In fact, his mom, Venus, is the goddess of connections. She introduces him to Dido, the beautiful queen of Carthage, who is recently widowed. Venus gets Amor, the personification of love, to make Dido fall madly in love with Aeneas. That night, at a banquet in his honor, Aeneas tells Dido the story of how Troy was captured, and how he escaped, carrying his father, Anchises, on his back, and leading his son, Ascanius, by the hand. (His wife, Creusa, died in the chaos - making Aeneas single, too.) Next, Aeneas recounts he and his fellow refugees' wanderings over the sea, including their close encounters with various weird mythological creatures. Aeneas's story ends with the death of his father, Anchises. Aeneas and the Trojans end up wintering in Carthage, and he and Dido become an item. Then Jupiter gets worried that Aeneas is abandoning his destiny of founding a new city. He sends the god Mercury down to tell him to get moving. Aeneas does as he's told, and Dido kills herself. A storm forces the Trojans to land in Sicily - at the exact place where they buried Anchises a year before. While the Trojans hold athletic contests in the old man's honor, Juno convinces the Trojan women to set fire to the ships. Realizing that not everyone is as jazzed about going to Italy as he is, Aeneas leaves some people in Sicily and sails on to Italy with his A-team. Their first stop is Cumae, in the Bay of Naples, where they visit the Sibyl, a prophetess. She leads Aeneas down to the underworld, where he sees a lot of spooky stuff, talks with his father Anchises, and sees the spirits of future Roman heroes, waiting to be born. He also encounters Dido. He tries to talk to her but she rejects him. Fired up by what he has seen in the underworld, Aeneas sails to Latium. As it happens, Latinus, the local king, has received an oracle saying his only child, Lavinia, must marry a foreign husband; he offers her to Aeneas in marriage. The problem is that Amata, Latinus's wife, wants their daughter to marry the local prince Turnus. Seeing her opportunity, Juno sends a Fury down to make both Amata and Turnus crazed with rage. Then she tricks Ascanius to shoot a stag kept as a pet by Latinus's gamekeeper. This provokes a war between the Italians and the Trojans. While the Italians are gathering allies, the god of the River Tiber appears to Aeneas in a dream and tells him to make an alliance with the Arcadian King Evander who lives upriver. Aeneas does as he's told and Evander lends him some troops, including his own son, Pallas. He also tells Aeneas to join forces with the Etruscans. After Aeneas sets out to speak to them, Venus comes down and gives him some armor made by the god Vulcan. It is decorated with scenes from the glorious future of Rome. Meanwhile, in Aeneas's absence, Turnus and his men attack the Trojan fort, but are unable to capture it. That night, two Trojan warriors, Nisus and Euryalus, try to break through the Italian lines to reach Aeneas, but end up being killed by an Italian patrol. Two days later, Aeneas arrives with his Arcadian and Etruscan allies. In the battle that day, Turnus kills Pallas. The next day, Aeneas and the Italians agree on a twelve-day truce to bury their dead, but it is broken three days later. The ensuing battle leads to the death of Camilla, a warrior queen allied with Turnus. That evening, Turnus decides to fight Aeneas one-on-one for Lavinia and the kingdom. Unfortunately, the next day, when they are about to fight their duel, the nymph Juturna (Turnus's sister) provokes one of the Italians to throw a spear at the Trojans, starting a new battle. After much fighting, Aeneas finally comes head-to-head with Turnus and wounds him with his spear. As Turnus begs for mercy, Aeneas considers sparing him - until he sees that Turnus is wearing a belt he stole from Pallas. Enraged, Aeneas kills Turnus with his sword.

The Waste Land

Poem, 1922 Eliot It's not the cheeriest of starts, and it gets even drearier from there. The poem's speaker talks about how spring is an awful time of year, stirring up memories of bygone days and unfulfilled desires. Then the poem shifts into specific childhood memories of a woman named Marie. This is followed by a description of tangled, dead trees and land that isn't great for growing stuff. Suddenly, you're in a room with a "clairvoyant" or spiritual medium named Madame Sosostris, who reads you your fortune. And if that weren't enough, you then watch a crowd of people "flow[ing] over London Bridge" like zombies (62). Moving right along... A Game of Chess You are transported to the glittery room of a lavish woman, and you notice that hanging from the wall is an image of "the change of Philomel," a woman from Greek myth who was raped by King Tereus and then changed into a nightingale. Some anxious person says that their nerves are bad, and asks you to stay the night. This is followed by a couple of fragments vaguely asking you what you know and remember. The section finishes with a scene of two women chatting and trying to sneak in a few more drinks before closing time at the bar. The Fire Sermon Section three opens with a speaker who's hanging out beside London's River Thames and feeling bad about the fact that there's no magic left in the world. The focus swoops back to the story of Philomel for a second, then another speaker talks about how he might have been asked for weekend of sex by a "Smyrna merchant" (209). Next, you're hearing from Tiresias, a blind prophet from myth who was turned into a woman for seven years by the goddess Hera. You hear about a scene where a modern young man and woman—both not much to look at—are having this really awful, loveless sex. Finally, you overhear someone singing a popular song, which in the context of this poem just sounds depressing. Death By Water In a brief scene, you watch as a dead sailor named Phlebas decays at the bottom of the ocean, and the poem tells you to think of this young man whenever you start feeling too proud. Good tip, T.S. What the Thunder Said Section five takes you to a stony landscape with no water. There are two people walking, and one notices in his peripheral vision that a third person is with them. When he looks over, though, this other person disappears (it's like one of those squiggly lines that dance in the corner of your eye). In a dramatic moment, thunder cracks over the scene, and its noise seems to say three words in Sanskrit: Datta, Dayadhvam, and Damyata, which command you to "Give," "Sympathize," and "Control." This is followed by a repetition of the word Shantih, which means "the peace that passeth all understanding." After all that slogging, T.S. maybe gives us a little hope with this final word. Then again, maybe not.

