Medieval Poetry

Charles Baudelaire is one of the greatest French poets. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil), was deemed scandalous at the time because of its themes of sex and death, lesbianism, corruption, wine, and the oppressiveness of living. Its powerful imagery and ravaging use of the senses had many name him an unequaled master; the effect on fellow artists was "immense, prodigious, unexpected, mingled with admiration and with some indefinable anxious fear", while the regime of the Second Empire had Baudelaire prosecuted and fined for his "insult to public decency".

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites Shakespeare's "Sonnet 17".

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 12".

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites William Shakespeare's Sonnet 2.

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites William Shakespeare's Sonnet 1.

Masterfully read by award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti, travel to the town of Hamelin suffering from a rat infestation, when a piper dressed in multicolored ("pied") clothing appeared, claiming to be a rat-catcher. He promised the mayor a solution to their problem with the rats. The mayor, in turn, promised to pay him for the removal of the rats (according to some versions of the story, the promised sum was 1,000 guilders). The piper accepted and played his pipe to lure the rats into the Weser River, where they all drowned. The rest is a legend enjoyed for centuries.

It’s a dark and stormy night, and “The Raven”, read by award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti, transports us to a lonely chamber illuminated by firelight. The inhabitant who becomes the narrator hears a gentle tapping at the chamber door. The tapping is a raven who speaks one word, “Nevermore."

One of the best-known poems in American literature, "Casey at the Bat", written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer and first published in The San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances.

Probably one of the most dissected seduction poems ever written, "To His Coy Mistress" is a metaphysical poem written by the English author and politician Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) either during or just before the English Interregnum (1649-60). It was published posthumously in 1681. This poem is considered one of Marvell's finest and is possibly the best recognized carpe diem poem in English. Although the date of its composition is not known, it may have been written in the early 1650s.

Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years in prison, part of which he spent in Reading Gaol. About five months after Wilde arrived at Reading Gaol, Charles Thomas Wooldridge, a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards, was brought to Reading to await his trial for murdering his common-law wife (and promptly presenting himself and confessing to a policeman) on 29 March 1896; on 17 June, Wooldridge was sentenced to death and returned to Reading for his execution, which took place on Tuesday, 7 July 1896 - the first hanging at Reading in 18 years. The poem is dedicated to him.

Not many people have influenced the world we live in today in quite the same way as Abraham Lincoln. A visionary, scholar, and gentle soul. Simple qualities we all have within us, but few use these qualities to benefit mankind in quite the same way as Abe did. Centuries after his passing into spirit, we still remember his name, his work, and his legacy and will continue to do so for centuries to come. This short trilogy of verse I feel best capture his essence and the feeling of people who lived with and knew him.

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites "Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare.

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites Shakespeare's "Sonnet 16".

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites William Shakespeare's Sonnet 43.

Narrated in Middle English by J.B. Bessinger, Jr.

Discover the secret agenda of The Walrus and the Carpenter as they stroll along the beach enticing and exciting the young oysters to follow them. This is a classic morality tale written by Lewis Carroll told as a children’s poem. And, it explores movements and causes, great and small, leaders and followers, and the risks of following leaders blindly.