You Wobbly Wink-Eyed Little Wop

To My Buddies Of the U. S. Army—some three million in number; Of the 90th Division more specifically, and Particularly to the 315th Engineers, to which Regiment I was “attached for rations,” Being a Liability of Company “E,” This little Volume is Dedicated. - Summary by Author

7 episodes

Los cuatro jinetes del apocalipsis

La obra se centra en los acontecimientos acaecidos durante la primera guerra mundial en la que se ven enfrentadas dos familias procedentes del mismo tronco “Julio Madariaga” argentino. Al fallecer éste, sus hijas, Luisa casada con el francés Marcelo Desnoyers y Elena casada con el alemán Karl von Hartrott (ambos trabajaban para Madariaga en su gran hacienda) regresan a Europa, aquellos a París y éstos a Alemania. El protagonista de la obra es Julio Desnoyers, hijo de Luisa y don Marcelo y nieto de Julio Madariaga. La buena posición económica y social de su padre hace que Julio, pintor y bailarín, se dedique a una vida disipada y algo licenciosa, sin ningún sentimiento patriótico. Pero cuando estalla la guerra, Julio se alista en el ejército, ahí sufrirá una gran transformación personal... (Resumen de Montse González)

22 episodes

Fuente Ovejuna

En esta obra se dramatiza la toma de justicia de un pueblo (Fuenteovejuna) frente a los actos corruptos de su gobernador. Cansados de las humillaciones de dicha autoridad, deciden tomar las armas en sus manos y revelarse, manifestando que sólo obedecen las leyes de los reyes Católicos, quien luego de la afrenta realizada a dicha autoridad realiza una dura investigación, siendo grande su sorpresa cuando luego de tal arduo trabajo, y por decisión unánime del pueblo, no logró encontrar al culpable, o mejor dicho aun encontrándolo no lo pudo castigar. (Resumen por KendalRigans)

3 episodes

The Doom of London

Here are six stories, each one describing a disaster afflicting London, that were popularly serialized during 1903-1904 in Pearson’s Magazine. The tales depict (1) a deep freeze and unprecedented snowfall; (2) a heavy, blinding, paralyzing blanket of fog; (3) a widespread killer virus; (4) a fraudulent scheme causing financial panic; (5) a minor electrical accident in a tunnel that spirals into catastrophe; and (6) most of the city’s water supply, reportedly contaminated with deadly bubonic bacillus, puts the population in great fear of plague. Is the word “doom” in the book's title accurate, or is it just hyperbole? (Lee Smalley)

6 episodes

The Thread of Flame

Edward wakes up on board a ship crossing the Atlantic, on his return from the Great War – however, he finds that his memory of who he is and where he comes from is only fragmentary. The book follows his fascinating journey back to health and his growing realisation about what effect the War and its aftermath has had on him and also on the people he meets - as well as his family. (Summary by Simon Evers)

25 episodes

Stories of the Scottish Border

Nothing seems to be known about Mr and Mrs William Platt, the writers of Stories of the Scottish Border. What they produced is an eccentric guidebook and history, seen partly through the ballads of the region. The book recounts the military stratagems, treachery and courage of those who struggled for control of the Border lands and of the whole country, and tells of the triumphs or tragic fate of those who took part on both sides. It also tells us stories of the Border Reivers, raiders who lived by riding out and stealing their neighbours’ livestock. Their lives were governed for several hundred years by a form of rough justice, and they showed an even rougher wit. While their adventures, though cloaked by the writers in romance and chivalry, were often petty and bloodthirsty, the ballads which distill their experience are, at their best, haunting and intensely moving. The Borders and Northumberland have changed little in aspect over the centuries, and I suggest following the book with a map and images of the places described, to give some idea of the wild remoteness and imaginative power of this Border land. - Summary by Jhiu

52 episodes

The Lion's Skin

Justin Caryll was an unwilling hero: an unwilling plotter of revenge, an unwilling spy and an unwilling pursuer of the woman he loves. Justin must thread a perilous path through various sticky wickets, between the machinations of his foster father, the violence of his brother, the relentless pursuit by the government's agent, his hopeless love for the hapless heroine, and the struggles of his own conscience. Fortunately, Justin is equipped with the skill and speed to lunge and parry, both verbally and with a sword, to make his way through 18th century London with plenty of aplomb, in the midst of Jacobite plots and financial finagling by the ultra rich.

