検索キーワード： 著者 "Popular Culture and Religion." すべてのカテゴリー

China and the Chinese by Herbert Allen Giles. Herbert Allen Giles (1845-1935) spent several years as a diplomat in China and in 1897 was appointed Cambridge University’s second professor of Chinese. His published works cover Chinese language and literature, history and philosophy. This series of lectures, published as “China and the Chinese”, was given at Columbia University in 1902, to mark the establishment of a Chinese professorship there. The lectures were not intended for the specialist, more to urge a wider and more systematic study of China and its culture, and to encourage ...

Michael Strogoff: The Courier of The Czar by Jules Verne. Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar is a novel written by Jules Verne in 1876. Critics consider it one of Verne's best books. Davidow wrote, "Jules Verne has written no better book than this, in fact it is deservedly ranked as one of the most thrilling tales ever written." Michael Strogoff, a 30-year-old native of Omsk, is a courier for Tsar Alexander II of Russia. The Tartar Khan (prince), Feofar, incites a rebellion and separates the Russian Far East from the mainland, severing telegraph lines. Rebels encircle Irkutsk, where ...

Uncle's Dream by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Uncle’s Dream by Fyodor Dostoyevsky was written following his five year exile to Siberia where he was sent to serve in a hard labor camp. Following what could only have been a harrowing and harsh existence in Russia’s infamous prison for political and social prisoners, one would expect Dostoyevsky’s work to have been dark and bitter. Rather, Uncle’s Dream is a humorous and yet scathing commentary on Russian provincial high-society. The story of elderly Prince K. who comes to visit the town of Mordasoff, lorded over by the imperious Maria ...

Unsolved Murders comprise thousands of historically infamous cold cases and recent homicides that continue to baffle investigators. While modern DNA and genetic genealogy frequently solve decades-old cold cases, many prominent mysteries—such as the Zodiac Killer and the Setagaya family murders—remain unresolved. This lists of Unsolved Murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.

The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit. Three children, forced to remain at school during the holidays, go in search of adventure. What they find is a magic castle straight out of a fairy tale, complete with an enchanted princess at the center of a maze. Or is it? The castle turns out to be just a country estate, and the princess is only the housekeeper's niece, playing at dressing up. But the magic ring she shows them proves -- to her surprise and horror -- to really be magic. Soon they are caught in an adventure where statues come alive, lost lovers are reunited, and wishes can be granted -- ...

Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. The framing story concerns a man who dreams of speaking to Venus about love while she wears furs. The unnamed narrator tells his dreams to a friend, Severin, who tells him how to break him of his fascination with cruel women by reading a manuscript, Memoirs of a Supersensual Man. This manuscript tells of a man, Severin von Kusiemski, so infatuated with a woman, Wanda von Dunajew, that he requests to be treated as her slave, and encourages her to treat him in progressively more degrading ways. At first Wanda does not understand or relate to the ...

Cleopatra by Jacob Abbott. "The story of Cleopatra is a story of forbidden love—its uncontrollable impulses, its intoxicating joys, its reckless course, and the dreadful ruin in which it invariably ends." Cleopatra's right to the throne of Egypt was disputed, and so she bided her time and learned how to use her charm to get whatever she wanted. She eventually seduced both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and acquired the throne of Egypt. However, her charms were not enough to keep it, and in fact Cleopatra succeeded in tearing the empire apart and dooming the men she bewitched. This ...

Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell. Acres of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell is a classic motivational book based on his famous lecture, which argues that opportunities for success and wealth are abundant in one's own community and circumstances, not far away. The central theme, illustrated by the parable of a man who sells his farm to search for diamonds only to have a mine discovered on his old land, is that "dig in your own backyard". Conwell, a minister and founder of Temple University, used the story to teach that true fortune comes from recognizing and acting on the potential in one's...

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The tale begins on a Christmas Eve exactly seven years after the death of Ebenezer Scrooge's business partner. Scrooge has no place in his life for kindness, compassion, charity or benevolence. He hates Christmas, calling it "humbug", refuses his nephew Fred's dinner invitation, and rudely turns away two gentlemen who seek a donation from him to provide a Christmas dinner for the Poor...

First Love by Ivan Turgenev. The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was ...

