Tajemnica Edwina Drooda

Charles Dickens

,,Tajemnica Edwina Drooda" to bardzo mroczna, niedokończona powieść kryminalna Dickensa, na przestrzeni wieków pojawiło się wiele spekulacji dotyczących jej związków ze śmiercią pisarza. Głównym bohaterem jest tutaj młody architekt Edwin Drood, który zgodnie z obietnicą daną jeszcze w czasach dzieciństwa ma zostać mężem pięknej Rosie Bud. Para jest do siebie bardzo przywiązana, choć płomienne uczucie między nimi już dawno wygasło. Pewnego dnia Drood znika w tajemniczych okolicznościach i ginie wszelki ślad po nim. Czy ma to związek z jego osobliwą narzeczoną albo pobliską palarnią opium? Powieść doczekała się wielu interpretacji, alternatywnych zakończeń oraz rozwiązań zagadkowego zniknięcia młodego architekta. Jeśli gustujesz w mrocznych historiach z epoki wiktoriańskiej, na pewno będziesz pod wrażeniem tej pełnej teorii spiskowych i dwuznacznego erotyzmu lektury.

The Battle of Life

Charles Dickens

The Battle of Life - a novel by Charles Dickens, an English writer who is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.   Two sisters, Grace and Marion, live happily in an English village with their two servants, Clemency Newcome and Ben Britain, and their good-natured widower father Dr Jeddler. Dr Jeddler is a man whose philosophy is to treat life as a farce. Marion, the younger sister, is betrothed to Alfred Heathfield, Jeddler's ward who is leaving the village to complete his studies. He entrusts Marion to Grace's care and makes a promise to return to win Marion's hand.  

The Battle of Life. A Love Story

Charles Dickens

While The Battle of Life is one of Charles Dickens Christmas Books his annual release of a story just before Christmas this one breaks the tradition by not being concerned with Christmas. Rather, its subtitle, A Love Story, reveals more of the plot. The setting is an English village that stands on the site of a historic battle. Some characters refer to the battle as a metaphor for the struggles of life, hence the title. This novel basically depicts the battles one faces in life and winning them. Grace and Marion are sisters, saying goodbye to their childhood friend, Alfred, who has just come of age after growing up as a ward to the girls father, Dr. Jeddler. Alfred promises to come back someday to marry Marion when he has finished medical school and made his fortune. The years pass, but their happy plans take a sorrowful turn, and it will take all their courage to survive the battle of life...

The Chimes

Charles Dickens

The Chimes - a novella by Charles Dickens, an English writer who is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.   On New Year's Eve, Trotty, a poor elderly "ticket-porter" or casual messenger, is filled with gloom at the reports of crime and immorality in the newspapers, and wonders whether the working classes are simply wicked by nature. His daughter Meg and her long-time fiancé Richard arrive and announce their decision to marry next day.  

The Cricket on the Hearth

Charles Dickens

The Cricket on the Hearth - a novella by Charles Dickens, an English writer who is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.   John Peerybingle, a carrier, lives with his young wife Dot, their baby boy and their nanny Tilly Slowboy. A cricket chirps on the hearth and acts as a guardian angel to the family. One day a mysterious elderly stranger comes to visit and takes up lodging at Peerybingle's house for a few days.  

The Haunted Man and the Ghosts Bargain

Charles Dickens

The Haunted Man and the Ghosts Bargain is an 1848 ghost story by Charles Dickens. It is the final novella in Dickens series of five Christmas Books, the first and best known of which is A Christmas Carol. For Victorians these ghost stories began to be associated with Christmas time, and the end of the year. In this story, Dickens narrates the hair-raising experiences of a teacher of chemistry Redlaw. As the protagonist dwells on his past sorrows and mistakes, a phantom visits him. It offers him a bizarre escape from painful recollections of yesteryear by offering to eradicate his memory. Where he once felt interest, compassion, and sympathy, he is filled with selfishness and ingratitude, and this affliction spreads to everyone the man has contact with. The only one not affected by this is Milly. In this, like Mr. Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, the man learns some important life lessons and is given another chance at life and being a better person.

The Haunted Man and the Ghost\'s Bargain

Charles Dickens

The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain - a novella by Charles Dickens, an English writer who is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.   Redlaw is a teacher of chemistry who often broods over wrongs done him and grief from his past. He is haunted by a spirit, who is not so much a ghost as Redlaw's phantom twin and is "an awful likeness of himself...with his features, and his bright eyes, and his grizzled hair, and dressed in the gloomy shadow of his dress..." This spectre appears and proposes to Redlaw that he can allow him to "forget the sorrow, wrong, and trouble you have known...to cancel their remembrance..." Redlaw is hesitant at first, but finally agrees.  

The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices

Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens

This story is about two students who go on a journey to find a way to completely relax. Along the way, they encounter some problems and humorous incidents. The reader can distinguish the voice of Dickens and Collins in the narration. Especially memorable is the sensational story of Collins and Dickenss wonderful story about the wedding chamber. This is just one of many texts that are not widely used, but they are definitely worth reading.