24 episodes

The Dust Flower

Rashleigh Allerton, a wealthy New Yorker, quarrels with his well-to-do fiancée Barbara and impetuously says that he will marry instead the first person he meets. The book follows the result of this absurd promise, with consequences that neither of them (nor Rashleigh’s faithful elderly man-servant Steptoe) expect. - Summary by Simon Evers

26 episodes

Linda Tressel

Linda Tressel lives a lonely life with her domineering aunt, Madame Staubach, in a large house in Nuremberg. Madame Staubach takes in the odious and much older Peter Steinmarc as a lodger and plans that Linda should marry him – entirely against Linda’s will. Meanwhile Linda falls in love with Ludovic Valcalm, a disreputable young man. The book follows Linda’s fortunes. - Summary by Simon Evers

17 episodes

A Knight of the White Cross

Adventure, pirates, a young orphan finds a place with a legendary order of knights. Fighting on sea and land to defend his people from barbaric slavers. Summary by Peter Strahm

24 episodes

The Roots of the Mountains

The Roots of the Mountains was the second in a projected series of three historical novels set in a pre-medieval Germanic world (the third was not completed). It follows the themes of House of the Wolfings, which was published in the same year, into a later generation. A loose alliance of Dalesmen, Woodlanders and Shepherds who have lived in peace around the valley of Burgdale for so long that they barely remember war, find their peace disturbed by the Sons of the Wolf and the invading Dusky Men. Morris’s exploration of the social and economic organization of this fictional pre-medieval world reflects his socialism; the figure of the Dusky Men (unable to breed with the Germanic tribes and slaughtered without compassion) reflects the racial politics of his times. Long neglected, Morris’s two Germanic novels were rediscovered when they were published as the sixteenth and nineteenth volumes in the celebrated Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library. - Summary by Phil Benson

59 episodes

Los Miserables: Tomo III

En este tercer volumen aparece Marius. Mario es criado por su abuelo, éste le hace creer que su padre, un coronel del ejército de Napoleón, murió en la batalla de Waterloo. Al enterarse Mario que su padre aún vive y está en Normandía, se pone en marcha, pero cuando llega su padre acaba de fallecer. Esto sumado a la diferencia de pensamiento entre su abuelo y él los distanciará.Por otro lado Mario, pasados unos años, paseando por un parque, se enamora de la mirada de una joven que siempre va acompañada de un misterioso caballero. ¿Será Jean Valjean? La muchacha es Cosette. (Montse González. )

76 episodes

With Moore at Corunna

Terrence O’Conner, Son of an officer in the “Mayo Fusiliers,” joins as an ensign when the regiment is called out to Portugal to fight the French in the Peninsular War. Terrence quickly distinguishes himself in early battles and is with Sir John Moore when that general invaded Spain. General Moore was forced to retreat to the town of Corunna where the British beat the French and then retreated on their ships without Terrence. Terrence eventually leads a band of Portuguese irregulars and creates the Minho Regiment. He rescues his cousin from a convent and is present at the fall of Oporto. Part 2 of the story is told in the sequel “Under Wellington’s Command.” - Summary by Charles P. Sapp

23 episodes

The Fair Maid of Perth, Or, St. Valentine's Day

Henry Gow has fallen in love with the Fair Maid of Perth, Catherine, the glovemaker's daughter. To make sure that he would be the first person she sees on Valentine's day, he walks to her house at the break of dawn, and arrives - just in time to save her from am attempted kidnapping. Henry acts immediately to save her, but the attackers are not just some ruffians but well-born and well-connected. Henry and Catherine are drawn into the games and intrigues of the nobility, with little choice but to play along.. - Summary by Carolin

