I was talking the other day to Alfred Coppard, who has steered more successfully than most English story writers away from the Scylla and Charybdis of the modern artist. He told me that he had been reading several new novels and volumes of short stories by contemporary American writers with that awakened interest in the civilization we are framing which is so noticeable among English writers during the past three years. He asked me a remarkable question, and the answer which I gave him suggested certain contrasts which seemed to me of basic importance for us all. He said: “I have been reading books by Sherwood Anderson, Waldo Frank and Ben Hecht and Konrad Bercovici and Joseph Hergesheimer, and I can see that they are important books, but I feel that the essential point to which all this newly awakened literary consciousness is tending has somehow subtly eluded me. American and English writers both use the same language, and so do Scotch and Irish writers, but I am not puzzled when I read Scotch and Irish books as I am when I read these new American books. Why is it?” I had to think for a moment, and then the obvious answer occurred to me. I told him that I thought the reason for his moderate bewilderment was due to the fact that the Englishman or the Scotchman or the Irishman living at home was writing out of a background of racial memory and established tradition which was very much all of one piece, and that all such an artist's unspoken implications and subtleties could be easily taken for granted by his readers, and more or less thoroughly understood, because they were elements in harmony with a tolerably fixed and ordered world. I added that this was more or less true of the American writer up to a date roughly coinciding with that of the Chicago World's Fair in 1892. During the thirty years more or less which have elapsed since that date, there has been an ever widening seething maelstrom of cross currents thrusting into more and more powerful conflict from year to year the contributory elements brought to a new potential American culture by the dynamic creative energies, physical and spiritual, of many races. My suggestion to Mr. Coppard was that gradually the Anglo-Saxon, to take the most readily understandable instance, was beginning to absorb large tracts of many other racial fields of memory, and to share the experience of Scandinavian and Russian and German and Italian, of Polish and Irish and African and Asian members of the body politic, and that all these widening tracts of remembered racial experience interacting upon one another under the tremendous pressure of our nervous, keen, and eager industrial civilization had set up a new chaos in many creative minds. I said that Mr. Anderson and the others, half consciously and half unconsciously, were trying to create worlds out of each separate chaos, living dangerously, as Nietzsche advised, and fusing their conceptions at a certain calculated temperature in artistic crucibles of their own devising. Mr. Coppard said that he quite saw that, but added that the particular meaning in each case more or less escaped him. And then I ventured to suggest that these meanings were more important for Americans at the present stage than for Europeans, because American minds would grasp readily at suggestions that harmonized with their own spiritual pasts, and seize instinctive relations and congruities which had previously escaped them in their experience, and so begin to formulate from these books new intuitive laws. I suggested, moreover, that from the point of view of the great artist these books were all more or less magnificent failures which were creating, little by little, out of the shock of conflict an ultimate harmony, out of which the great book for which we are all waiting in America might come ten years from now, or five years, or even tomorrow. To this he replied that he felt I had supplied the clue which had baffled him, and asked me if I did not discover a chaos of a different sort in English life and literature since the armistice. I agreed that I did discover such a chaos, but that it seemed to me a chaos which was an end rather than a beginning, a chaos in which the Tower of Babel had fallen, and men had come to babble with more and more complete dissociation of ideas, or else, on the other hand, were clinging desperately to such literary and social traditions as had been left, while their work froze into a new Augustanism comparable to that of the early years of the eighteenth century. Next year, in conjunction with John Cournos, I shall begin in a parallel series of volumes with the present series, to present my annual study of the English case. Meanwhile, for the present, I deal once more with that American chaos in which I have unbounded and ultimate faith. From now on I should like to take as my motto almost the last paragraph written by Walt Whitman before he died: “The Highest said: Don't let us begin so low—isn't our range too coarse—too gross?—The Soul answer'd: No, not when we consider what it is all for—the end involved in Time and Space.” Or, as the old Dutch flour-miller put it more briefly: “I never bother myself what road the folks come—I only want good wheat and rye.” To repeat what I have said in these pages in previous years, for the benefit of the reader as yet unacquainted with my standards and principles of selection, I shall point out that I have set myself the task of disengaging the essential human qualities in our contemporary fiction which, when chronicled conscientiously by our literary artists, may fairly be called a criticism of life. I am not at all interested in formulæ, and organized criticism at its best would be nothing more than dead criticism, as all dogmatic interpretation of life is always dead. What has interested me, to the exclusion of other things, is the fresh, living current which flows through the best American work, and the psychological and imaginative reality which American writers have conferred upon it. No substance is of importance in fiction, unless it is organic substance, that is to say, substance in which the pulse of life is beating. Inorganic fiction has been our curse in the past, and bids fair to remain so, unless we exercise much greater artistic discrimination than we display at present. The present record covers the period from October 1920, to September 1921, inclusive. During this period, I have sought to select from the stories