literature

74d

<p>Today is Burns' birthday, let's celebrate! </p><p>'There's no other poem like it': Why this Robert Burns classic is a masterpiece</p><p>Tam O'Shanter is a rip-roaring tale of witches and alcohol, but it has hidden depths. On Burns Night this Sunday – and 235 years after the poem was published in 1791 – Scots everywhere may well be treated to a masterwork with a unique, universal appeal.</p><p>By Nicholas Barber</p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20260122-why-this-robert-burns-poem-is-a-masterpiece" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20260122-why-this-robert-burns-poem-is-a-masterpiece"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/</span><span class="invisible">20260122-why-this-robert-burns-poem-is-a-masterpiece</span></a></p><p>Tam O'Shanter at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25733" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25733</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

Fronstispiece of the book Tam O' Shanter. by Robert Burns.

Decorations by Harry L. Miller.

Published by The Saalfield Publishing Company.

The artwork is done in a highly decorative, ornate, and gothic style, with intricate linework. The entire page is framed by a border made of twisting thorny branches, leaves, and vines. The illustration has a dark fairy-tale and folkloric atmosphere.

The border contains small human and supernatural figures, animals, and symbolic elements: A small seated figure near the top left; Hanging figures or effigies suspended from branches; Witch-like and goblin-like creatures placed around the frame; Small animals such as cats or owls, enhancing the eerie tone; The thorny branches curve around to form an elaborate rectangular frame.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/25733/pg25733-images.html

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1y

<p>"Thus the wise and worthy singer<br>Sings not all his garnered wisdom;<br>Better leave unsung some sayings<br>Than to sing them out of season."<br>Epilogue, line 20</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1835.</p><p>The Finnish language epic poetry Kalevala, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from oral sources, is first published in the Grand Duchy of Finland, becoming influential in the Fennoman movement.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalevala" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalevala</a></p><p>Kalevala at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/5186" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/5186</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

Inside front title page of The "Old" Kalevala, Finnish national epos, collection of old Finnish poems, by Elias Lönnrot. First edition; volume 1, 1835.

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74d

<p>I murder hate by flood or field, <br>Tho’ glory's name may screen us; <br>In wars at home I’ll spend my blood—<br>Life-giving wars of Venus.<br>The deities that I adore<br>Are social Peace and Plenty;<br>I’m better pleas’d to make one more,<br>Than be the death of twenty…<br> <br>—Robert Burns, “I Murder Hate”</p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/robertburns/" rel="tag">#RobertBurns</a> <a href="/tags/burnsnight/" rel="tag">#BurnsNight</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/romanticism/" rel="tag">#romanticism</a> <a href="/tags/18thcentury/" rel="tag">#18thcentury</a></p>

I Murder Hate
Robert Burns

I murder hate by flood or field,
Tho’ glory’s name may screen us;
In wars at home I’ll spend my blood—
Life-giving wars of Venus.
The deities that I adore
Are social Peace and Plenty;
I’m better pleas’d to make one more,
Than be the death of twenty.

I would not die like Socrates,
For all the fuss of Plato;
Nor would I with Leonidas,
Nor yet would I with Cato:
The zealots of the Church and State
Shall ne’er my mortal foes be;
But let me have bold Zimri’s fate,
Within the arms of Cozbi!

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74d

<p>Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;<br>Ae fareweel, and then forever!<br>Deep in heart-wrung tears I’ll pledge thee,<br>Warring sighs and groans I’ll wage thee…</p><p>—Robert Burns<br>published in SELECTED POEMS & SONGS (OUP, 2013)</p><p><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/selected-poems-and-songs-9780199682324" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="global.oup.com/academic/product/selected-poems-and-songs-9780199682324"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">global.oup.com/academic/produc</span><span class="invisible">t/selected-poems-and-songs-9780199682324</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/robertburns/" rel="tag">#RobertBurns</a> <a href="/tags/burnsnight/" rel="tag">#BurnsNight</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/romanticism/" rel="tag">#romanticism</a> <a href="/tags/18thcentury/" rel="tag">#18thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/song/" rel="tag">#song</a> <a href="/tags/folksong/" rel="tag">#folksong</a> <a href="/tags/lovesong/" rel="tag">#lovesong</a></p>

Robert Burns
“Ae Fond Kiss”

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, and then forever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I’ll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I’ll wage thee.
Who shall say that fortune grieves him,
While the star of hope she leaves him?
Me, nae cheerfu’ twinkle lights me;
Dark despair around benights me.