43 episodes

The Inheritance

"As the noblest attribute of man, family pride had been cherished time immemorial by the noble race of Rossville. Deep and incurable, therefore, was the wound inflicted on all its members by the marriage of the honorable Thomas St. Clair, the youngest son of the Earl of Rossville, with the humble Miss Sarah Black, a beautiful girl of obscure origin and no fortune." And so the stage is set for our plot, which focuses on the implications and complications of the return from France to Scotland of the Rossville widow and her daughter-heiress Gertrude, who must suffer the onslaught of relations and suitors as well as a mysterious, threatening stranger who plagues her mother. And while we suffer with Gertrude, who also may be in love with the wrong man, we enjoy a myriad of wonderful satiric portraits of the menagerie of minor characters in this lively story. (Summary by Jim Locke)

106 episodes

The Last Rebel

Arthur West has been taken as a prisoner of war by Colonel Hetherhill of the Confederate States of America, and imprisoned at Fort Defiance, where an oddly small number of soldiers are stationed. More odd than the size of the fort's company, however, is the fact that the Civil War ended thirty years prior to West's capture. This is the story of West's attempts to regain his freedom. - Summary by David Gore

9 episodes

Notwithstanding

The book starts with Annette Georges choosing between two fates: suicide and running away with a disreputable stranger. She is rescued by a kind woman who looks after her until she can go to live with her maiden aunts in a village in the English countryside. There she meets and makes friends with various people and, almost coincidentally, the facts of her past come back to play a crucial part in the story. - Summary by Simon Evers

42 episodes

Sons of Fire

"He was a stranger in Matcham, a 'foreigner' as the villagers called such alien visitors. He had never been in the village before, knew nothing of its inhabitants or its surroundings, its customs, ways, local prejudices, produce, trade, scandals, hates, loves, subserviencies, gods, or devils , and yet henceforward he was to be closely allied with Matcham, for a certain bachelor uncle had lately died and left him a small estate within a mile of the village."

37 episodes

A Bachelor's Dream

This is a wonderfully written novel by Mrs. Hungerford about the perennial bachelor and the various interests in his life, where he is a doctor by trade. From taking care of his sister's children to a possible love on the horizon, the author keeps us on our toes in this quick read of a book with its many unexpected twists and turns!

8 episodes

The Cliff-Dwellers

Between the former site of old Fort Dearborn and the present site of our newest Board of Trade there lies a restricted yet tumultuous territory through which, during the course of the last fifty years, the rushing streams of commerce have worn many a deep and rugged chasm. These great canons—conduits, in fact, for the leaping volume of an ever-increasing prosperity—cross each other with a sort of systematic rectangularity, and in deference to the practical directness of local requirements they are in general called simply—streets. Each of these canons is closed in by a long frontage of towering cliffs, and these soaring walls of brick and limestone and granite rise higher and higher with each succeeding year, according as the work of erosion at their bases goes onward—the work of that seething flood of carts, carriages, omnibuses, cabs, cars, messengers, shoppers, clerks, and capitalists, which surges with increasing violence for every passing day. Summary by HENRY B. FULLER

25 episodes

Die Waffen nieder! : eine Lebensgeschichte (version 2)

Diesen ersten bedeutenden Antikriegsroman sollte jeder in seinem Leben einmal lesen/hören!Die Österreicherin Gräfin Martha schildert, immer verweisend auf ihre Tagebücher, ihr Leben, das von vier Kriegen geprägt wird: dem Sardinischen Krieg von 1859 zwischen Österreich und Sardinien sowie Frankreich, dem Preußisch-Dänischen Krieg von 1864, dem Krieg zwischen Österreich und Preußen im Jahr 1866, und dem Deutsch-Französischen Krieg von 1870.Martha ist von jeher gegen den Krieg eingenommen, obwohl in ihrem Umfeld - sie ist die Tochter eines k.u.k. Generals - Kriegsverherrlichung eine normale und erwünschte Haltung ist. Als sie im Sardinischen Krieg einen herben persönlichen Verlust erleidet, wird Martha zur glühenden Pazifistin. Sie beginnt vor allem nachzuweisen, wie nichtig die Gründe für jeden dieser vier Kriege sind. Das Buch belegt in eindringlicher Weise, wie Krieg niemals die Lösung eines Konflikts sein kann, sondern, dass der Krieg an sich das Problem ist. Und nicht nur der eigentliche Krieg, sondern alles, was er im Gepäck mit sich bringt: Niedergang der Wirtschaft, Seuchen - auch Martha bleibt von diesen Kriegsfolgen nicht verschont... (Summary by Eva K.)

