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Animal Farm

Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical and dystopian novel by George Orwell, published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalin era in the Soviet Union.[1] Orwell, a democratic socialist,[2] was an outspoken critic of Joseph Stalin and, especially after experiences with the NKVD and the Spanish Civil War, he was actively opposed to the controversial ideology of Stalinism.[3] The Soviet Union, he believed, had become a brutal dictatorship, built upon a cult of personality and enforced by a reign of terror. In a letter to Yvonne Davet, Orwell described Animal Farm as a satirical tale against Stalin "un conte satirique contre Staline", and in his essay "Why I Write" (1946), he wrote that Animal Farm was the first book in which he had tried, with full consciousness of what he was doing, "to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole". Plot summary Characters Pigs Humans Origin

George Orwell English author and journalist (1903–1950) Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic.[1] His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and support of democratic socialism.[2] Blair was born in India, and raised and educated in England. After school he became an Imperial policeman in Burma, before returning to Suffolk, England, where he began his writing career as George Orwell—a name inspired by a favourite location, the River Orwell. Life[edit] Early years[edit] Blair family home at Shiplake, Oxfordshire Before the First World War, the family moved 2 miles (3 km) south to Shiplake, Oxfordshire, where Eric became friendly with the Buddicom family, especially their daughter Jacintha. In January, Blair took up the place at Wellington, where he spent the Spring term. Policing in Burma[edit] Blair pictured in a passport photo in Burma. Works:

To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old. The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The narrator's father, Atticus Finch, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. One critic explains the novel's impact by writing, "In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism Biographical background and publication Ultimately, Lee spent two and a half years writing To Kill a Mockingbird. Plot summary Style

Breakfast of Champions Breakfast of Champions, or Goodbye Blue Monday is a 1973 novel by the American author Kurt Vonnegut. Set in the fictional town of Midland City, it is the story of "two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast." One of these men, Dwayne Hoover, is a normal-looking but deeply deranged Pontiac dealer and Burger Chef franchise owner who becomes obsessed with the writings of the other man, Kilgore Trout, taking them for literal truth. Plot summary[edit] Kilgore Trout is a widely published, but otherwise unsung and virtually invisible writer who, by a fluke, is invited to deliver a keynote address at a local arts festival in distant Midland City. Background[edit] In the preface, Vonnegut states that as he reached his fiftieth birthday he felt a need to "clear his head of all the junk in there"—which includes the various subjects of his drawings, and the characters from his past novels and stories. Adaptation[edit] Editions[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]

World War Z World War Z is a follow-up to his 2003 satirical survival manual, The Zombie Survival Guide, but its tone is much more serious. It was inspired by The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two (1984), by Studs Terkel, and by the zombie films of George A. Romero. Brooks used World War Z to comment on government ineptitude and American isolationism, while also examining survivalism and uncertainty. Plot[edit] Through a series of oral interviews compiled by the narrator (an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission), the story of the global war against zombies, "World War Z", is told. In South Africa, the government adopts a contingency plan drafted by apartheid-era intelligence consultant Paul Redeker. Ten years after the official end of the zombie war, millions of zombies are still active, mainly on the ocean floor or on snow line islands. The situation in the British Isles is not entirely clear in the novel. Development[edit] Themes[edit] [edit] Survivalism[edit] Reception[edit]

The Master and Margarita The Master and Margarita (Russian: «Ма́стер и Маргари́та») is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, written between 1928 and 1940 but unpublished in book form until 1967. It is woven around a visit by the Devil to the fervently atheistic Soviet Union. Many critics consider it to be one of the best novels of the 20th century, and the foremost of Soviet satires. History[edit] Bulgakov started writing the novel in 1928. In the Soviet Union, the first complete version, prepared by Anna Saakyants, was published by Khudozhestvennaya Literatura in 1973, based on the version completed at the beginning of 1940, as proofread by the publisher. Plot summary[edit] The novel alternates between two settings. The second setting is the Jerusalem of Pontius Pilate, described by Woland in his conversations with Berlioz and later echoed in the pages of the Master's novel. Part two of the novel introduces Margarita, the Master's mistress, who refuses to despair of her lover or his work. Interpretations[edit] Natasha