I'll ne’er blame my partial fancy,
Naething could resist my Nancy;
But to see her was to love her;
Love but her, and love forever.
Had we never lov’d sae kindly,
Had we never lov’d sae blindly,
Never met—or never parted—
We had ne’er been broken-hearted.

Fare thou weel, thou first and fairest!
Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest!
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, Enjoyment, Love, and Pleasure!
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, Alas! for ever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I’ll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I’ll wage thee.

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74d

<p>My Son, these maxims make a rule,<br>An’ lump them aye thegither; <br>The Rigid Righteous is a fool,<br>The Rigid Wise anither…</p><p>—Robert Burns, “Address to the Unco Guid, or the Ridgidly Righteous”</p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/robertburns/" rel="tag">#RobertBurns</a> <a href="/tags/burnsnight/" rel="tag">#BurnsNight</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/18thcentury/" rel="tag">#18thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/humour/" rel="tag">#humour</a></p>

Address to the Unco Guid, or the Ridgidly Righteous
Robert Burns

My Son, these maxims make a rule,
An’ lump them aye thegither;
The Rigid Righteous is a fool,
The Rigid Wise anither:
The cleanest corn that ere was dight
May hae some pyles o’ caff in;
So ne’er a fellow-creature slight
For random fits o’ daffin.
—Solomon, Eccles. 7. 16

O ye wha are sae guid yoursel’,
Sae pious and sae holy,
Ye’ve nought to do but mark and tell
Your neibours’ fauts and folly!
Whase life is like a weel-gaun mill,
Supplied wi’ store o’ water;
The heaped happer’s ebbing still,
An’ still the clap plays clatter.

Hear me, ye venerable core,
As counsel for poor mortals
That frequent pass douce Wisdom’s door
For glaikit Folly’s portals:
I, for their thoughtless, careless sakes,
Would here propone defences—
Their donsie tricks, their black mistakes,
Their failings and mischances.

Ye see your state wi’ theirs compared,
And shudder at the niffer;
But cast a moment’s fair regard,
What maks the mighty differ;
Discount what scant occasion gave,
That purity ye pride in;
And (what’s aft mair than a’ the lave),
Your better art o’ hidin.

Think, when your castigated pulse
Gies now and then a wallop!
What ragings must his veins convulse,
That still eternal gallop!
Wi’ wind and tide fair i’ your tail,
Right on ye scud your sea-way;
But in the teeth o’ baith to sail,
It maks a unco lee-way.

See Social Life and Glee sit down,
All joyous and unthinking,
Till, quite transmugrified, they’re grown
Debauchery and Drinking:
O would they stay to calculate
Th’ eternal consequences;
Or your more dreaded hell to state,
Damnation of expenses!

Ye high, exalted, virtuous dames,
Tied up in godly laces,
Before ye gie poor Frailty names,
Suppose a change o’ cases;
A dear-lov’d lad, convenience snug,
A treach’rous inclination—
But let me whisper i’ your lug,
Ye’re aiblins nae temptation.

Then gently scan your brother man,
Still gentler sister woman;
Tho’ they may gang a kennin wrang,
To step aside is human: ‍‍
One point must still be greatly dark,—
The moving Why they do it;‍‍
And just as lamely can ye mark,
How far perhaps they rue it.

Who made the heart, ’tis He alone
Decidedly can try us;
He knows each chord, its various tone,
Each spring, its various bias:
Then at the balance let’s be mute,
We never can adjust it;
What’s done we partly may compute,
But know not what’s resisted.

