The Awakening

"I’m an outsider to the end of my days!"

Jude Fawley’s hopes of a university education are lost when he is trapped into marrying the earthy Arabella, who later abandons him. Moving to the town of Christminster where he finds work as a stonemason, Jude meets and falls in love with his cousin Sue Bridehead, a sensitive, freethinking "New Woman." Refusing to marry merely for the sake of religious convention, Jude and Sue decide instead to live together, but they are shunned by society and poverty soon threatens to ruin them. Jude the Obscure, Hardy’s last novel, caused a public furor when it was first published, with its fearless and challenging exploration of class and sexual relationships.

This edition uses the unbowdlerized text of the first volume edition of 1895, and also includes a list for further reading, appendices and a glossary. In his introduction, Dennis Taylor examines biblical allusions and the critique of religion in Jude the Obscure, and its critical reception that led Hardy to abandon novel writing.

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This candid portrayal of a woman who refuses to accept her allotted role as wife and mother caused an outcry when it was published in 1899. It is the story of Edna Pontellier, who spends the summer on the Gulf of Mexico with her businessman husband and her two sons. When an illicit romance awakens unfamiliar ideas and longings in Edna, she discovers a new identity for herself, but cannot hope for understanding in the stifling attitudes of Louisiana society.

The victor belongs to the spoils.

Anthony and Gloria Patch are the bright lights of the 1920s New York smart set and lead a life of luxury, idleness and indulgence. But Jazz Age glamour comes at a price and, with Anthony's inheritance uncertain, the couple's decadent lifestyle begins to fall apart. Anthony is unable to hold down a job, and the couple descend into alcoholism and depression as their finances and marriage collapse. Fitzgerald's captivating tale of squandered talent is the classic account of the so-called Lost Generation.

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‘“For,” said he, “there never was nor is there one chaste woman upon the face of earth.”’
A collection of Persian, Arabian and Indian tales dating from the 9th century, Sir Richard Burton’s most well-known translation of Arabian Nights brings together ancient folklore and stories passed down from generation to generation.
Featuring tales about love, history, tragedy and comedy as well as fables and fairy tales, this edition remains a well-loved collection of exotic and evocative stories. Fantastical and curious customs are bought to life by Burton’s translation in stories such as ‘The Lovers of Bassorah’, ‘The Concubine of Al-Maamun’ and ‘The Hunchback’s Tale’.