Modern Classics Literature

We never forget the stories we were told as children. Even when they are not on the top of our mind, they lurk like palm prints on the drying cement foundations of our understanding of the world. We absorb the pluck of children in the face of adult perfidy, cheering the heroism of Hansel and Gretel or Beauty and the Beast. Counterpoised by the wickedness and cruelty of parents, stepmothers, and wolves in sheep's clothing, children's wiliness usually leaves them unharmed, if not heroic. As adults, we keep returning to them again and again in film, in theater, and in books.

Faith Hope lost both her first and middle names in a terrible fire, leaving her in physical and emotional pain. An angel of mercy disguised as a caregiver helps her recover them both. Faith Didn’t Die is a simple allegorical tale about finding one’s faith in hard times.

Four more delightful tales from one of the most entertaining storytellers of all time. Though writing in the thirteenth century, Chaucer’s wit and observation comes down undiminished through the ages, especially in this accessible modern verse translation. The stories vary considerably from the uproarious Wife of Bath’s Tale, promoting the power of women to the sober account of patient Griselda in the Clerk’s Tale.

Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, a collection of narratives written between 1387 and 1400, tells of a group of 30 people from all layers of society who pass the time along their pilgrimage to Canterbury by telling stories to one another, their interaction mediated (at times) by the affable host - Chaucer himself. Naxos AudioBooks’ third volume presents the tales of six people, here in an unabridged modern verse translation (by Frank Ernest Hill, 1935).

Do you ever wonder if there is a gnome living in the hole at the bottom of the old tree in the park? Have you ever felt like you weren't alone while in the woods? Did you know that elves are responsible for many of our day-to-day occurrences? If your mind ever fills with these kinds of questions, then these modern fairy tales are for you!

A Modern Cinderella is a collection of four short stories by Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women. Like her more famous novels, Alcott tells stories of young women interacting with people and events from the late 1800s. Louisa May Alcott bestows a truly amusing and thoroughly modern retelling of The Brothers Grimm's Cinderella. Alcott pokes fun throughout, describing a "cool blonde" as "having many cares those happy little housewives never know."

This was the book that launched a genre. Modern fantasy collections trace their lineage back to Lord Dunsany, and this was his first work that today's listeners would recognise in tone and settings.

While the core themes of adventure, friendship, and the yearning for eternal youth remain at the heart of this story, we invite you to embark on a fresh journey with us. Together, let us rediscover the wonder and enchantment of Neverland, as we witness the evolution of these beloved characters through a contemporary lens. We hope that this modernized retelling of Peter Pan will inspire your imagination, ignite your sense of wonder, and remind you that the magic of childhood and the power of dreams are timeless treasures meant to be cherished.

Il mito eterno del mostro, della creatura che viene strappata alla morte dalla scienza torna a vivere...

Ernest Belfort Bax (1854-1926) was an English barrister, journalist, philosopher, rights advocate, and historian. In this essay, after dismissing St. Simonism, Fourierism, Owenism, and “Continental Nihilists”, Bax attempts to explain what modern socialism, taken broadly, really means. He outlines the three bases of modern socialism as the direction of industry by a democratic state instead of by private capitalists; as a universal Federal Republic to take the place of the present nationalist system; and in religion, a human ideal to take the place of theological cults.

Three grownup Tales from the Dreamtime in one novella…Open the door and enter the Dreamtime, the world of fairytales, the flower of all that is delightful and mysterious, frightening and amazing.

As the English language evolves, this wonderfully instructive story is in danger of only being covered as a school requirement by grudging students. That would be a sad loss for all listeners. As an avid listener, teacher, and parent who simply loves this story, Jennifer George adapted this classic book for modern listeners using 21st-century English. The goal is to return this magical novella back into the entertaining story it was when it was written nearly 200 years ago.

We are not promised more than today. Thus we need to live our legacy now, with focus and integrity. Ryan Westcott is ready to step into the family business, armed with a fresh MBA degree from a prestigious business school. Yet his father has other ideas. He feels Ryan needs more education - but not the kind one gets from a school. Ryan is sent to his uncle’s Montana ranch to learn, in short, how to be a man. While Ryan helps his uncle build a barn, he learns life lessons about health, work, finances, education, selfessness, humility, and most important of all, love.

This is a story from the Canterbury Tales III: Modern Verse Translation collection.

Vier humoristische Erzählungen beschreiben das Kommunikationsverhalten von Reisenden gegen Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts, in welchem kein Mensch mehr Zeit zu haben scheint und alles sich ständig beschleunigt, die Verhaltensweisen von Gelegenheitsarbeitern und die sportlichen Ambitionen eines älteren Ehemannes, der trotz Warnhinweisen seiner Ehefrau zum leistungssporttechnischen Spaziergänger mutiert und erkrankt.

A modern twist on a classic horror story of the Frankenstein creature. Today with the genetic research and mapping of human DNA our own immortality is possible, but remember be careful what you wish for. The quest for immortality is full of surprise pitfalls.

Cerca de la ratonera una gran roca ha surgido de la nada. «¿Cómo ha podido llegar hasta allí?», se pregunta el ratón curioso. Pero las cosas no son lo que parecen y nuestro pequeño amigo podrá conocer al animal que más admira. En esta fábula en verso moderno, los niños revisitarán el clásico relato de El león y el ratón y aprenderán a no subestimar a nadie por su tamaño, pues más vale maña que fuerza.

Jane Addams was an American activist, philosopher, sociologist, and Nobel Prize winner. Addams’ speech The Modern Lear was delivered in 1894 at the Chicago Women’s Club and the 20th Century Club of Boston before appearing in print in 1912. In the address, Addams discusses the Pullman Railroad Strike in the Summer of 1894 in addition to other labor, union, and ethics issues of the day, using the titular character from William Shakespeare’s King Lear, who was betrayed by his two daughters, as a potent analogy.

This is a story from the "Great Ghost Stories" collection.

Realistische Wiedergabe unserer Umwelt - dafür stand der Realismus, der mit Humor und Ironie in Gedichten Ausdruck fand. Die Moderne hingegen war geprägt von Metaphern und Symbolen und war nur sich selbst verpflichtet. Diese Ansammlung der bekanntesten Gedichte des Epochenumschwungs, versetzt Sie mit dem Humor des Realismus und der Ernsthaftigkeit der Moderne ins 18. und 19. Jahrhundert zurück.