Russian literature

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

“Ivan Ilyich’s life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible.” Chapter 1: The Announcement of Death The novel opens with colleagues of Ivan Ilyich, […]

English literature

Kidnapped

“There are two things that men should never weary of—goodness and humility.” Chapter 1: I Set Off Upon My Journey to the House of Shaws David Balfour, a […]

English literature

The Mayor of Casterbridge

“Happiness was but the occasional episode in a general drama of pain.” Chapter 1: The Folly of Youth The novel opens with Michael Henchard, a young hay-trusser, drunkenly […]