Odyssey

Poem, 8th Century Homer Already know.

Julius Caesar

Drama, 1599 Shakespeare Julius Caesar, Brutus, Anthony, Cassius Caesar is a national hero, and there are rumblings in the Senate that he seems to be on the path to becoming a king. Cassius is gathering forces to rebel against Caesar, which amounts to treason. Brutus must be convinced to join the plot. They kill Caesar by stabbing him in the back. The conspirators agree that nobody touches Antony, which unsettles Cassius. When Antony comes to see Caesar's body, he convinces a trusting Brutus to let him speak at Caesar's funeral. Antony gives a rousing speech; public opinion turns against Brutus and Cassius. Brutus and Cassius have fled; Antony is joined by Octavius and Lepidus; Brutus and Cassius are fighting. Caesar's ghost shows up; Brutus and Cassius make a suicide pact. Cassius and Brutus kill themselves; Antony and Octavius (with Lepidus) are free to rule Rome.

As You Like It

Drama, 1599 Shakespeare Sir Rowland de Boys has recently died, leaving behind sons Oliver and Orlando. Since Oliver's the eldest son, he's inherited just about everything. This includes the responsibility of making sure his little bro finishes school and continues to live the kind of lifestyle he's become accustomed to as the son of a nobleman. (By the way, this lifestyle looks like a sixteenth-century version of MTV's Teen Cribs.) Oliver, however, treats his little bro like a servant - he refuses to pay for Orlando's education and never gives the kid any spending money. Also, he tells the local court wrestler it would be a good idea to snap Orlando's neck, but Orlando doesn't know about this. Naturally, Orlando is ticked off that Oliver treats him so badly and he's ready to "mutiny" against his older bro. Instead, he channels all of his pent up anger into a wrestling match, where he beats the court wrestler to a bloody pulp. Orlando's wrestling skillz catch the eye of a local girl named Rosalind, who has her own family drama to worry about. (Ros is the daughter of Duke Senior, who used to rule over the French court but was overthrown by his snaky, backstabbing brother, Duke Frederick. Because Rosalind's dad is living in exile in the Forest of Arden, Rosalind has been crashing at the palace with her BFF/cousin, Celia. Did we mention that Celia is the daughter of snaky, backstabbing Duke Frederick? And you thought your family had issues...) Rosalind thinks Orlando is the dreamiest boy she's ever laid eyes on and Orlando feels the same way about her. The two fall in love faster than you can make Ramen noodles. Rosalind gives Orlando her necklace, which means the two are officially an item. Things go downhill from there. Orlando finds out that his big brother Oliver is planning to burn his house down (with Orlando in it), so he runs away to the Forest of Arden. Since he's broke he takes his old family servant Adam along for the adventure. This is a good thing because Adam ponies up his entire life savings to help cover the costs of the road trip. Meanwhile, Duke Frederick decides that he doesn't like the fact that Rosalind is more popular than his daughter, Celia. So, Duke Frederick 86'es his niece from his court. Rosalind decides to run away to the Forest of Arden, which, apparently, is the destination of choice for exiles. To avoid being the target of rapists and thieves, Rosalind decides that she'll dress as a boy and call herself "Ganymede." Cousin Celia is so devoted that she decides to run away too and she disguises herself as "Ganymede's" sister, "Aliena." (As in Celia is now alienated from her father.) Just for kicks, the girls decide to invite the court fool, Touchstone, along with them. Cut to the Forest of Arden, where we meet Rosalind's dad, Duke Senior. He's a pretty happy-go-lucky guy for being a banished duke, and he tells us that Arden is a lot like the garden of Eden (except for the fact that Arden is lot colder and windier). Meanwhile, Orlando and his servant Adam are starving because they forgot to watch Man vs. Wild and have no idea how to find food in the forest. Adam passes out and Orlando promises to find him some dinner. Luckily, Orlando stumbles upon Duke Senior and his band of "merry men" sitting down to a mouth-watering banquet. Orlando crashes the party and threatens to kill everyone if they don't give him something to eat, like, right now. The Duke is all "chill out, and bring Adam, too." Orlando and Adam make a ton of new friends at the banquet, including "melancholy" Jaques. On the cross-dressing front, things are good for Rosalind/Ganymede as she settles into the Forest of Arden. She meets a shepherd, Corin, who gives Rosalind a hot real estate tip about a cottage that comes with its own flock of sheep and plenty of land for grazing. Rosalind/Ganymede and Celia/Aliena don't waste any time going country - they buy the cottage and make friends with the locals. Among their new rustic pals are a lovesick shepherd named Silvius and the woman he loves, Phoebe. (By the way, Phoebe hates Silvius.) Yet, love is definitely in the air. Rosalind discovers poems (stuck to trees) that a mysterious lover has penned - about her! The poems are pretty awful and they're full of silly clichés about love, but Rosalind doesn't care when she finds out the poems have been written by none other than dreamy Orlando. Before we know it, Rosalind bumps into Orlando in the forest. Instead of coming clean about her true identity, she stays in her "Ganymede" disguise and becomes pals with Orlando. (That way, she can pump Orlando for information about how he really feels about her.) Orlando confesses to "Ganymede" that he's head over heels for Rosalind. "Ganymede" then generously offers to pretend to be Rosalind, so that Orlando can practice all of his best moves in the romance department. Orlando, who has no idea "Ganymede" is actually the girl he loves, takes the bait and even participates in a pretend wedding. Aww. As it turns out, though, Orlando is under the impression that romance should look something like a sappy, 14th-century Italian Hallmark card, so Rosalind/Ganymede has got her work cut out for her. She rolls up her sleeves and teaches Orlando how to be a good boyfriend/future husband without ever revealing her true identity. Meanwhile, the local shepherdess, Phoebe, has fallen in love with "Ganymede" and wants to marry "him." Also, Touchstone has managed to find a not-so-bright country girl, Audrey, who is willing to get hitched. The action comes to a head when Rosalind/Ganymede bumps into Orlando's mean brother, Oliver, in the forest. We learn that Oliver came to the forest to kill his little bro, but, when Orlando saved his life from a ferocious lion, Oliver repented and decided not to kill his kid brother. This is good news, because Oliver and Celia fall in love, about two minutes after meeting. (What? Things happen fast in Arden.) Seeing Oliver and Celia so happy makes Orlando sad. Even though it's been fun pretend-romancing "Ganymede," Orlando says he can't live another day without the real Rosalind. "Ganymede" takes pity and promises Orlando that he'll get to marry his girl the very next day. Then "Ganymede" promises that all the lovesick characters will be getting hitched tomorrow. The next day, everyone gathers around in the forest. "Ganymede" enters and makes Silvius, Phoebe, and Orlando promise to do whatever he says: Orlando must swear to marry Rosalind if Ganymede can produce her; Phoebe must promise to marry Silvius if she decides she doesn't want to marry Ganymede; Silvius must swear that he will marry Phoebe if Phoebe will have him. When Rosalind whips off her "Ganymede" costume and reveals her true identity (surprise!), her plan falls neatly into place. Before all of the couples get a chance to smash wedding cakes into each others' faces, Orlando's brother, Jaques de Boys (not to be confused with melancholy Jaques) shows up with news that Duke Frederick has decided to give back Duke Senior's dukedom. Apparently, Frederick entered the forest ready to kill his brother, but met a "religious man" along the way and experienced a sudden conversion. (Like we said, things happen fast in Arden.) Duke Senior can't wait to return to court and promises to restore all the exiles to their proper social stations - including his new son-in-law, Orlando, who will inherit his dukedom. For now, though, he says that everyone should party like it's 1599. And they all live happily ever after. (Except for melancholy Jaques, who decides to hang out by himself in a cave.)