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74d

<p>O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us<br>To see oursels as others see us!<br>It wad frae monie a blunder free us<br>An’ foolish notion:<br>What airs in dress an’ gait wad lea’e us,<br>And ev’n Devotion!</p><p>—Robert Burns, “To a Louse”<br>from Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect: The Luath Kilmarnock Edition, illustrated by Bob Dewar</p><p><a href="https://luath.co.uk/products/poems-chiefly-in-the-scottish-dialect?variant=42807652581526" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="luath.co.uk/products/poems-chiefly-in-the-scottish-dialect?variant=42807652581526"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">luath.co.uk/products/poems-chi</span><span class="invisible">efly-in-the-scottish-dialect?variant=42807652581526</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/robertburns/" rel="tag">#RobertBurns</a> <a href="/tags/burnsnight/" rel="tag">#BurnsNight</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/18thcentury/" rel="tag">#18thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/humour/" rel="tag">#humour</a></p>

To a Louse, On Seeing one on a Lady’s Bonnet at Church
Robert Burns

Ha! whare ye gaun, ye crowlan ferlie!
Your impudence protects you sairly:
I canna say but ye strunt rarely,
Owre gawze and lace;
Tho’ faith, I fear ye dine but sparely,
On sic a place.

Ye ugly, creepan, blastet wonner,
Detested, shunn’d, by saunt an’ sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her,
Sae fine a Lady!
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner,
On some poor body.

Swith, in some beggar’s haffet squattle;
There ye may creep, and sprawl, and sprattle,
Wi’ ither kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Whare horn nor bane ne’er daur unsettle,
Your thick plantations.

Now haud you there, ye’re out o’ sight,
Below the fatt’rels, snug and tight,
Na faith ye yet! ye’ll no be right,
Till ye’ve got on it,
The vera topmost, towrin height
O’ Miss’s bonnet.

My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose out,
As plump an’ gray as onie grozet:
O for some rank, mercurial rozet,
Or fell, red smeddum,
I’d gie you sic a hearty dose o’t,
Wad dress your droddum!

I wad na been surpriz’d to spy
You on an auld wife’s flainen toy;
Or aiblins some bit duddie boy,
On ’s wylecoat;
But Miss’s fine Lunardi, fye!
How daur ye do ’t?

O Jenny dinna toss your head,
An’ set your beauties a’ abread!
Ye little ken what cursed speed
The blastie’s makin!
Thae winks and finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice takin!

O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us
An’ foolish notion:
What airs in dress an’ gait wad lea’e us,
And ev’n Devotion!

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1924.</p><p>Seán O'Casey's drama Juno and the Paycock opens at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. It is set in the working-class tenements of Dublin in the early 1920s, during the Irish Civil War period.</p><p>It is the second of his "Dublin Trilogy" – the other two being The Shadow of a Gunman (1923) and The Plough and the Stars (1926).</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_and_the_Paycock" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_and_the_Paycock"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_and</span><span class="invisible">_the_Paycock</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/drama/" rel="tag">#drama</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>

Poster for the 1930 film “Juno and the Paycock” (alternate title “The Shame of Mary Boyle”).

Since it was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on Seán O’Casey’s acclaimed play, the poster have been designed in the early sound era’s style, featuring bold typography and theatrical imagery.

A strong central image, possibly depicting key characters like Juno Boyle (a struggling mother) and Captain Boyle (her irresponsible husband).

A somber or dramatic color scheme reflecting the film’s serious tone.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1875.</p><p>Bizet's Carmen premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, with mezzo-soprano Célestine Galli-Marié in the title role. It is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. </p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen</a></p><p>Carmem at IMSLP:<br><a href="https://imslp.org/wiki/Carmen_(Bizet,_Georges)" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="imslp.org/wiki/Carmen_(Bizet,_Georges)"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">imslp.org/wiki/Carmen_(Bizet,_</span><span class="invisible">Georges)</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/art/" rel="tag">#art</a> <a href="/tags/music/" rel="tag">#music</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Lithograph of act 1 in the premiere performance of Bizet's Carmen, by Pierre-Auguste Lamy, 1875.

The scene portrays a bustling street in Seville, outside a tobacco factory (indicated by the sign "Fábrica de Tabaco" on the building to the right). The image features a group of women, likely representing the female cigarette factory workers, dressed in traditional Spanish attire with full skirts and shawls.