38 episodes

The Side of the Angels

The book is set in New England in the early 20th century in an old established community where times are rapidly changing but nonetheless the rules of a hierarchical society still hold good. Thor, a rich doctor from an old family, in trying to help Rosie, the poor woman he truly loves, offers her money so that his brother Claude can marry her and have the things they will need in life. Things unravel in the close-knit community with an intriguing mixture of philosophy and romance as the younger generation learns to be free in their pursuit of love and life. The approach of the older generation to the different ways of the younger and the church all add to the involvement. - Summary by Simon Evers

37 episodes

How To Tell A Story, and Other Essays

The complete collection of works using this title. Other versions, including the Project Gutenberg version, have been radically shortened. Mark Twain published several collections of his short stories and essays. This collection, like the others, dramatically demonstrates the eclectic nature of his work and the depth of his humanistic thinking. Each essay stands alone. Listeners will find many instances where modern times come to mind. (John Greenman)

21 episodes

Regiment of Women

Set in a small town in Edwardian England, Regiment of Women is about the relationship between two teachers at a private (and elitist) girls' school. One of them, Clare Hartill, is in her mid-thirties and runs the school in all but name. Most of the girls are devoted to Hartill and gladly suffer under her strict but charismatic rule. The other teacher is Alwynne Durand, an attractive nineteen-year-old woman who lives with Elsbeth Loveday, her unmarried aunt and guardian. When Durand starts teaching at the school she is immediately popular with her students but also excites Hartill's attention. The two women become close friends, and the couple also travel abroad together during the summer holidays. Although Loveday and Hartill hardly ever meet, a strange kind of antagonism develops between them, each woman fighting to spend more time than they do with Alwynne Durand and to be the dominant person in Alwynne's life.Famous for its veiled references to lesbian relationships, this novel was said to have inspired Radclyffe Hall's "The Well of Loneliness". - Summary by Beth Thomas Dedicated to Beth Thomas

47 episodes

The Queen's Necklace

The Queen's Necklace is historical fiction based on an actual scandal in the court of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI during 1784-85, "The Diamond Necklace Affair". The Diamond Necklace Affair contributed to the discrediting of the Marie Antoinette and the monarchy of Louis XVI prior to the French Revolution. The backdrop is the rebellious state of the French people due in part to adverse weather and crop failures affecting the food supply and price of bread during the 1780s, contrasted to the extravagance of the French monarchy. The Queen's Necklace is the 3rd novel in the Marie Antoinette series by Alexandre Dumas. (summary by Gail Timmerman-Vaughan)

94 episodes

Harry Heathcote of Gangoil

Harry Heathcote is an English ‘squatter’ who runs a huge sheep station at Gangoil in Queensland, Australia. His wife Mary and her older sister Kate live with him. Giles Medlicott owns a sugar plantation and mill nearby. Two of Harry’s former disgruntled employees, with the aid of other disreputable neighbours the Brownbies, deliberately start a potentially disastrous fire on Harry’s land. Medlicott comes to Harry’s support and the book follows what happens thereafter. - Summary by Simon Evers

12 episodes

Prince or Chauffeur? A Story of Newport

Newport, of course, means aristocratic families and naval adventures. In this tale, we wonder if the heiress will actually marry the Russian prince, who is of questionable character, or the chauffeur, who would certainly be beneath her station, but maybe there's more to the stories of each of our wooers.

26 episodes

Leatherface: A Tale of Old Flanders

A romantic, political adventure story set in the late 1500's, during the Spanish rule over the Netherlands, in the city of Ghent. Leatherface is an Orangist and emerges to lead the Ghent citizens to rebel and win back their freedom.

