Jonathan Oliver
1) The Cossacks
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English
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"The Cossacks" is believed to be somewhat autobiographical, partially based on Tolstoy's experiences in the Caucasus during the last stages of the Caucasian War. Disenchanted with his privileged life in Russian society, nobleman Dmitri Olenin joins the army as a cadet, in the hopes of escaping the superficiality of his daily life. On a quest to find "completeness," he naively hopes to find serenity among the "simple" people of the Caucasus. In an...
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English
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The Kreutzer Sonata, one of the most controversial novels written by Leo Tolstoy. It was named after Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata and attracted immediate attention of censors on both sides of the Atlantic when it first appeared. The narrative follows the main character, Pozdnyshev who relates the events leading up to his killing his wife.
3) Ivanhoe
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In "Ivanhoe", a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe is a Saxon crusader, returning home to England from the unsuccessful Third Crusade. A supporter of the Norman king Richard the Lionheart, he is disowned by his father. Featuring colorful descriptions of tournaments, outlaws, witch trials and tensions between Jews and Christians, it is also notable for its vivid and lasting depictions of historical figures such as Robin Hood,...
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Rene Descartes is one of the formative figures in Western philosophy, logic and mathematics. His famous statement, 'I think, therefore I am,' has become perhaps the most famous phrase in all of philosophy. Descartes' ground-breaking writings attempted to establish unshakeable foundations of knowledge, and set a trend for subsequent Western philosophy, which has endlessly critiqued and expanded upon his ideas.
5) Frankenstein
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English
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The story of Dr. Frankenstein and the obsessive experiment that leads to the creation of a monstrous and deadly creature.