In the foreground, a seated soldier appears to be engaged with something in his hands, possibly representing Don José, one of the opera’s main characters. The composition includes a large arched bridge in the middle ground, adding depth and perspective, while the background shows classic European architecture with multiple buildings and towers.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1912.</p><p>Frieda Weekley meets D. H. Lawrence in Nottingham. She met D. H. Lawrence, a former student of her husband's; they soon fell in love and eloped to Germany. During their stay Lawrence was arrested for spying; after the intervention of Frieda's father, the couple walked south over the Alps to Italy. In 1914, following her divorce, Frieda and D.H. Lawrence married. </p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieda_Lawrence" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieda_Lawrence"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieda_L</span><span class="invisible">awrence</span></a></p><p>D.H. Lawrence at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/123" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/123"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/123</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

David Herbert Lawrence & Frieda von Richthofen, 1914.

The image typically shows them sitting close together, reflecting their deep and unconventional relationship.

David Herbert Lawrence, known for his intense gaze and bohemian appearance, is often depicted with unkempt hair and a beard, dressed in simple, rugged clothing that suggests his rejection of traditional societal norms.

Frieda, who came from an aristocratic German background, appears confident and free-spirited, sometimes wearing a long dress or a coat suitable for the countryside.

Edited 1y ago

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1y

<p>‘He contains the whole of literature’: is Dickens better than Shakespeare?</p><p>After rereading the entire works of the great Victorian novelist during the pandemic, Peter Conrad became convinced – whisper it – that Dickens is an even greater writer than that other British literary giant, the Bard.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/02/is-dickens-better-than-shakespeare" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/02/is-dickens-better-than-shakespeare"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.theguardian.com/books/2025</span><span class="invisible">/mar/02/is-dickens-better-than-shakespeare</span></a></p><p>Shakespeare at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/65</span></a></p><p>Charles Dickens at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/37" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/37"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/37</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Portrait of William Shakespeare by John Taylor.

The portrait shows Shakespeare with a slightly melancholic yet confident expression, dark eyes, and a mustache with a small pointed beard.

He is dressed in Elizabethan attire, wearing a black doublet or jacket with a wide, white collar. A gold hoop earring is visible in his left ear, a fashionable accessory among poets and playwrights of the time.

The background is dark, which emphasizes his face and adds a sense of depth and drama to the portrait.

Portrait of Charles Dickens by Jeremiah Gurney, c. 1867–1868.

In the portrait, Dickens is dressed in formal Victorian attire, typically a dark suit with a vest and a neatly tied cravat.

His hair is slightly disheveled, and his full beard and mustache frame his face, giving him a distinguished yet somewhat weary appearance.

His eyes, often described as piercing and thoughtful, add to the emotional depth of the image.

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68d

<p>Kirkcudbright Book Festival 2026<br>5–8 March</p><p>Kirkcudbright Book Festival celebrates local & national voices, local history, Scottish culture, children’s authors, crime fiction, nature and the environment & much more – full programme online now</p><p><a href="https://www.kbtbookfestival.org/full-programme" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.kbtbookfestival.org/full-programme"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.kbtbookfestival.org/full-p</span><span class="invisible">rogramme</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/kidlit/" rel="tag">#kidlit</a> <a href="/tags/crimefiction/" rel="tag">#crimefiction</a> <a href="/tags/naturewriting/" rel="tag">#naturewriting</a> <a href="/tags/scottishculture/" rel="tag">#ScottishCulture</a> <a href="/tags/bookfestival/" rel="tag">#bookfestival</a> <a href="/tags/kirkcudbright/" rel="tag">#Kirkcudbright</a></p>

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1y

<p>In March 1881.</p><p>Ambrose Bierce contributes to the weekly satirical San Francisco magazine The Wasp & resumes his column "Prattle" and the series of cynical definitions which he first calls The Devil's Dictionary.</p><p>Bierce's witty definitions were imitated & plagiarized for years before he gathered them into books, first as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906 & then in a more complete version as The Devil's Dictionary in 1911.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Dictionary" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Dictionary"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devi</span><span class="invisible">l%27s_Dictionary</span></a></p><p>At PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/972" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/972</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Title page of The Cynic's Word Book by Ambrose Bierce.