Pygmalion

Drama, 1912 Shaw Henry Higgins, Eliza Doolittle, Mr. Alfred Doolittle, Colonel Pickering Eliza Doolittle is a poor girl with a thick accent and no prospects. Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering are gifted linguists. The three have a fateful encounter one night in Covent Garden, during which Higgins reveals his talents as a teacher. The next day, Pickering and Higgins are working in Higgins's laboratory. Their conversation is interrupted by the entrance of Eliza. When the girl demands to be given lessons, Higgins bets Pickering he can pass her off as a duchess given six months. Pickering agrees. Alfred Doolittle, Eliza's father, shows up and blackmails Higgins into giving him some money. Eliza is a quick study, but teaching her proper grammar and manners proves difficult. Freddy Eynsford Hill falls head over heels for her anyway. Higgins's mother warns him that he's only hurting Eliza by training her. After winning the bet, Higgins acts like he was completely bored by the whole process. He and Pickering proceed to talk about Eliza as if she hadn't even taken part in the plan. Eliza gets angry at Higgins and throws a slipper at him. Eliza decides to leave Higgins's home, and the two argue until Higgins loses his cool and nearly hits Eliza. Higgins shows up at his mother's house the next day looking for Eliza. She seems to have left in the middle of the night, and Higgins can't handle his daily affairs without her. He desperately wants to get her back, and even thinks about calling the police in to help search. Eliza has been at Mrs. Higgins's apartment the whole time. She acts calm and collected, and gives Pickering most of the credit for her transformation, thus infuriating Higgins. When Eliza, surprised by the appearance of her father, howls as she used to before she was trained, Higgins declares victory. The two proceed to have a long argument. The argument, which focuses on Eliza's future, ends after Eliza threatens to sell Higgins's trade secrets to support herself. Higgins nearly strangles her, before deciding that Eliza has finally established herself as his equal. He invites her come back and live with him and Pickering again. Eliza declines and says goodbye for the last time. Higgins feels confident she'll come back anyway.