22 episodes

The House by the Churchyard

Murder, mystery, mayhem, romance and relationships. Our classic who-done-it takes place in olde Dublin, Ireland in the village of Chapelizod around the Royal Irish Artillery base. A mysterious skull has been uncovered in the church graveyard. Whose skull is it, and how did it get those two crushing head wounds and the large hole in it, and why? I think you will enjoy hearing as well as I loved reading all 100 chapters. - Summary by John Brandon

100 episodes

Taking the Bastile

Pitou lost his mother when he was small. He was raised by a stern aunt who did not really love him. He starts knowing the world by going to service. How can this man, Pitou the Peasant (as the subtitle of the novel suggests) go on to influence the whole state? How can he go on and take a part in the French revolution? Can his motivation, coming from what he did not have, be enough? - Summary by Stav Nisser

26 episodes

The Lion's Brood

"Centuries come and go; but the plot of the drama is unchanged, and the same characters play the same parts. Only the actors cast for them are new." For this timeless tale, we are taken back to the Roman forum. With the backdrop of the Punic Wars, we follow the fortunes of Sergius, a young man going off to serve and who impresses his general; and Marcia, the young woman he leaves behind, whom he loves, but who refuses to commit to any attachment for him before he leaves.

29 episodes

Los Miserables: Tomo IV

Mario, con ayuda de Eponine, consigue encontrar a Cosette viviendo con Juan Valjean en la calle Plumet. Se inicia un apasionado idilio entre ambos. Pero Jean Valjean, en su constante huida, se ve la necesidad de cambiar de lugar de residencia y pronto marchará con Cosette a Inglaterra. Mario, decide pedir permiso y ayuda a su abuelo, el señor Gillenormand, para casarse con Cosette. Pero éste se burla y le dice que la tome por amante. Mario huye del lado de su abuelo sin saber cómo solventar la situación.De fondo los acontecimientos de la revolución que se prepara en las calles de París.(Resumen de Montse González)

76 episodes

The Brown Brethren

The Brown Brethren tells the story of friends and comrades who fought together during World War I on the Western Front. The principal characters belong to the London Irish Rifles, a volunteer regiment whose 1st Battalion was mobilized immediately with the outbreak of the war. The 1st Battalion, to which this story's characters belong, especially distinguished itself at the Battle of Loos in 1915. This book takes the men up through the Battle of the Somme (1916.) - Summary by KevinS

22 episodes

Ruggles of Red Gap

A stuffy class-conscious gentleman's valet is transplanted to the rough uncivilized American northwest, where the rubes and social climbers are duly impressed with his manners and style. Will the American freedom rub off on the Englishman, or will the churlish Americans acquire some high-class polish? Witty social commentary a la P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster. - Summary by Carol Pelster

23 episodes

The Mabinogion, Volume 3

This is final volume of the Mabinogion. As with the other volumes, these Arthurian tales are translated from Welsh manuscripts and largely represent an earlier and more pagan period.

7 episodes

The Conquest

"This is the true story of a negro who was discontented and the circumstances that were the outcome of that discontent." While considered a novel, this largely autobiographical story is based on the author's experience as an African-American pioneer in South Dakota. (Summary by MaryAnn)

43 episodes

The Pilot

The work, which was admired by Herman Melville and Joseph Conrad for its authentic portrayal of a seafaring life and takes place during the American Revolution, launched a whole genre of maritime fiction. It features a mysterious and almost superhuman American sea pilot (based on the American hero John Paul Jones) who fights battles off the coast of England against the British and American loyalists. One of the book’s themes is the ambiguous nature of loyalty. Although often bogged down by complicated nautical terminology and intrusive philosophical dialogue, the novel is nevertheless noted for its spiritual and moral dimensions. - Summary by The Encyclopedia Britannica

36 episodes

Muslin

Muslin, better known as A Drama In Muslin, is a realistic novel by George Moore. It describes the lives of five Irish girls after their graduation from convent school. Alice Barton, around whom the story revolves, is unfulfilled by the role society gives her. She wants to find herself, but is prevented from doing so by her gender. Olive, her younger sister, was less popular at school but more "successful" in real life. The sisters could not be more different, and the book explores the rivalry between them. But this book is not only about five girls. It shows the beginning of the battle between landlords and peasants in Ireland, the poverty, and much more. Upon publication, it was considered immoral and banned by the main British libraries. Despite this, due to the public's growing love of realism, it became very popular and is almost constantly in print. - Summary by Stav Nisser.