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1y

<p>The Post-Millennial Poe, or, Edgar Allan Holmes?</p><p>In life, Edgar Allan Poe was best known as a literary critic. Today, he’s best remembered for his disquieting tales…but that may be changing.</p><p>By: Matthew Wills </p><p><a href="https://daily.jstor.org/the-post-millennial-poe-or-edgar-allan-holmes/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="daily.jstor.org/the-post-millennial-poe-or-edgar-allan-holmes/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">daily.jstor.org/the-post-mille</span><span class="invisible">nnial-poe-or-edgar-allan-holmes/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/literarycriticism/" rel="tag">#literarycriticism</a></p>

Edgar Allan Poe, June 1849. Daguerreotype "Annie", given to Poe's friend Mrs. Annie L. Richmond; probably taken in June 1849 in Lowell, Massachusetts, photographer unknown.

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1y

<p>This part really stuck with me while doing an immersive read of Paradise Lost tonight. </p><p>@bookstodon @reading <a href="/tags/classiclit/" rel="tag">#classiclit</a> <a href="/tags/classicliterature/" rel="tag">#ClassicLiterature</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/johnmilton/" rel="tag">#johnmilton</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

O shame to men! Devil with devil damned firm concord holds; men only disagree of creatures rational, though under hope of heavily grace, and, God proclaiming peace, Yet live in hatred, enimity and strife among themselves, and levy cruel wars wasting the earth, each other to destroy: as if (which might induce us to accord) man had not hellish foes enow besides, that day and night for his destruction to wait!

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1888.</p><p>During Joseph Conrad's career at sea as Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, he departs from Bangkok for Sydney in his first command as master, on the British barque Otago. This provides a basis for his novella The Shadow Line (1916).</p><p>It was first published as a serial in New York's Metropolitan Magazine in the English Review and published in book form in 1917 in the UK and America.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_Line_(novel)" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_Line_(novel)"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shad</span><span class="invisible">ow_Line_(novel)</span></a></p><p>The Shadow Line at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/451" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/451</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

First edition (UK) of Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad.

The title, The Shadow Line, is prominently displayed at the top in bold, dark lettering. Below the title, a red-bordered box contains text posing a mysterious question about the challenges faced by the captain and crew in passing latitude 8° 20' in the Far East.

Centered on the cover is a black-and-white portrait of Joseph Conrad, framed within a red rectangular border. He has a distinguished look with a mustache and beard.

At the bottom, the author’s name, Joseph Conrad, is printed in bold, capitalized letters on a red background, ensuring visibility.

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31d

<p>Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.</p><p>Omar Khayyam</p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span> <br><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a></p>

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351d

<p>Happy birthday Shakespeare (born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1564)!</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1932. To mark Shakespeare's birthday:</p><p>The Royal Shakespeare Company's new theatre opens at Stratford-upon-Avon.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Shakespeare_Company" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Shakespeare_Company"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Sh</span><span class="invisible">akespeare_Company</span></a></p><p>The Folger Shakespeare Library opens in Washington, D.C.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folger_Shakespeare_Library" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folger_Shakespeare_Library"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folger_S</span><span class="invisible">hakespeare_Library</span></a></p><p>Shakespeare at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/65</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>

Artistic depiction of the Shakespeare family, late 19th century

Perine, George Edward, 1837-1885, printmaker. - engraved for the Eclectic by Perine & Giles.

Illustration of William Shakespeare reciting his play Hamlet to his family. His wife, Anne Hathaway, is sitting in the chair on the right; his son Hamnet is behind him on the left; his two daughters Susanna and Judith are on the right and left of him. (Hamnet shown younger than his twin, Judith, as he had died a few years before Hamlet was written).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare#/media/File:Shakespeare's_family_circle.jpg