Les Miserables

Novel, 1862 Hugo Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine, Cosette, Marius Pontmercy Was in prison for 19 years, got out, goes to Digne, meets a bishop, steals his silver, caught by police but the bishop gets him free to redeem himself, assumes another name, builds a factory, raising the living conditions of the entire region, and soon is appointed mayor of the town. Novel turns to Fantine, lover leaves her and her child (Cosette), Cosette goes to a caregiver, Fantine dies, Jean promises to take care of Cosette. Marius falls in love with Cosette, they court for a month, joins barricade with Jean, Jean frees Javert from being captured, Marius is wounded, Jean and Javert help him, Javert kills himself, Cosette and Marius marry, Jean dies

War and Peace

Novel, 1865 Tolstoy Pierre Bezukhov, Andrew Bolkonski, Vasili, War and Peace opens in the Russian city of St. Petersburg in 1805, as Napoleon's conquest of western Europe is just beginning to stir fears in Russia. Many of the novel's characters are introduced at a society hostess's party, among them Pierre Bezukhov, the socially awkward but likeable illegitimate son of a rich count, and Andrew Bolkonski, the intelligent and ambitious son of a retired military commander. We also meet the sneaky and shallow Kuragin family, including the wily father Vasili, the fortune-hunter son Anatole, and the ravishing daughter Helene. We are introduced to the Rostovs, a noble Moscow family, including the lively daughter Natasha, the quiet cousin Sonya, and the impetuous son Nicholas, who has just joined the army led by the old General Kutuzov. The Russian troops are mobilized in alliance with the Austrian empire, which is currently resisting Napoleon's onslaught. Both Andrew and Nicholas go to the front. Andrew is wounded at the Battle of Austerlitz, and though he survives, he is long presumed dead. Pierre is made sole heir of his father's fortune and marries Helene Kuragina in a daze. Helene cheats on Pierre, and he challenges her seducer to a duel in which Pierre nearly kills the man. Andrew's wife, Lise, gives birth to a son just as Andrew arrives home to his estate, much to the shock of his family. Lise dies in childbirth, leaving Andrew's devout sister Mary to raise the son. Meanwhile, Pierre, disillusioned by married life, leaves his wife and becomes involved with the spiritual practice of Freemasonry. He attempts to apply the practice's teachings to his estate management, and share these teachings with his skeptical friend Andrew, who is doing work to help reform the Russian government. Meanwhile, the Rostov family's fortunes are failing, thanks in part to Nicholas's gambling debts. The Rostovs consider selling their beloved family estate, Otradnoe. Nicholas is encouraged to marry a rich heiress, despite his earlier promise to marry Sonya. Nicholas's army career continues, and he witnesses the great peace between Napoleon and Tsar Alexander. Natasha grows up, attends her first ball, and falls in love with various men before becoming seriously attached to Andrew. Andrew's father objects to the marriage, and requires Andrew to wait a year before wedding Natasha. Natasha reluctantly submits to this demand, and Andrew goes off to travel. After Andrew departs, his father becomes irritable and cruel toward Mary, who accepts the cruelty with Christian forgiveness. Natasha is attracted to Anatole Kuragin, who confesses his love. She eventually decides that she loves Anatole and plans to elope with him, but the plan fails. Andrew comes home and rejects Natasha for her involvement with Anatole. Pierre consoles Natasha and feels an attraction toward her. Natasha falls ill. In 1812, Napoleon invades Russia, and Tsar Alexander reluctantly declares war. Andrew returns to active military service. Pierre observes Moscow's response to Napoleon's threat and develops a crazy sense that he has a mission to assassinate Napoleon. The French approach the Bolkonski estate, and Mary and the old Prince Bolkonski (Andrew's father) are advised to leave. The prince dies just as the French troops arrive. Mary, finally forced to leave her estate, finds the local peasants hostile. Nicholas happens to ride up and save Mary. Mary and Nicholas feel the stirrings of romance. The Russians and French fight a decisive battle at Borodino, where the smaller Russian army inexplicably defeats the French forces, much to Napoleon's dismay. In St. Petersburg, life in the higher social circles continues almost unaffected by the occupation of Moscow. Helene seeks an annulment of her marriage with Pierre in order to marry a foreign prince. Distressed by this news, Pierre becomes deranged and flees his companions, wandering alone through Moscow. Meanwhile, the Rostovs pack up their belongings, preparing to evacuate, but they abandon their possessions to convey wounded soldiers instead. Natasha's younger brother Petya enters the army. On the way out of the city, the Rostovs take along the wounded Andrew with them. Pierre, still wandering half-crazed in Moscow, sees widespread anarchy, looting, fire, and murder. Still obsessed with his mission of killing Napoleon, he saves a girl from a fire but is apprehended by the French authorities. Pierre witnesses the execution of several of his prison mates, and bonds with a wise peasant named Platon Karataev. Nicholas's aunt tries to arrange a marriage between Nicholas and Mary, but Nicholas resists, remembering his commitment to Sonya. Mary visits the Rostovs to see the wounded Andrew, and Natasha and Mary grow closer. Andrew forgives Natasha, declaring his love for her before he dies. General Kutuzov leads the Russian troops back toward Moscow, which the French have finally abandoned after their defeat at Borodino. The French force the Russian prisoners of war, including Pierre, to march with them. On the way, Platon falls ill and is shot as a straggler. The Russians follow the retreating French, and small partisan fighting ensues. Petya is shot and killed. Pierre, after being liberated from the French, falls ill for three months. Upon recovering, he realizes his love for Natasha, which she reciprocates. Pierre and Natasha are married in 1813 and eventually have four children. Natasha grows into a solid, frumpy Russian matron. Nicholas weds Mary, resolving his family's financial problems. He also rebuilds Mary's family's estate, which had been damaged in the war. Despite some tensions, Nicholas and Mary enjoy a happy family life.