published in American magazines those which have rendered life imaginatively in organic substance and artistic form. Substance is something achieved by the artist in every act of creation, rather than something already present, and accordingly a fact or group of facts in a story only attain substantial embodiment when the artist's power of compelling imaginative persuasion transforms them into a living truth. The first test of a short story, therefore, in any qualitative analysis is to report upon how vitally compelling the writer makes his selected facts or incidents. This test may be conveniently called the test of substance. But a second test is necessary if the story is to take rank above other stories. The true artist will seek to shape this living substance into the most beautiful and satisfying form, by skilful selection and arrangement of his materials, and by the most direct and appealing presentation of it in portrayal and characterization. The short stories which I have examined in this study, as in previous years, have fallen naturally into four groups. The first consists of those stories which fail, in my opinion, to survive either the test of substance or the test of form. These stories are listed in the year book without comment or a qualifying asterisk. The second group consists of those stories which may fairly claim that they survive either the test of substance or the test of form. Each of these stories may claim to possess either distinction of technique alone, or more frequently, I am glad to say, a persuasive sense of life in them to which a reader responds with some part of his own experience. Stories included in this group are indicated in the yearbook index by a single asterisk prefixed to the title. The third group, which is composed of stories of still greater distinction, includes such narratives as may lay convincing claim to a second reading, because each of them has survived both tests, the test of substance and the test of form. Stories included in this group are indicated in the yearbook index by two asterisks prefixed to the title. Finally, I have recorded the names of a small group of stories which possess, I believe, the even finer distinction of uniting genuine substance and artistic form in a closely woven pattern with such sincerity that these stories may fairly claim a position in American literature. If all of these stories by American authors were republished, they would not occupy more space than five novels of average length. My selection of them does not imply the critical belief that they are great stories. A year which produced one great story would be an exceptional one. It is simply to be taken as meaning that I have found the equivalent of five volumes worthy of republication among all the stories published during the period under consideration. These stories are indicated in the yearbook index by three asterisks prefixed to the title, and are listed in the special “Roll of Honor.” In compiling these lists I have permitted no personal preference or prejudice to consciously influence my judgment. To the titles of certain stories, however, in the “Rolls of Honor,” an asterisk is prefixed, and this asterisk, I must confess, reveals in some measure a personal preference, for which, perhaps, I may be indulged. It is from this final short list that the stories reprinted in this volume have been selected. It has been a point of honor with me not to republish a story by an English author or by any foreign author. I have also made it a rule not to include more than one story by an individual author in the volume. The general and particular results of my study will be found explained and carefully detailed in the supplementary part of the volume. In past years it has been my pleasure and honor to dedicate the best that I have found in the American magazines as the fruit of my labors to the American artist who, in my opinion, has made the finest imaginative contribution to the short story during the period considered. I take pleasure in recalling the names of Benjamin Rosenblatt, Richard Matthews Hallet, Wilbur Daniel Steele, Arthur Johnson, Anzia Yezierska, and Sherwood Anderson. In my opinion Sherwood Anderson has made this year once more the most permanent contribution to the American short story, but as last year's book is associated with his name, I am happy to dedicate this year's offering to a new and distinguished English artist, A.E. Coppard, to whom the future offers in my opinion a rich harvest of achievement..FROM THE BOOKS.

This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Table of contents: Sherlock Holmes A Study in Scarlet The Sign of Four The Hound of the Baskervilles The Valley of Fear The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes The Return of Sherlock Holmes His Last Bow The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes Sketches Professor Challenger The Lost World The Poison Belt The Land of Mists When the World Screamed The Disintegration Machine Brigadier Gerard The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard The Adventures of Gerard Novels Micah Clarke The White Company The Great Shadow The Refugees Rodney Stone Uncle Bernac Sir Nigel Mystery of Cloomber The Firm of Girdlestone The Doings of Raffles Haw Beyond The City The Parasite The Stark Munro Letters The Tragedy of the Korosko A Duet The Maracot Deep Short Story Collections Mysteries and Adventures The Captain of the Pole-Star Round the Red Lamp Stories of War and Sport Round the Fire Stories Impressions and Tales Danger and Other Stories Tales of Pirates and Blue Water Other Stories Poetry Songs of Action Songs of the Road The Guards Came Through Plays Sherlock Holmes The Crown Diamond Jane Annie Waterloo A Pot of Caviare The Speckled Band The Journey Spiritualism The New Revelation The Vital Message The Wanderings of a Spiritualist The Coming of the Fairies The History of Spiritualism Pheneas Speaks The Spiritualist's Reader The Edge of the Unknown Stranger Than Fiction Fairies Photographed The Mediumship of Florence Cook The Houdini Enigma The Uncharted Coast Historical Works The Great Boer War The War in South Africa The Crime of the Congo The German War A Visit to Three Fronts A History of the Great War A Glimpse of the Army The Duello in France True Crime Stories Other Works & Personal Memoirs Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a British writer and a creator of Sherlock Holmes.