30 episodes

The Bronze Eagle: A Story of the Hundred Days

The Bronze Eagle is a romantic historical novel which takes place during the return of Napoleon and his attempt to reestablish his Empire. The main character is a rich English businessman, who falls in love with an aristocratic young woman, with lots of pitfalls and challenges. - Summary by deongines

19 episodes

Under Wellington’s Command

Under Wellington's Command is the sequel to With Moore at Corunna. The book picks up where the last book left off when Portugal is freed from the French in 1809. Terence O'Connor is still in command of the Minho regiment of Portuguese, and serves with distinction on detached duty in harassing the French and gaining information. His command being on the edge the allied army, is constantly engaged in skirmishes and in the great battles of the Peninsular War. - Summary by Charles Sapp

22 episodes

Marietta: A Maid of Venice

This swash-buckling, romantic story of Zorzi Ballarin and Angelo Beroviero, master glass-blowers of Murano, Italy in the 1500's, is not entirely fiction. Many of the works of these artizans are preserved in the Museum of Murano, including their discovery of the clear glass we know as "crystal". Giovanni Beroviero, the lesser artist and jealous son, did indeed write the damning letter which brought Zorzi to trial before the Council of Ten (the original letter is still preserved). The treasured colored glass formulas of Paolo Godi are real. Arisa the Georgian slave mistress is fictional, but beautiful Eastern slaves were indeed bought and sold in Italy for many centuries. The patriarchal society that kept women walled in was real, and the myriad gondolas plying the canals, and the palaces of Venice in which much of the story takes place, are still there. Francis M. Crawford has woven a riveting tale of intrigue that never slacks off from first word to last. ( ~ Author's note and Michele Fry, Soloist)

24 episodes

St. George and St. Michael, Volume 3

’St. George and St. Michael’ is a little-known historical romance telling the story of a young couple who find themselves on opposing sides during the tumultuous years of the English Civil Wars. Volume 3 completes the series. Tensions are rising between king and parliament, the Church of England and the numerous independent puritans, and rumours abound that Charles I will soon declare open war on the dissident elements within his realm. Seventeen-year-old Dorothy Vaughan knows little of the brewing conflict, yet is sure that her loyalty must be with her king and her nation. When she challenges her childhood friend, Richard Heywood, to prove himself a man and so worthy of winning her hand in marriage by becoming involved in the larger events that surround them, he finds that his convictions – both political and spiritual – lie with his father’s and the puritans. Determined to do what he believes is right, Richard finds that he cannot shake his immovable conscience, even for the woman he loves. Though it is, for the most part, a realistic novel, ‘St. George and St. Michael’ is not without either the otherwordly atmosphere of the fantastic or the rich spiritual depth that characterizes so much of MacDonald’s writing. - Summary by Jordan

21 episodes

Cedric the Forester

A rollicking juvenile adventure tale, this historical fiction book received the Newbery Honor award in 1922. Set in England during the early 1200s, the scion of a Western Marches noble family relates the many encounters and battles that he faces with the Saxon yeoman who becomes his fast friend. This yeoman, great of cross-bow skill and strategy, often saves the day, and after earning knighthood, becomes instrumental in the making of the Magna Carta. - Summary by Lynette Caulkins

15 episodes

The Rough Road

The book tells the story of "Doggie" Trevor, who, having been wrapped in cotton wool since babyhood, becomes a snobbish rich dilettante. All this changes as World War I begins and Doggie takes a commission in the Army – with near disastrous results. However, he takes stock of his life and later signs on as a simple English Tommy. He fights in France alongside his friends and the book tells of his improving fortunes, his engagement to equally snobbish Peggy, and his adventures amidst the horrors of life in the trenches – and the unexpected consequences, as he travels the rough road to a happy conclusion. - Summary by Simon Evers