Little Women

Novel, 1868 Alcott Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March are four sisters living with their mother in New England. Their father is away serving as a chaplain in the Civil War, and the sisters struggle to support themselves and keep their household running despite the fact that the family recently lost its fortune. In the process, they become close friends with their wealthy neighbor, Theodore Laurence, known as "Laurie." As the girls grow older, each faces her own personal demons and moral challenges. Jo, our beloved protagonist, must tame her tomboyish ways and learn to be more ladylike while pursuing her ambition to be a great writer. Meg, the oldest, must put aside her love of wealth and finery in order to follow her heart. Beth, the shy one, must conquer her bashfulness, while Amy, the youngest, has to sacrifice her aristocratic pride. The girls are guided in their personal growth by their mother, "Marmee," and by their religious faith. The family's tight bonds are forever changed when Meg falls in love with John Brooke, Laurie's tutor. Meg and John marry and begin a home of their own, quickly populated by twins Daisy and Demi. Another marriage seems imminent when Laurie reveals to Jo that he has fallen in love with her, but she declares that she cannot care for him in the same way. Jo goes to New York as the governess for a family friend, Mrs. Kirke, experiencing the big city and trying her hand as a professional writer. Meanwhile, Amy travels through Europe with her wealthy Aunt Carroll and cousin Flo, nurturing her artistic talent. Separately, Laurie goes to Europe accompanied by his grandfather. He pursues his passion for music and tries to forget Jo. While in New York, Jo meets German expatriate Professor Bhaer, whose intellect and strong moral nature spark her interest. Across the Atlantic, Laurie and Amy discover that they lack the genius to be great artists, but that they make an excellent romantic pairing. When Beth, who has never been strong, dies young, the sorrow of their loss solidifies Amy's bond to Laurie. Back in the States, Jo returns home to care for her bereaved parents and learns to embrace her domestic side. All the loose ends are tied up as Jo and Professor Bhaer marry and start a boarding school for boys, while Amy and Laurie marry and use the Laurence family wealth to support struggling young artists. The Brooke, Bhaer, and Laurence households flourish, and the novel ends with a birthday party for Marmee, celebrating the extended March family connections and the progress of Jo's boarding school, Plumfield.

Anna Karenina

Novel, 1877 Tolstoy Anna's so into family that she intervenes in someone else's marriage. Levin, meanwhile, wants a family and is frustrated that he doesn't have one yet. Anna meets Vronsky and starts feeling unsatisfied with her family life. Levin attempts both farming and marriage proposing, and fails at both. As Anna's dissatisfaction with her own marriage mounts, she turns more and more to Vronsky. Levin continues on his quest to resolve his existential angst through marriage and farming. Anna suffers an irreparable break with Karenin and ties her fate forever to Vronsky. Levin finally gets the girl. Anna commits suicide; Levin has an epiphany.Levin embraces his love for the family he's been looking for.

Billy Budd: Foretopman

Novel, 1891 Melville Billy Budd, Claggart, Captain Vere. Billy in British Navy, French Revolution, get accused of conspiring mutiny, meets Claggart and Vere, kills Claggart, on trial, guilty, hanged.

The Red Badge of Courage

Novel, 1895 Crane Henry Fleming, Jim Conklin, Wilson. Henry goes in to Union Army, runs away in battle, hit in head but pretends he's shot, redeems himself by fighting and taking the Union flag, nearly dies, captured the Confederate flag, doesn't die.

A Farewell to Arms

Novel, 1929 Hemingway A Farewell to Arms is narrated by an American man driving ambulances for the Red Cross in Italy during World War I. the story is a memory of the events being described. In Book One, Mr. Henry meets Catherine Barkley, an English V.A.D nurse in Gorizia, Italy, where the Red Cross hospital he works for is located. They briefly begin a romantic relationship, but when Mr. Henry is wounded during a battle, he's sent to a hospital in Milan. In Book Two, Mr. Henry arrives at the American hospital in Milan, and we soon learn that his first name is Frederic and his last name is Henry. Catherine arrives promptly, and when Frederic sees her, he realizes he loves her. They begin a beautiful love affair over the course of about three months, while Frederic recovers from his injury and drinks lots and lots. When Catherine tells Frederic she's three months pregnant, they plan to vacation for six weeks while he completes his convalescent leave. But when Miss Van Campen, the head of the hospital, gets fed up with his drinking and brash tone, she revokes his leave and Frederic is ordered back to Gorizia. On Frederic's last night in Milan, he and Catherine get a hotel room together, and spend a few hours there, eating, drinking, and talking. Then Frederic catches the midnight train. Catherine and Frederic don't know if they will ever see each other again. In Book Three, Frederic goes back to Gorizia and becomes involved in the Italian retreat from Caporetto. The ambulances Frederic and his crew are driving get stuck in the mud, and they eventually have to abandon them. Two soldiers had been riding with Frederic and his crew, and when they refuse to help free the vehicles from the mud, Frederic shoots at them, killing one. According to information we received in Book Two, this is the first time Frederic has killed a man. When it looks like he must either escape or be killed, Frederic flees from the retreat, and deserts his post in the army. In Book Four, Frederic goes back to Milan to look for Catherine. He learns she is in Stresa (a town in Italy). After borrowing some civilian clothes from a friend, he heads in that direction. Miraculously, he finds Catherine and they are reunited! Catherine and Frederic spend a few days together happily. Then, in the middle of the night, they learn that Frederic will be arrested for desertion in the morning. They make a bold and daring escape, by rowboat, to nearby Switzerland. They manage to convince the Swiss authorities that they are in Switzerland for the "winter sport," and are allowed to live in Switzerland. In Book Five, Frederic and Catherine rent a mountainside cottage and enjoy themselves until a month before the baby is due. Then they move to a hotel to be closer to the hospital. Catherine has an awful labor and undergoes a Cesarean operation. The baby is born dead, or dies shortly after its birth. Catherine dies soon after, of multiple hemorrhages. Frederic walks back to the hotel in the rain.