Tarot. Tarot, first known as trionfi and later as tarocchi or tarocks) is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play trick-taking card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, tarot games spread to most of Europe, evolving into new forms including German Grosstarok and modern examples such as French Tarot and Austrian Königrufen. Tarot is commonly found in many countries, especially in English- and Spanish-speaking countries where tarot games are not as widely played, in the ...

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit. The Story of the Treasure Seekers is a novel by E. Nesbit first published in 1899. It tells the story of Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius (H. O.) Bastable, and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover the fortunes of their family. The novel's complete name is The Story of the Treasure Seekers: Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune. The original edition included illustrations by H. R. Millar. The Puffin edition (1958) was illustrated by Cecil Leslie. Its sequels are The ...

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that tells the story of pirates, treasure maps, and mutiny. Published as a novel in 1883, the story was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881 and 1882, credited to the pseudonym "Captain George North.” Known for its atmosphere, characters, and action, Treasure Island introduced elements now standard in pirate tales, such as maps marked with an "X" and one-legged buccaneers sporting parrots on their shoulders. It is also recognized as...

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter. "Pollyanna," a novel by Eleanor H. Porter published in 1913, tells the story of an optimistic orphaned girl who comes to live with her austere Aunt Polly Harrington. The narrative revolves around Pollyanna's unyielding cheerfulness and her creation of the "Glad Game," a practice of finding something to be glad about in any situation. Despite Aunt Polly's disapproval and a challenging living environment in an uncomfortable attic room, Pollyanna's bright spirit gradually wins over the hearts of those around her, including the reclusive gentleman John Pendleton ...

Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini. Scaramouche is a romantic adventure and tells the story of a young aristocrat during the French Revolution. His successive endeavors as a lawyer, politician, actor, lover, and buffoon lead his enemies to call him "Scaramouche" (also called Scaramuccia, a roguish character in the commedia dell'arte), but he impresses many with his elegant orations and precision swordsmanship. The later film version includes one of the longest, and many believe, best swashbuckling sword-fighting scenes ever filmed. The novel has a memorable start (Book I: The Robe, Chapter I, ...

Scammers and Con Artists. The history of scammers and con artists dates back to antiquity, evolving from simple maritime insurance fraud in 300 BC to today's highly sophisticated global cyber schemes. While their methods have advanced alongside technology, the fundamental psychology of the con—exploiting greed, desperation, and human trust—remains unchanged. 1 - Antiquity to the Middle Ages: Early Swindles. - 300 BC (Insurance Fraud): The earliest recorded scam involved a Greek sea merchant named Hegestratos, who took out a large bottomry loan (marine insurance), sank his empty ...

Notable Impostors. Notable impostors are real-life historical figures and con artists who achieved infamy by assuming fake identities, orchestrating elaborate hoaxes, or successfully impersonating professionals, royalty, and heirs to deceive society. A breakdown of history's most famous impostors includes: - Ferdinand Waldo Demara ("The Great Impostor"): An American serial impostor who successfully masqueraded as a civil engineer, a monk, a sheriff's deputy, and a trauma surgeon—successfully performing major surgeries during the Korean War without any medical training. - Frank ...

Beowulf by Anonymous. Beowulf is an Old English poem, an epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines, contained in the Nowell Codex. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating is for the manuscript, which was produced between AD 975 and 1025. Scholars call the anonymous author the "Beowulf poet". The story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 5th and 6th centuries. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of ...

The Window at the White Cat by Mary Roberts Rinehart. "The Window at the White Cat" by Mary Roberts Rinehart is a detective novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around a lawyer, John Knox, who finds himself involved in a complex case when a young woman named Margery Fleming seeks his help to locate her missing father, Allan Fleming, a state treasurer. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that this case is intertwined with political intrigue and potential danger, as Margery fears for her father's safety amidst powerful adversaries. At the start of the novel, the ...

Emily Fox-Seton by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Have you ever wondered what happened to Cinderella after she married the prince? Have you ever asked yourself if it was really "happy ever after?" Actually, in this Victorian melodrama, it's not. 35-years-old Emily Fox-Seton, quite penniless and a little lonely, saves herself from becoming an old maid by agreeing to a marriage proposal from the marquess of Walderhurst, thus becoming "one of the richest Marchionesses in England". She is naïve, kind and good. She doesn't believe that people are really willing to hurt her, but why are all these ...