24 episodes

Short Stories (Version 2)

This is a collection of short stories written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Dostoevsky), who is arguably better-known for his lengthy, contemplative novels. Several of his trademark philosophical, political and religious themes are interwoven throughout these short stories, for example: "Dream of a Ridiculous Man" critiques European nihilism; "The Crocodile" has notes of Russian political commentary; and "Bobok" is critically acclaimed as top-rate Menippean satire. Dostoevsky also provides a Christmas story ("The Heavenly Christmas Tree") with a biting social commentary. - Summary by jvanstan

16 episodes

Tales of a Vanishing River

The background of this collection of sketches and stories is the country through which flowed one of the most interesting of our western rivers before its destruction as a natural waterway. This book is not a history. It is intended as an interpretation of the life along the river that the author has come in contact with during many years of familiarity with the region. Names of places and characters have been changed for the reason that, while effort has been made to adhere to artistic truth, literary liberties have been taken with facts when they have not seemed essential to the story. - Summary by Earl H. Reed

16 episodes

Saint Joan: Preface

Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc. Premiering in 1923, three years after her canonization by the Roman Catholic Church, the play reflects Shaw's belief that the people involved in Joan's trial acted according to what they thought was right. He wrote in his preface to the play: “There are no villains in the piece. Crime, like disease, is not interesting: it is something to be done away with by general consent, and that is all [there is] about it. It is what men do at their best, with good intentions, and what normal men and women find that they must and will do in spite of their intentions, that really concern us.” (Wikipedia) Modern British author, critic, poet, and broadcaster Clive James, commenting on a book that changed his mind, wrote: “George Bernard Shaw, his preface to Saint Joan. Reading that wonderful stretch of prose started me on the road to a more human version of Christianity: a road I like to think that I am still pursuing.” (The Guardian, 5 October 2019) - Summary by Wikipedia and David Wales

4 episodes

The Chimney Corner

Stowe wrote over 30 books. This one is a fascinating collection of her post Civil War musings on a variety of cultural topics, staged mostly as conversations between Christopher Crowfield (Stowe's masculine nome de plume), and his wife, their son Ben, daughter Jenny, their friends, and various neighbors who drop in to chat around the fireside. Lively topics include women's suffrage & their education, entertainment, fashion, the economy during reconstruction, youth entertainment, and how society and its institutions should prepare young women for useful, meaningful lives besides getting married or simply depending on other family members to support them while they do little or nothing, or worse, fall into a street life. She reflects on the economic after-effects of the Civil War, and the struggle to create a more civilized nation. ( ~ Michele Fry)

15 episodes

Die Ahnen, Bd. I.2 Ingraban

Vor geraumer Zeit wurde ein Mammutprojekt begonnen zu vertonen: Die 6 Bände von Gustav Freytags 'Die Ahnen'. Der erste Band wurde ob seiner Länge in zwei Teile gesplittet und Teil 1 - Ingo als Gemeinschaftsprojekt bearbeitet und vollendet. Eine Fortsetzung wurde aber bisher nicht in Angriff genommen und so soll jetzt zumindest Band I mit 'Ingabran' vervollständigt werden. Erzählt wird die Geschichte Ingrabans, einem Nachkommen von Ingo, der seine Braut aus der Geiselhaft der Sorben befreit und im Rahmen der Christianisierung Thüringens selbst zum Christen wird und später Bonifatius auf seinem Missonszug zu den Friesen folgt und dort den Tod findet. Die Erzählung bginnt im Jahre 724 und endet circa 30 Jahre später. - Summary by Bernd Ungerer

10 episodes

Minnie's Sacrifice

Minnie, who lives in the South, does not know she is a mulatto. She is sent to the North after her mother's death, and there she marries Louis, who is ironically also of mixed parentage. The story revolves around their discoveries and how they deal with their true identities. (N.B. There are some missing portions of the text.)

19 episodes