The Grapes of Wrath

Novel, 1939 Steinbeck Tom Joad makes his way home to Sallisaw, Oklahoma by hitchhiking his way there. He has just spent four years in the McAlester State Penitentiary after killing a man with a shovel. He is on parole because he's been a good while in prison. As he approaches his homeland, he comes across Reverend Jim Casy, his childhood preacher. Casy is not a preacher anymore and tells Tom about all of the lecherous things he did when he was a reverend. The two men make their way to the old Joad farm, only to discover that it's completely abandoned. We're talking not a doily in sight. Muley Graves, an old family friend, stops by. He's a little creepy and looks like a man who has lived all by himself on a desert island for ten years. Muley shares his rabbit, and the three dine famously. Muley gives Tom and Casy the lowdown. The tenant farmers (people who cultivate someone else's land, giving the landowner a share of the crops) have been forced off of the land by the landowners (i.e., the banks). The drought has made the land dry up, and the dust storm has made farming nearly impossible. There's no money to be had in the farming business. The economy is a mess (thanks to the stock market crash of 1929), and the landowners have realized that one tractor can do the work of an entire family and requires less money to operate and maintain. So the landowners have forced tenant farmers off of the land and out of their homes. Families have gathered all of their belongings, have vacated their homes (homes that have been in their families for generations), and have begun to move west to California. It is rumored that there is lots of space and plenty of jobs out west. Muley tells Tom that the Joad family is currently staying at Uncle John Joad's house and that they are planning to move west pretty soon, too. Muley's own family left town a long while ago, but he didn't follow them. He couldn't bear the idea of letting the landowners win. So, he lives the life of a vagrant, sleeping in abandoned homes and in riverbeds, making it his life's work to annoy the landowners and their minions. Tom, Casy, and Muley dive into the cornfields when they see a car approach their campfire. The landowner-minions have arrived to see who is trespassing. They search the house and flood the corn rows with light, but to no avail. The next morning, Tom and Casy walk to Uncle John Joad's house. Lots of hootin' and hollerin' occur when the Joad's realize that their boy has come home at last. Tom is reunited with his mother (Ma Joad), his father (Pa Joad), his grandfather (Grampa), his grandmother (Granma), his brother Noah, his brother Al, his sister Rose of Sharon, his sister's husband Connie, his little brother Winfield, and his little sister Ruthie. Ma Joad is especially moved. She cooks up a delicious breakfast for everyone. The Joads get ready for their trip. They pack up their car, a Jalopy, with their most essential possessions, and they sell the rest for $18 in town. When everything is packed a ready to go, Grampa realizes he wants to stay behind. He tells everyone he won't leave his home, and so they put four doses of sleepytime cough medicine in his coffee, and then they carry him to the car. It's not pleasant going. The only people protected from the sun are the three people in the driver and shotgun seats. Everyone else has to ride on top of the car, fully exposed to the sun. On the first day, one of their dogs gets run over by a car. It's pretty sad. The Joads meet a couple who've set up camp on the side of the road, Ivy and Sairy Wilson. The Wilsons let Grampa take a nap in their tent, because he's acting strangely. Grampa dies soon after of a stroke, and the men bury him in a really deep grave. Touched by each other's kindness, the Wilsons and Joads join forces, and the two families decide to caravan their way to California. On the third day, the Wilsons' car breaks down. Tom and Al are master mechanics and realize that they need a new part in order to fix the car. Tom suggests that the families go on ahead without him and the preacher, and that they will stay behind and get the car fixed. Ma Joad refuses to leave anyone behind. And so the Joads go find a campsite down the road where they can chill (because Granma is not well) while Tom, Al, and the preacher stay and fix the broken car. It doesn't take long for Tom and Al to fix the car, and they catch up with their family at a campsite whose owner charges people 50 cents a day to camp there. That's a lot of money when you only have $40 bucks to get you to California. A bunch of men are hanging out on the steps of the campsite owner's house. One man tells everyone that he's on his way back from California. He says that it's miserable out west, and that there aren't any jobs. Tom and Pa Joad are freaked out, but they decide not to worry about it too much. The Joads keep on truckin', going over the New Mexico mountains and through Arizona on Route 66. They see lots and lots of cars going west, but very few cars coming east. When they cross the California border, they stop at a campsite in Needles, CA by the Colorado River. Because they have to get across the sweltering hot desert (that would be the Mojave Desert), the Joads and Wilsons decide to sleep during the day and then drive at night. The men go swimming in the cool river, and encounter a father and son who are on their way back from California. The father and son tell the Joads that life is bitter in California - there are no jobs to be had, and the Californians hate the migrant workers. Tom settles down for a nap, and his brother, Noah, tells him that he's not going with the family any further, that he's going to live by the Colorado River. Noah disappears. Ma Joad looks after Granma. Granma is really sick, and a strange woman (a Jehovite) barges into the Joad tent and tells Ma Joad that Granma's going to die and she would like to assemble a prayer circle around her. Ma Joad says get the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of our tent, and she sends the woman packing. A policeman stops by the tent to tell Ma that they have to leave, or else. Ma chases him out of the tent, too, with a skillet. Sairy Wilson is nearing death herself, and Ivy Wilson tells the Joads to push on without them. The Joads leave at 4pm, making their way across the Mojave Desert. Later that night they arrive at a border patrol station, and the guard wants to inspect their truck to make sure they aren't smuggling fruit. Ma pleads with the border patrol to let them go quickly. She says that Granma is really sick. Unbeknownst to the rest of the family, Granma died a few miles back. Ma Joad doesn't want the family to get in trouble for have an dead old lady in their truck. The Joads push through to Bakersfield, CA. They are awestruck by the beauty of the Californian valley country. After depositing Granma's body at the Bakersfield coroner's office, the Joads find a campsite just out of town. The campsite is called a Hooverville. It's a shady place with lots of half-starved families living in tattered tents and makeshift shacks. Tom and Al make friends with one of the men there who is getting ready to go north to look for jobs. The man, Floyd Knowles, warns them that there are no jobs to be had here and the entire farming system is corrupt. Landowners are paying workers practically nothing, and the law is on their side, too. A man posing as a contractor arrives at the Hooverville in a shiny car, and he tells the men he has work for them. Floyd demands to see his contracting license and to know how much the man intends to pay the workers. The contractor sets a policeman on Floyd, and Floyd runs away. Tom trips the policeman, the policeman tries to shoot Floyd (but shoots a woman's knuckles off instead), and then Casy kicks the policeman unconscious. More police arrive, and Casy turns himself in, saying goodbye to the Joads. Around the same time, everyone realizes that Connie Rivers (Rose of Sharon's husband) has run away for good - the pregnant Rose of Sharon is a mess, and Uncle John