“The snow fell endlessly, as if the heavens themselves were weeping.” Chapter 1: The Encounter The novel opens in early 20th-century Tokyo, introducing Kiyoaki Matsugae, the sensitive and […]
German literature
Effi Briest
“A great, wide field, silent and deserted; where is the man who could walk here without feeling that he is alone with his God?” Chapters 1–10: Marriage and […]
German literature
Faust
“Two souls, alas, are dwelling in my breast, And one is striving to forsake its brother.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust Prologue in Heaven The story begins […]
Russian literature
The Defense
“The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature.” Chapter 1: […]
American literature
Looking for Alaska
“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” — John Green, Looking for Alaska Before Miles “Pudge” Halter leaves his Florida home to attend […]
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 […]