Showing results for "The 100" in Authors

In the six lectures of The Great Gatsby at 100, you will join Sheila Liming of Champlain College to revisit the context and culture of the Roaring ‘20s, which inspired the story of the mysterious Jay Gatsby and his disastrous pursuit of Daisy Buchanan. As you’ll discover, while Gatsby is framed as a love story, it’s also a story of the American experience, revealing the unspoken rules of wealth and class and the false promises of self-made success in a world of Old Money privilege.

Oscar Wilde is remembered as one of the wittiest minds ever, thanks to his provocative style and humor. In the 1890s, he was one of London's most popular playwrights; his masterpieces are The Importance of Being Earnest and the dark and fantastical Picture of Dorian Gray. His writings entwine themes of beauty, decadence and duplicity, which made him a more than colorful agent provocateur in the Victorian society. This would eventually lead to a very public trial after he was accused of sodomy. His defense, punctuated with witticism, often left the court roaring with laughter, but the evidence was against him, and he was eventually sent to prison.

Uncover the wisdom from the master of short-form himself, Guy de Maupassant, in this collection of carefully selected quotes. French author and representative of the literary movement "Naturalism", Maupassant’s short stories weave expert observation and reflection with deep social insight. Typically set during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, he focused on human lives and their fateful destinies. His first published story, "Boule de Suif", remains his most celebrated work today.

"100 Quotes by Jules Renard" uncovers the famous French author and member of the literary organisation, Académie Goncourt. Famous for his poems, plays and short stories, his work spans the famous "Poil de carotte". The English novelist Julian Barnes' 2008 memoir "Nothing to be Frightened Of" remains a proud homage to Renard, indicative of his continuous influence. His thoughts and musings transcend the page and can be found around the world, on road signs, as well as in books.

"100 Quotes by Marcel Proust" is a compendium of thoughts, observations, and reflections by one of France’s greatest writers. Pithy, witty, barbed, but often touching and thoughtful, readers will discover another dimension to this noted novelist, most famous for his novel "In Search of Lost Time". His philosophy mainly focused on how people should be appreciative of their circumstances. A superb book for dipping in and out of, this will make a welcome addition to any book collection.

"100 Quotes by Honoré de Balzac" is a collection of writings and thoughts from the French novelist and playwright, Honoré de Balzac. Balzac was known to frequently flit between several "work in progress" writings, and his finished articles were often revised between editions. The way that Balzac wrote is very much reflective of the difficulties in his own life, and perhaps the writer was attempting to stabilise his life through fiction.

"100 Quotes by Edmond and Jules de Goncourt" is a collection of reflections and thoughts by the literary world’s most unexpected collaborators. Touching on everything from religion and the nature of the self to history and poetry, the brothers’ ideas are strikingly similar and timelessly resonant. An ideal book for dipping in and out of, these quotes will provide any reader with food for thought and the tools with which to spark an interesting conversation.

Gustave Flaubert is one of the major figures of French literature. He was made famous by his first novel, Madame Bovary, and is also remembered for his Correspondance, full of precise introspection and reflections about realism in literature. Flaubert was known for his unvelievably scrupulous devotion to his style. He believed in the possibility and necessity of finding "le mot juste" ("the right word"), and would devout weeks to the achievement of sometimes a single page.

Jane Austen is one of the most widely read British authors. Her realism and biting irony make for a very lively read, and the quality of her plots have earned her a high-ranking place into the hearts of scholars. Her greatest stories sparkled a wave of adaptations in the last decades, because of their touching modernity and the realism of their reflections on the attitude of women about marriage and social standing.

An oral-history biography of the legendary Latin American writer and Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Márquez, brimming with atmosphere and insight.   

Victor Hugo is one of the best-known French writers, and is part of the greatest literary figures of all time. His poetry made him famous very early, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest lyric poets when he was only 20 years old. He was also a novelist and a dramatist, and furthered the cause of Romanticism, this exalted artistic movement, which toyed with Sublime and soared on the winds of emotion. The high-achieving poet was also actively involved in politics, defending the poor until his last breath; he was even forced into exile, from which he kept on writing, beloved by the masses he stood up for. When he died, it was an intense day of mourning in France, and more than two million people joined his funeral procession to the Panthéon. Today, most large towns in France have at least a street named after him.

In his lifetime, Ralph Waldo Emerson was the most widely known man of letters in America, establishing himself as a prolific poet, essayist, popular lecturer, and advocate of social reforms. He was considered one of the great orators of the time, and his enthusiasm and respect for his audience enraptured crowds. As a poet and philosopher, he led the Transcendentalist movement, which professes the belief that everything in ouf world is a microcosm of the universe, and in the infinitude of individual man.

Gustave Flaubert is one of the major figures of French literature. He was made famous by his first novel, "Madame Bovary", and is also remembered for his Correspondance, full of precise introspection and reflections about realism in literature. Flaubert was known for his unvelievably scrupulous devotion to his style. He believed in the possibility and necessity of finding "le mot juste" ("the right word"), and would devout weeks to the achievement of sometimes a single page. Flaubert decisively established what most readers and writers now think of as modern realist narration, and his influence today is almost too familiar to be visible.

Mark Twain is one of the wittiest and most prolific writers of all time. He is mostly known for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and its sequel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", which is often called the Great American Novel.

Henry David Thoreau is a beloved American author, poet and philosopher. He was a lifelong abolitionist, advocate of civil disobedience againts unjust or corrupted goverments, and he defended the idea of abandoning illusory matters in favor of simple living, in order to discover life's authentic essential needs. He is best known for Walden, or Life in the woods, the book he wrote during his two-year experiment in minimalist living: having built himself a cabin in the woods, he stayed there to study, write, and enjoy his newfound communion with nature.

A blockbuster illustrated book that captures what Americans love to read, The Great American Read: The Book of Books is the gorgeously-produced companion book to PBS's ambitious summer 2018 series. What are America's best-loved novels? PBS will launch The Great American Read series with a 2-hour...