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72d

<p>Reading Scotland with Gioia Angeletti: Early 19th-century Scottish Migration Literature<br>3 Feb, free online</p><p>Examining how Scotland’s experience of “internal colonialism” after the 1707 Union shaped its literary engagement with empire & migration during the long eighteenth century</p><p>@litstudies </p><p><a href="https://www.scotland.uni-mainz.de/reading-scotland/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.scotland.uni-mainz.de/reading-scotland/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.scotland.uni-mainz.de/read</span><span class="invisible">ing-scotland/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/18thcentury/" rel="tag">#18thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/19thcentury/" rel="tag">#19thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/migration/" rel="tag">#migration</a> <a href="/tags/empire/" rel="tag">#empire</a> <a href="/tags/imperialism/" rel="tag">#imperialism</a> <a href="/tags/colonialism/" rel="tag">#colonialism</a> <a href="/tags/nationalidentity/" rel="tag">#nationalidentity</a></p>

Reading Scotland
with Gioia Angeletti

Early 19th-century Scottish Migration Literature

Tuesday, 3rd February 2026
6.00–7.00pm (German time) on MS Teams

www.scotland.uni-mainz.de

Edited 72d ago

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1y

<p>What Is Rousseau’s Social Contract Theory? (Definition & Criticisms)</p><p>Rousseau’s social contract theory advocates for collective sovereignty, freedom, and equality through the general will for a just society.</p><p>By Viktoriya Sus</p><p><a href="https://www.thecollector.com/rousseau-social-contract-theory-definition/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.thecollector.com/rousseau-social-contract-theory-definition/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.thecollector.com/rousseau-</span><span class="invisible">social-contract-theory-definition/</span></a></p><p>The Social Contract at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46333" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46333</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/philosophy/" rel="tag">#philosophy</a></p>

1766 portrait of Rousseau wearing an Armenian papakha and costume, Allan Ramsay

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1y

<p>The Authorship Debate: Who Is the Real Shakespeare?</p><p>The Shakespeare Authorship Debate concerns the ongoing mystery as to the true author of the plays, sonnets and other works attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford Upon Avon.</p><p>By Lauren Jones</p><p><a href="https://www.thecollector.com/the-authorship-debate-who-is-the-real-shakespeare/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.thecollector.com/the-authorship-debate-who-is-the-real-shakespeare/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.thecollector.com/the-autho</span><span class="invisible">rship-debate-who-is-the-real-shakespeare/</span></a></p><p>Shakespeare at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/65</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/drama/" rel="tag">#drama</a></p>

Portrait of William Shakespeare by John Taylor, edited.

The Portrait of William Shakespeare by John Taylor, commonly known as the Chandos Portrait, is one of the most famous and widely accepted depictions of the playwright. Created in the early 17th century, it is an oil painting on canvas and is believed to be the only portrait of Shakespeare painted during his lifetime.

The portrait features Shakespeare with a slightly receding hairline, dark, wavy hair, and a mustache and goatee.

He wears a black doublet with a white collar, and a gold hoop earring in his left ear, which was fashionable among Elizabethan gentlemen and artists.

His expression is calm and introspective, with dark eyes that appear to gaze directly at the viewer.

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1y

<p>7 Out-of-This-World Facts About Ray Bradbury’s ‘The Martian Chronicles’</p><p>The fix-up novel, which turns 75 this year, would become one of Bradbury’s most famous books—and inspire future scientists.</p><p>By Lorna Wallace</p><p><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/ray-bradbury-martian-chronicles-book-facts" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.mentalfloss.com/ray-bradbury-martian-chronicles-book-facts"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.mentalfloss.com/ray-bradbu</span><span class="invisible">ry-martian-chronicles-book-facts</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Publicity photo of Ray Bradbury from the television progam Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1959.

It shows him as a middle-aged man with a youthful yet intellectual demeanor. Bradbury, known for his iconic works such as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, typically had neatly combed hair and wore thick, dark-framed glasses, which contributed to his scholarly appearance.

In this black-and-white image, he is dressed in a suit, appropriate for the formal nature of television appearances in the late 1950s.

His expression is serious yet approachable, reflecting his deep imagination and storytelling prowess.

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1y

<p>In February 1929.</p><p>The first of Margery Allingham's crime novels to feature Albert Campion, The Crime at Black Dudley (U.S. title: The Black Dudley Murder), is published in the UK. It introduces Albert Campion, her misleadingly vapid detective, who would go on to appear in another 18 novels and many short stories over the next 30 years.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crime_at_Black_Dudley" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crime_at_Black_Dudley"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crim</span><span class="invisible">e_at_Black_Dudley</span></a></p><p>Books by Margery Allingham at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Margery+Allingham&submit_search=Search" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Margery+Allingham&submit_search=Search"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=Margery+Allingham&submit_search=Search</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

First edition of The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham.