The Greatest Works of French Literature: 100+ Novels, Short Stories, Poetry Collections & Plays' represents a comprehensive exploration into the heart and soul of French literary brilliance, spanning several centuries of intellectual and creative thought. This anthology encapsulates the diversity and depth of French literature, covering a gamut of genres from the tragic to the comedic, the romantic to the realist. Significant for its inclusion of a variety of literary styles, this collection brings together the monumental works of renowned authors like Voltaire, Marcel Proust, and Gustave Flaubert, among others, offering readers an unparalleled mosaic of French literary heritage. Each piece, carefully selected for its historical and cultural significance, invites readers into the complexities and beauties of human experience as seen through a distinctly French lens. The contributing authors and editors, hailing from varied backgrounds, epochs, and philosophical inclinations, collectively define and expand the contours of French literature. From the pioneering essays of Jean-Jacques Rousseau to the intricate psychological novels of Marcel Proust, and from the critical social commentaries of Émile Zola to the lyrical beauty of Charles Baudelaire's poetry, this anthology is steeped in the contributions of figures who have been instrumental in inspiring literary and cultural movements such as the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Realism, and the Existentialist movement. The collection stands as a testament to the dynamic dialogues and intersections across different periods, showcasing how these varied voices contribute to a richer, more nuanced understanding of themes such as identity, power, love, and societal change. 'The Greatest Works of French Literature: 100+ Novels, Short Stories, Poetry Collections & Plays' is an indispensable collection for anyone seeking to delve into the vast expanse of French literary tradition. It offers readers a unique opportunity to explore a rich tapestry of thematic and stylistic expressions, fostering a deeper appreciation of the classics while engaging with the evolution of French thought and storytelling. This anthology is not merely an academic resource but a portal to the luminous world of French literature, inviting readers to confront and ponder the universal questions that have perennially captivated the human spirit, all through the distinct and powerful medium of French literary art.

Musaicum Books presents to you this carefully created volume of "THE COLLECTED WORKS OF CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN: Short Stories, Novels, Poems & Essays". This ebook has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Contents: The Yellow Wallpaper Why I wrote the Yellow Wallpaper What Diantha Did The Crux Moving the Mountain Herland With Her in Ourland Three Thanksgivings According To Solomon Her Housekeeper A Middle-Sized Artist When I Was A Witch A Coincidence The Cottagette Mr. Robert Grey Sr. The Boys And The Butter My Astonishing Dodo A Word In Season Turned The Giant Wistaria Essays and Sketches The Man-Made World; Or, Our Androcentric Culture The Home: Its Works and Influence Concerning Children Women and Economics A Small God And A Large Goddess Introducing The World, The Flash, and The Devil Where The Heart Is Why We Honestly Fear Socialism The Poor Relation Reasonable Resolutions Private Morality and Public Immorality The Humanness of Women The Barrel Kitchen-Mindedness Parlor-Mindedness Nursery-Mindedness Naughty A Village of Fools Believing and Knowing The House of Apples Ten Suggestions Genius, Domestic and Maternal A Man in Prison A Woman in Prison Improved Methods of Habit Culture Only an Hour Wholesale Hypnotism The Kitchen Fly Her Pets What Virtues Are Made Of Animals in Cities While The King Slept The Beauty Women Have Lost Is It Wrong To Take Life? The World and The Three Artists Woman and The State Why Texts? Women Teachers, Married and Unmarried Christmas Love Our Overworked Instincts The Permanent Child The New Motherhood How We Waste Three-Fourths of Our Money The Nun in The Kitchen Poems: Then This Arrears How Doth The Hat Thanksgiving Thanksong.... Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was a prominent American feminist, sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and a lecturer for social reform.

The 'Collected Works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman' is a comprehensive collection of the renowned author's short stories, novels, poems, and essays that showcase her pioneering feminist themes and advocacy for women's rights. Gilman's literary style is characterized by its clarity, directness, and social consciousness, making her a significant figure in American literature during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her works often explore the constraints placed on women in society and challenge traditional gender roles. This collection provides a deep insight into Gilman's progressive views and timeless relevance in today's world. Readers will be captivated by the thought-provoking nature of her writing and the powerful messages it conveys. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's works continue to be studied and admired for their bold themes and literary achievements, solidifying her place in the canon of feminist literature and social commentary. I highly recommend this collection to readers interested in exploring groundbreaking feminist literature and the intersection of gender, society, and power dynamics.

