Classical Europe

Katy was the sort of girl who might do anything next, so long as it was something exciting! At 21, she was as eager for adventure as ever, and what greater adventure could there be for an American girl than a trip to Europe?

Sous Louis XIII, Le Baron de Sigognac s'ennuie dans son grand château en ruine, lorsqu'une troupe de théâtre frappe à sa porte et demande à se loger pour la nuit. Il accepte alors de les accueillir chez lui. Le lendemain, le Baron décide de prendre la route avec eux. Une série d'aventures les attend et le Baron va remplacer au pied levé le comédien qui jouait le Capitaine Fracasse ! "Capitaine Fracasse", roman de cape et d'épée paru en 1863, est considéré comme l'un des chefs-d'œuvre de Théophile Gautier.

Here are some of the most enchanting fairy stories of all time. The Brothers Grimm conjure up a world of fantasy, hope and good fortune where the princess meets and marries the right prince (even if he once was a frog), and where the cruel witch, the arrogant wife and the greedy wolf get their comeuppance.

Delve into the enchanting world of "Tom Thumb," a timeless fairy tale by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm. This classic story tells the adventures of Tom Thumb, a tiny boy no larger than his father's thumb, who embarks on incredible journeys despite his small size. Tom Thumb's cleverness and bravery lead him through a series of extraordinary escapades, from being swallowed by a cow to outsmarting thieves. Each adventure showcases his resourcefulness and determination, making him a beloved character in the world of fairy tales.

Oscar Wilde's classic comic ghost story was the first of his short stories to be published, in February 1887. It relates the experiences of Mr. Hiram B. Otis, an American minister, and his family when they move into Canterville Chase, an ancient pile haunted by the previous owner's dead ancestor, Sir Simon. Of course, Mr. Otis declares, "There is no such thing, sir, as a ghost", and all of Sir Simon's hauntings have no effect on the skeptical American family, with the exception of the daughter, Virginia, despite his most strenuous efforts.

Thumbelina is a classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a tiny girl no bigger than a thumb snatched from her family by an ugly toad who wants to marry her. Thumbelina escapes, befriending various creatures of the forest, until one day, she meets the king of the flower angels, with whom she finds happiness forever.

Behind a hedge of impenetrable thorns stands a castle, wherein lies a beautiful princess cursed to sleep her life away. Can the bold and dashing prince save the young woman, or is her fate sealed?

Oscar Wilde told and retold his fairy tales to friends in private readings, refining them further each time before finally publishing them in two collections between 1888 and 1891 to great acclaim and lasting popularity ever since. Much of their charm is due to Wilde's intention that the stories be "studies in prose... meant partly for children, and partly for those who have kept the childlike faculties of wonder and joy, and who find in simplicity a subtle strangeness."

Voyages of discovery, inventions, the revival of classical learning, and the advent of science contributed to the intellectual upheavals of this creative period, and are reflected in its literature and art. Hudson focuses on the one thread of continuity that he sees as both the seed and the fruit of this exciting era: the awakening of secular humanism and the emergence of the individual. This history gives the listener a lucid, perceptive analysis of the splendid Renaissance.

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom lived a King with eleven sons and a beautiful daughter named Eliza. All was peaceful until the widowed King decided to remarry a wicked Queen with dark magical powers. Out of spite, the stepmother turns her eleven stepsons into swans and banishes Eliza from the castle into the countryside. Despite the overwhelming odds, Eliza is determined to rescue her brothers, overcome the evil Queen’s spell, and reunite her family.

King Arthur is probably the most famous and certainly the most legendary medieval king. From the early ninth century through the middle ages, to the Arthurian romances of Victorian times, the tales of this legendary figure have blossomed and multiplied. And in more recent times, there has been a continuous stream of books claiming to have discovered the "facts" about, or to unlock the secret or truth behind, the "once and future king". Broadly speaking, there are two Arthurs.

A hammer no mortal can lift. A flame-haired, fiery storm god. A comic book alien-hero-god who defends humanity. The swastika. Even the name "Thursday" ("Thor's Day"). Despite the virtual disappearance of the indigenous Norse religion and mythology several centuries ago, modern society still regularly encounters the storm god Thor, who continues to be brought back to life in the form of literature and was recently the protagonist in a big-budget Hollywood movie.

The Cult of the Supreme Being was a type of deism invented by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution. Its purpose was to affirm the connections between citizenship, morality, and reason. Intended to replace both Roman Catholicism and its rival, the Cult of Reason, it died with its author in 1794.

The focus of the book is on Shakespeare's London, how it influenced his drama, and how he represents it on stage. Taking listeners on an imaginative journey through the city, the book moves both chronologically, from beginning to end of Shakespeare's dramatic career, and geographically, traversing London from west to east.

Thomas Carlyle's The French Revolution is a landmark of literary history. Conceived not as a dry recounting of facts, but as a personal, vivid, direct and dramatic encounter with the turbulent times of revolutionary France, it is in fact an extended dramatic monologue in which we meet not only the striking personalities and events of the time, but the equally striking personality and mind of Thomas Carlyle himself.

"The Snow Queen" is one of Hans Christian Andersen’s longest and most popular tales. It’s about Gerda and her friend Kai growing up through many adventures. Exploring the struggle between good and evil, it’s a story of a magic mirror, trolls, sorceresses, and power.

An epic saga of love, fate and betrayal. Victoria has chosen career over love, but starts to question this decision when she finds herself working at a remote weather research station on a tiny island off the coast of Norway. In this world of midnight sunshine, the Old Gods still watch the affairs of humanity - one of them has become fixated on Victoria, certain that she is the reincarnation of a woman he fell in love with over a thousand years before.

This is a story from the Grimm's Fairy Tales collection.

A billingual version of the classic fairy tale read first in its original English version and then in its French version. A real treat for language learners.

A hammer no mortal can lift. A flame-haired fiery storm god. A comic book alien-hero-god who defends humanity. The swastika. Even the name "Thursday" ("Thor's Day"). Despite the virtual disappearance of the indigenous Norse religion and mythology several centuries ago, modern society still regularly encounters the storm god Thor, who continues to be brought back to life in the form of literature and was recently the protagonist in a big-budget Hollywood movie.