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1y

<p>From February to August 1929.</p><p>Voltaire's Candide (1759) is held to be obscene by the United States Customs Service in Boston.</p><p>Immediately after its secretive publication, the book was widely banned because of its religious blasphemy, political sedition, and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naivety.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide</a></p><p>Candide at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/19942" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/19942</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

This was a frontispiece of Voltaire's Candide, or Optimism. It reads, "Candide, or Optimism. Translated from the German of Dr. Ralph."

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69d

<p>A History of Existential Anxiety</p><p>From medieval theology to modern philosophy, dread has long been a guide for living ethically.</p><p>By: Livia Gershon </p><p><a href="https://daily.jstor.org/a-history-of-existential-anxiety/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="daily.jstor.org/a-history-of-existential-anxiety/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">daily.jstor.org/a-history-of-e</span><span class="invisible">xistential-anxiety/</span></a></p><p>Original article:<br><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44017151?mag=a-history-of-existential-anxiety&seq=1" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.jstor.org/stable/44017151?mag=a-history-of-existential-anxiety&seq=1"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.jstor.org/stable/44017151?</span><span class="invisible">mag=a-history-of-existential-anxiety&seq=1</span></a></p><p>Kierkegaard, Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe at PG: <br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/46682" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/46682"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/46682</span></a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/47157" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/47157"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/47157</span></a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Margery+Kempe" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Margery+Kempe"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=Margery+Kempe</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/philosophy/" rel="tag">#philosophy</a> <a href="/tags/religion/" rel="tag">#religion</a></p>

The Sacrifice of Isaac, Tobias and the Angel, The Angels Appearing to Abraham, Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels (painting series).

This series of paintings predominantly tells the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac, and each of the canvases treats the interaction of humans and angels. In three works, angels appear to Abraham and, in one particularly dramatic canvas, an angel intercepts Abraham before he sacrifices his own son. Like another work in this series, Tobias and the Angels, the Sacrifice of Isaac is a narrative about fathers and sons as well as obedience inspired by faith.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francesco_Guardi_-_The_Sacrifice_of_Isaac,_Tobias_and_the_Angel,_The_Angels_Appearing_to_Abraham,_Abraham_Welcoming_the_Three_Angels_(painting_series)_-_1952.235_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tiff

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1y

<p>"Little Brother" von Cory Doctorow ( <span class="h-card"><a href="https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>pluralistic</span></a></span> ) handelt davon, wie schnell die eigene Heimat zum Feindstaat werden kann, wenn die Freiheit der Sicherheit untergeordnet wird. Und davon wie schnell die Technik, die uns ermächtigt und vernetzt, zum Mittel der Überwachung und Unterdrückung werden kann. Dabei macht Doctorow Mut mit den Mitteln der Technik für die Demokratie zu kämpfen. <a href="/tags/bücherwabe/" rel="tag">#bücherwabe</a> <a href="/tags/chemnitz/" rel="tag">#chemnitz</a> <a href="/tags/bücher/" rel="tag">#bücher</a> <a href="/tags/literatur/" rel="tag">#literatur</a> <a href="/tags/lesen/" rel="tag">#lesen</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/politik/" rel="tag">#politik</a> <a href="/tags/politics/" rel="tag">#politics</a></p>

$Ein Bild der Bücherwabe im Schaufenster der Buchhandlung am Brühl. Es sind neun Bücher zu sehen: Ursula K. LeGuin: The Word for World is Forest, Stefan Heym: Schwarzenberg, Leaf\Lawson: Ferdinand, Norbert Bobbio: Rechts und Links, Arne Semsrott: Machtübernahme, Magdalena Sorger: Ameisen, Hannah Arendt: Menschen in finsteren Zeiten, Cory Doctorow: Little Brother (Aufstand), Mely Kiyak: Werden sie uns mit FlixBus deportieren?$

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