Arthur Machen is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan (1890; 1894) has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror, with Stephen King describing it as "Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language." Machen was a great enthusiast for literature that expressed the "rapture, beauty, adoration, wonder, awe, mystery, sense of the unknown, desire for the unknown" that he summed up in the word ecstasy. The Novels THE HILL OF DREAMS THE TERROR THE SECRET GLORY EPILOGUE THE GREEN ROUND The Shorter Fiction THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY: OR THE HISTORY OF THE IX JOYOUS JOURNEYS. CARBONNEK INTRODUCTION EPISTLE DEDICATORY MASTER PERROT’S DISCOURSE OF ALE THE PORTREEVE’S GAUDY-DAY STRANGE STORY OF A RED JAR THE SPIGOT CLERK’S FIRST TALE HOW THE FOLK OF ABERGAVENNY WERE PESTERED BY AN ACCURSED KNIGHT THE LORD MALTWORM’S FIRST TALE HOW A MAN OF CAERLEON FOUND A GREAT TREASURE THE RUBRICAN’S FIRST TALE THE TANKARD MARSHALL’S FIRST TALE THE QUEST OF CONSTANCY BY THE WAY THE SPIGOT CLERK’S SECOND TALE. THE PORTREEVE’S SOLEMNITY THE TALE TOLD BY THE SEIGNEUR OF LA ROCHE NEMOURS THE JOURNEY HOMEWARD SIGNOR PIERO LATINI’S TALE THE LORD MALTWORM’S SECOND TALE THE RUBRICAN’S SECOND TALE EPILOGUE THE GREAT GOD PAN, AND THE INMOST LIGHT The Great God Pan The Inmost Light THE THREE IMPOSTORS: OR THE TRANSMUTATIONS THREE IMPOSTORS PROLOGUE. ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS. THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT. NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY. ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER. NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL. INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR. THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION. NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID. THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER. NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER. STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL. HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE. THE HOUSE OF SOULS Introduction A Fragment of Life The White People The Red Hand THE ANGELS OF MONS Introduction The Bowmen The Soldiers’ Rest The Monstrance The Dazzling Light The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts Postscript THE GREAT RETURN THE SHINING PYRAMID, 1923 The Priest and the Barber The Spagyric Quest of Beroaldus Cosmopolita A Wonderful Woman The Lost Club Nature, or, The Splendid Holiday Drake’s Drum THE SHINING PYRAMID, 1924 The Arrow-Head Character The Eyes on the Wall The Search for the Bowl The Secret of the Pyramid The Little People THE GLORIOUS MYSTERY The Rose Garden Psychology, or, Fragments of Paper The Holy Things A New Christmas Carol THE COSY ROOM AND OTHER STORIES The Cosy Room A Double Return Munitions of War The Gift of Tongues The Islington Mystery Awaking Opening the Door The Compliments of the Season THE CHILDREN OF THE POOL, AND OTHER STORIES Children of the Pool Out of the Earth Change The Exalted Omega The Tree of Life Out of the Picture The Bright Boy UNCOLLECTED TALES Candletime Cidermas The Town of Long Ago Over the Gate Of the Isle of Shadows, and of the Strange Customs of the Men That Dwell There A Further Account of The Academy of Lagado Tales from Barataria Sir John’s Chef Rus in Urbe By the Brook The Autophone The Marriage of Panurge The Brook Farm A Remarkable Coincidence An Underground Adventure The Young Man in the Blue Suit The War Song of the Welsh The Light That Can Never Be Put Out Jocelyn’s Escape The Story of Sergt Richard Haughton and What Happened To Him on the Somme The Calvary of Azay 7b Coney Court Ritual Johnny Double N The Happy Children The Dover Road The Poems ELEUSINIA THE ASSEMBLING. THE SEA-SHORE THE FAST THE PROCESSION THE DAY OF TORCHES IACCHUS THE INITIATION THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE BARD THE PRAISE OF MYFANWY The Non-Fiction THE MEMOIRS OF JACQUES CASANOVA DE SEINGALT, 1725-1798 THE ANATOMY OF TOBACCO HIEROGLYPHICS DR STIGGINS: HIS VIEWS AND PRINCIPLES MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS THE SECRET OF THE SANGRAAL THE STROLLER WHEN I WAS YOUNG IN LONDON THE GLITTER OF THE BROOK LONDON THIRTY YEARS AGO THE JOY OF LONDON RE-DISCOVERY OF LONDON DR JOHNSON’S DISAPPEARING ACT TOM O’BEDLAM AND HIS SONG THE ONLY WAY THE GRAY’S INN COFFEE HOUSE A NOTE ON POETRY