gets drunk. Tom drives the family south to Weedpatch, a government camp with hot running water, showers, and real toilets. The family is overjoyed to be around decent people, and they stay there for a month. The Joad men can't find steady work, however, and so Tom drives the family to a peach camp where pickers are needed. Here, the landowners are paying pickers five cents for every bushel of peaches picked. The Joads pick tirelessly and eat a delicious meal that night of hamburgers. There are picketers outside of the peach camp, and Tom sneaks out that night to find out why they are picketing. Tom encounters Reverend Casy in tent not far down the road. The two exchange stories, and Casy tells Tom he and his buddies have been picketing low wages, trying to get landowners to treat workers fairly. The men hear footsteps and realize that they are being pursued. Casy and Tom escape along the creek, but they are soon caught by the authorities. Someone drives a pick axe into Casy's head. Tom's nose gets broken and his cheek is torn. He takes the pick axe from Casy's head and drives it into the man who killed Casy. Tom sneaks back to the peach camp and must hide throughout the next day. The Joads sneak Tom out of the peach camp nestled between two mattresses. Tom decides to separate from his family and to live in the bushes while they look for work picking cotton. The Joad family sets up camp near an abandoned boxcar. Not much later, twelve-year-old Ruthie Joad gets into a fight and tells her bully that her brother has killed two men already and could kill the bully's brother, too. Ma finds Tom to tell him that the word is out and that he is in danger. Ma and Tom say goodbye to one another. The winter rains come, and the creek near the abandoned boxcars starts to rise. Rose of Sharon goes into labor. Pa convinces a bunch of men to help him build troughs to keep the creek water from rising too quickly, but they are no match for the flood. Rose of Sharon's baby is still-born. The waters continue to rise until they flood the boxcars. The Joads build a platform to keep themselves dry. Ma, Pa, Rose of Sharon, Ruthie, and Winfield decide to leave the boxcar (where Al will remain with his new fiancée, Aggie, and her parents, the Wainwrights), and they go in search of a dry shelter. They come across an abandoned barn. Inside a little boy is sitting next to his half-starved father who has been feeding his son instead of feeding himself. Rose of Sharon asks everyone to leave the barn, and she lies down next to the half-starved man, letting him drink her breast milk.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Novel, 1940 Hemingway The book begins with Robert Jordan surveying an area of mountain terrain behind fascist lines. He's a young (or youngish) American volunteer fighting for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. (The Republicans are the good guys, fighting for freedom, democracy, and the common people.) A flashback informs us he's been ordered to blow up a nearby bridge in three days' time as part of a surprise attack on fascist forces there. (The fascists are the bad guys, who prefer military dictators and wealthy landowners to the common people.) The Fascists must not be allowed to get reinforcements over the bridge, and so Robert Jordan (with two big packs of explosives) has been tasked with destroying it. But he'll need to recruit some men to help him out, as there are two manned sentry posts on either side of the bridge. His guide in the area is Anselmo, who introduces him to Pablo, a grizzled guerrilla leader who's basically the boss in these parts. Pablo's not that eager to help Robert Jordan in his bridge-blowing extravaganza, and doesn't seem quite trustworthy. But eventually agrees, and leads Robert Jordan back to his cave hideout. There Robert Jordan meets some of Pablo's band, notably Maria; they're instantly interested in each other. He also meets Pilar, Pablo's imposing wife. A confrontation between Robert Jordan and Pablo ensues later that night, when Pablo announces that he won't let Robert Jordan blow up the bridge because he wants to play it safe. Unfortunately for Pablo, however, Pilar has other ideas, and when she declares that she's for the operation, everyone else falls in with her. Pablo's no longer in charge. Later that night, Robert Jordan, who's sleeping outside, is awakened by Maria. They sleep together. Day Two. Robert Jordan wakes to the sound of planes. Lots of fascist planes. It seems the fascists might be ready for the attack. Robert Jordan, Pilar, and Maria leave the camp to visit El Sordo, the leader of another band that's worked with Pablo's. On the way, Pilar tells the long and bloody tale of what happened in her town when the war began (one of the most famous parts of the book). They arrive at El Sordo's camp, and El Sordo agrees that his band will help in the attack, though he's not very happy about it. There's a hitch: to escape after the attack, everyone will need horses, and the two bands don't have enough horses for everyone. So El Sordo promises that he will steal some extra horses that evening. After leaving El Sordo's, Robert and Maria spend the afternoon having "earth-moving" sex and decide they're really in love with each other. It starts to snow as evening approaches. Back home at the cave, Pablo's apparently drunk. Another confrontation between Robert Jordan and Pablo ensues. It looks like there might be a showdown, but Pablo just retorts and leaves. Before too long he comes back and announces that his heart changed with the weather - he wants to help with the bridge now. Later in the night the snow stops, which is bad news: El Sordo's horse-thieves will leave snow tracks back to their hideout. Robert Jordan goes to sleep, and Maria joins. Day Three. Robert Jordan awakens to the sound of a mounted fascist patrol officer approaching. Though he hasn't even had a chance to get dressed, Robert Jordan shoots the intruder. Robert Jordan and several others set up a machine gun nearby and lie in wait for any patrol that might come too near the cave. A patrol does show up, but they have another destination: El Sordo's. El Sordo and his party are all killed. Later that night, after observing a lot of fascist movement in the area, it's clear to Robert Jordan the fascists are prepared for the Republican attack, and he decides to warn the Republican general. He sends Andrés, a younger member of the band, with a dispatch to deliver across Republican lines. Robert Jordan is awakened at two in the morning by Pilar. Turns out Pablo's run off with the detonators for the explosives in a last ditch effort to sabotage the bridge attack. Without detonators, and without El Sordo, the mission now looks doomed. Still, Robert Jordan manages to have sex with Maria on last time. Then (still before sunrise), it's time to go. Surprise, surprise, Pablo returns. He's had a real change of heart this time, and he's brought a band of five men and their horses. Unfortunately, his climactic realization occurred after he'd thrown the detonators in the river, but the dynamite can also be triggered with grenades. The band all ride off to the bridge area, leaving their horses hidden in the woods nearby. They prepare for battle, but it's unclear whether the dispatch will reach the Republicans and the attack will be canceled. It does reach them, but too late: the attack isn't canceled. As Republican bombs begin to fall nearby, everyone moves into action. The sentry posts are taken and the bridge is blown, but several people are lost, and Pablo kills the men he brought to make sure there are enough horses for his own group. The depleted band flees on the horses, but as they escape amidst enemy fire, Robert Jordan's horse is toppled by a tank blast, and his leg is broken. Recognizing he would slow down his friends and compromise their escape, he makes them leave him, including Maria, who must be dragged away. Left alone to face death, in the hopes that he might buy his comrades more time, he lies in wait for the approaching fascists. There the book ends.

