Showing results for "What Is the What" in Literature & Fiction

Leo Tolstoy wrote prolifically in a series of essays and polemics on issues of morality, social justice and religion. These culminated in What Is Art?, published in 1898. Although Tolstoy perceived the question of art to be a religious one, he considered and rejected the idea that art reveals and reinvents through beauty. The works of Dante, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Baudelaire, and even his own novels are condemned in the course of Tolstoy's impassioned and iconoclastic redefinition of art as a force for good; for the improvement of humankind.

Tolstoy claims that all good art is related to the authentic life of the broader community and that the aesthetic value of a work of art is not independent of its moral content.

Master storyteller and satirist Kurt Vonnegut was one of the most in-demand commencement speakers of his time. For each occasion, Vonnegut’s words were unfailingly unique, insightful, and witty, and they stayed with audience members long after graduation. As edited by Dan Wakefield, this book reads like a narrative in the unique voice that made Vonnegut a hero to readers and listeners of all ages. At times hilarious, razor-sharp, freewheeling, and deeply serious, these reflections are ideal for anyone undergoing what Vonnegut would call their "long-delayed puberty ceremony".

In this thought-provoking dialogue, Mark Twain strips away illusions about free will, morality, and the nature of human behavior. Presented as a sharp exchange between a young idealist and a seasoned philosopher, What Is Man? challenges cherished beliefs, probing whether humans are truly autonomous or simply products of their training, environment, and inherent machinery.

Hope Chen and her husband are raising her nine-year-old nephew, Luca, in the wake of his troubled mother’s death. Luca finally has a safe home in a neighborhood where kids play in the streets and nobody locks their doors. Then one day, Luca and his dog disappear without a trace. Guilt-ridden, fearing the worst but praying for the best, Hope finds her imagination running wild.

Prophecy may vary between being an intellectual amusement and a serious occupation; serious not only in its intentions, but in its consequences. For it is the lot of prophets who frighten or disappoint to be stoned. But for some of us moderns, who have been touched with the spirit of science, prophesying is almost a habit of mind.

A vividly original literary novel based on the astounding true-life story of Laura Bridgman, the first deaf and blind person who learned language and blazed a trail for Helen Keller. At age two, Laura Bridgman lost four of her five senses to scarlet fever. At age seven, she was taken to Perkins...

Seventeen-year-old Wyatt Hillyer is suddenly orphaned when his parents, within hours of each other, jump off two different bridges—the result of their separate involvements with the same compelling neighbor, a Halifax switchboard operator and aspiring actress. The suicides cause Wyatt to move to small-town Middle Economy to live with his uncle, aunt, and ravishing cousin Tilda.

Released from Nazi forced labor as World War II ends, 20-year-old Sam is quickly drafted and sent to the island of Java to help regain control of the colony. But the Indonesian independence movement is far ahead of the Dutch, and Sam is thrown into a guerilla war, his loyalties challenged when his squad commits atrocities reminiscent of those he suffered at the hands of the Nazis. Sam falls in love with both Sari and the beautiful island she calls home, but as he loses friends to sniper fire and jungle malady, he also loses sight of what he wants most—to be a good man.

It’s been seven years since Gloomy Knob landed in the Ted Stevens High-Security Federal Penitentiary and five years since the end of the war, the one North Korea started when they sent a missile to Cold Storage, Alaska. Serving a life sentence for the murder of his sister, Gloomy spends his time trying to forget about the past. Then one day, Gloomy is snatched from his off-site work station. Instead of celebrating his newfound freedom, Gloomy comes unmoored - he feels he belongs in prison. But his kidnappers believe Gloomy knows where a second nuclear warhead is hidden.

Despised by literary giants Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, Chernyshevskys What Is To Be Done? offers a gripping and empathetic portrayal of idealistic revolutionaries navigating the oppressive landscape of mid-nineteenth century tsarist Russia. Translator Nathan Haskell Dole passionately asserts in his preface that this is a thrilling narrative that will captivate readers from start to finish. The novel features a diverse cast of characters, including the fiercely independent Vera Pavlovna and the inspiring radical Rakhmetov. Written from the depths of the notorious Peter & Paul Fortress in St. ...

'Brian Bilston is a laureate for our fractured times.' Ian McMillan 'Someone who knows their way round both a joke and a bittersweet narrative.' The Times 'Part John Cooper Clarke, part Frank Sidebottom . . . all brilliant.' Esquire 'Bilston is a magician with words' Guardian Alexa, what is...

Gaelle has a dream job working for a fashion magazine, and a husband who loves her. Life should be perfect, but life does not always go according to plan. Feeling lost and alone, Gaelle flees to a tiny seaside town on the other side of the country. As she revisits the legacy of a strange, sometimes magical childhood in France, Gaelle finds unexpected help from a thirteen-year-old stranger.

An eminent British writer returns to the resort hotel in the Japanese mountains where he once spent a beautiful, snowed-in winter. It was there he fell in love and wrote his best-selling novel, The Waterwheel, accusing America of being in denial about the horrific aftermath of the Tokyo firebombings and the nuclear destruction at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Locked in his desk for 25 years, What Is Man? was Twain's most serious, philosophical, and private work. The narrative appears in the form of a Socratic dialogue between a romantic young idealist and an elderly cynic. The pair debate issues of mankind, such as whether man is free to act or is more of a machine, whether personal merit is meaningless given how the environment shapes us, and if man truly has impulses other than to pursue pleasure and avoid pain.

"What Is Man?", the 1906 essay by Mark Twain, is a dialogue between a young man and an older man involving ideas of destiny, free will, and egoism. The old man asserts that the human being is merely a machine, but the young man objects and asks him to go into particulars and provide the reasons for his attitude.

What is This Fuckery? is a podcast for writers, creatives, and other gloriously tortured souls who are fed up with the polished nonsense and ready for the gritty truth. Hosted by Kerrie Legend—author, designer, digital rebel, and sworn enemy of literary fuckery—this show tackles the unholy mess that is writing, publishing, marketing, and trying to make money from words without losing your damn mind.Expect sharp takes, sarcastic rants, oddly empowering pep talks, and the kind of wisdom that feels like it was scratched into an old bar bathroom mirror by a feral muse. This is not your gentle ...

If you want a talk about the things of life and the things that we constantly deal with in our 20s, tune in with our host. She will break down the complexities of life from her own unique perspective. You are welcome to unwind and listen to her talk simply with Finnesee. Enjoy a fun, lighthearted conversation with her and her special guests. Be sure to sit tight and enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, or even wine(only legal minds).20s living is fun, why don't you learn how to live it?

In What Is Man?, originally published by Mark Twain in 1906, engage in a thought-provoking dialogue between a young man bursting with curiosity and an older man who has become disillusioned with life. This compelling exchange delves into themes of destiny, free will, and psychological egoism, as the Old Man argues that humans are nothing more than machines, while the Young Man challenges him to provide his reasoning. This collection of essays showcases Twains diverse interests, offering a blend of serious reflections, political commentary, and his signature ironic humor. (Summary by Wikipedia ...

In series 1, Rhys examines his privileged status, chats to his mum and dad, and reluctantly speaks to a girl he had a crush on in school. He also explores the topic of wisdom in his own unique way, by reading a letter he wrote to his future self at 10 years old. In Series 2, Rhys attempts to become more politically engaged by one week trying out one set of opinions, the next week, another. He asks questions such as why we are not doing more to save the planet, whether Facebook is actually spying on us and whether gender-neutral toilets are really worth it.