The play opens with Argan, a severe hypochondriac, going through the bill from his apothecary (the pharmacist) item by item. He pays out only about half of what is on the bill. That done, he calls for his maid, Toinette. When she fails to appear immediately he shouts and calls her name until she arrives. Toinette is not interested in putting up with Argan's temper, so she mocks his rage.

A Study Guide for Samuel Langhorne Clemens's "The Invalid's Story," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.

The title story of this collection of short gems by America's greatest humorist, published in 1900, tells of a man's attempt to gain revenge on the hypocritcal citizens of a supposedly "incorruptible" town. Other stories include "The Man Who Put Up at Gadsby's" and "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."

Argues that readers can use grudge-holding to be their happiest, most optimistic, and most forgiving selves. "Slights, snubs, emotional wounds, unprovoked attacks. They happen to us all. But aren't we supposed to just forgive, forget, and move on? Bearing a grudge is too negative, right? Wrong! Grudges, when held correctly, are an essential part of a healthy psychological diet. Internationally bestselling author and grudge guru Sophie Hannah has...

"From Helen Rappaport, the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanov Sisters comes After the Romanovs, the story of the Russian aristocrats, artists, and intellectuals who sought freedom and refuge in the City of Light. Paris has always been a city of cultural excellence, fine wine and food and the latest fashions. But it has also been a place of refuge for those fleeing persecution, never more so than before and after the Russian Revolution...

"A co-written project by Irvin and Marilyn Yalom, which describes their heartbreaking journey as a couple married 65 years facing the end of their long partnership. A longtime teacher and therapist on the subject of death anxiety, Dr. Yalom now confronts the loss of his wife and his own mortality. This book will offer wisdom from one of the foremost existential psychiatrists and illuminate the importance of relationships -- friendship, family, and...

In a cruel twist of irony, Texas-born Patricia Highsmith is only now, six years after her death, being recognized for her inestimable genius in her native land. With the savage humor of Evelyn Waugh and the macabre sensibility of Edgar Allan Poe, she brought a distinct twentieth-century acuity to her prolific body of noir fiction. Called "the poet of apprehension" by Graham Greene, Highsmith was unrivaled in capturing the ways in which our seemingly...

V. S. Pritchett called her "a genius." Gore Vidal described her as a "beloved novelist of singular brilliance ... Of all the Southern writers, she is the most apt to endure ..." And Tennessee Williams said, "The only real writer the South ever turned out, was Carson." She was born Lula Carson Smith in Columbus, Georgia. Her dream was to become a concert pianist, though she'd been writing since she was sixteen and the influence of music was evident...