Lolita

Novel, 1955 Nabokov Humbert loves young girls, which is fine when he is young, but becomes complicated (and illegal) as he gets older. Flash forward to Humbert as a grownup. He moves into the Haze household and meets Lolita, a reincarnation of Annabel. Humbert gets a letter from Charlotte saying basically love me and marry me or get out. He becomes worried that he will be separated from Lolita. Humbert's takes Lolita to a hotel and has his way with her, though he is eager to let us know that she initiated the sexual encounter. After many years apart from Lolita, Humbert tracks her down and finds out that her abductor is none other than the Enchanted Hunters playwright, Clare Quilty. Humbert murders Clare Quilty

To Kill A Mockingbird

Novel, 1960 Lee Already know.

Heart of Darkness

Novella, 1902 Conrad Heart of Darkness follows one man's nightmarish journey into the interior of Africa—but don't worry. No one's going to get eaten by a lion. It all takes place in the past, because what we have here is a frame story. Aboard a British ship called the Nellie, three men listen to a dude named Marlow recount his journey into Africa as an agent for the Company, a Belgian ivory trading firm. (Mercifully, he doesn't force them to look through 1000 of his trip photos on Facebook.) Along the way, he witnesses brutality and hate between colonizers and the native African people, becomes entangled in a power struggle within the Company, and finally learns the truth about the mysterious Kurtz, a mad agent who has become both a god and a prisoner of the "native Africans." It's more exciting than it sounds, we promise. After "rescuing" Kurtz from the native African people, Marlow watches in horror as Kurtz succumbs to madness, disease, and finally death. In the end, Marlow decides to support Kurtz rather than his company, which is possibly morally dubious and definitely a bad career move. The novel closes with Marlow's guilt-ridden visit to Kurtz's fiancée to return the man's personal letters, and, on that ambiguous note, we end.