“I am a clown, and I collect moments.” Chapter 1: The Fall Hans Schnier, a disillusioned clown, lies injured in his Bonn apartment after a drunken fall. As […]
Russian literature
The Government Inspector
“The Inspector is coming—incognito… and with secret instructions!” Act 1 The play opens in a small provincial Russian town where the corrupt officials, led by the Mayor (Anton […]
Russian literature
Dead Souls
“What a strange, alluring, and provocative title—Dead Souls! And what a strange, alluring, and provocative work itself!” Part 1 Chapter 1 Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a middle-aged gentleman of […]
English literature
Keep the Aspidistra Flying
“The aspidistra is the true middle-class emblem, because it is the kind of plant that you can’t kill even if you want to.” Chapter 1: Gordon Comstock’s Rebellion […]
English literature
David Copperfield
“Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” — […]