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаи́л Афана́сьевич Булга́ков, pronounced [mʲɪxɐˈiɫ ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪt͡ɕ bʊɫˈɡakəf]; May 15 [O.S. May 3] 1891 – March 10, 1940) was a Soviet writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century.[1] He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.[3] Life and work[edit] Early life[edit] Mikhail Bulgakov was born on May 15, 1891, in Kiev, at that time in the Russian Empire. In 1901 Bulgakov joined the First Kiev Gymnasium, where he developed an interest in Russian and European literature (his favourite authors at the time being Gogol, Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Saltykov-Shchedrin, and Dickens), theatre and opera. In 1913, Bulgakov married Tatiana Lappa. In 1916, Bulgakov graduated from the Medical Department of Kiev University and, after serving as a surgeon at Chernovtsy hospital, was appointed provincial physician to Smolensk province. Career[edit] Last years[edit]

All Quiet on the Western Front All Quiet on the Western Front (German: Im Westen nichts Neues) is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front. The novel was first published in November and December 1928 in the German newspaper Vossische Zeitung and in book form in late January 1929. The book and its sequel, The Road Back, were among the books banned and burned in Nazi Germany. It sold 2.5 million copies in 22 languages in its first eighteen months in print.[1] Title and translation[edit] Brian Murdoch's 1993 translation would render the phrase as "there was nothing new to report on the Western Front" within the narrative. Although it does not match the German exactly, Wheen's title has justly become part of the English language and is retained here with gratitude. Plot summary[edit] Themes[edit] Tjaden[edit]

Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque[1] (22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970), born Erich Paul Remark, was a German author who authored many works, with his best-known novel being All Quiet on the Western Front. Life and work[edit] Erich Maria Remarque was born on 22 June 1898 into a working class family in the German city of Osnabrück to Peter Franz Remark (b. 14 June 1867, Kaiserswerth) and Anna Maria (née Stallknecht; born 21 November 1871, Katernberg). First World War[edit] Teacher[edit] Other jobs[edit] Erich worked at a number of different jobs, including librarian, businessman, teacher, journalist and editor. Novelist[edit] At the age of 16, Remarque had made his first attempts at writing; this included essays, poems, and the beginnings of a novel that was finished later and published in 1920 as The Dream Room (Die Traumbude). In 1931, after finishing The Road Back (Der Weg zurück), Remarque bought a villa in Porto Ronco, Switzerland, planning to live both there and in France. Nazi era[edit] Novels[edit]

The Hound of the Baskervilles In 2003, the book was listed as number 128 of 200 on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's "best-loved novel."[2] In 1999, it was listed as the top Holmes novel, with a rating from Sherlockian scholars of 100 of 100.[3] Plot[edit] Introduction[edit] Sir Charles Baskerville, baronet, is found dead on the grounds of his country house, Baskerville Hall. Mortimer explains that the Baskerville family is afflicted by a curse. Sir Charles Baskerville had become fearful of the legendary curse and its hellhound. In London[edit] Intrigued by the case, Holmes met Sir Henry, newly arrived from Canada. Holmes asks if there were any other living relatives besides Sir Henry. Despite the note's warning, Sir Henry insists on visiting Baskerville Hall. By the time they return to the hotel, Sir Henry has had another, older boot stolen. At Baskerville Hall[edit] Mortimer, Watson, and Sir Henry set off for Baskerville Hall the following Saturday. The convict[edit] The appearance of Holmes[edit] Climax[edit]

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle KStJ, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish physician and writer who is most noted for his fictional stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction. He is also known for writing the fictional adventures of a second character he invented, Professor Challenger, and for popularising the mystery of the Mary Celeste.[1] He was a prolific writer whose other works include fantasy and science fiction stories, plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. Life and career[edit] Early life[edit] Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born on 22 May 1859 at 11 Picardy Place, Edinburgh, Scotland.[2][3] His father, Charles Altamont Doyle, was born in England of Irish Catholic descent, and his mother, Mary (née Foley), was Irish Catholic. Doyle's father died in 1893, in the Crichton Royal, Dumfries, after many years of psychiatric illness.[13][14] Name[edit] Writing career[edit]

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