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British Literature — page 83
4,240 public-domain british literature books, summarised. Page 83 of 89.
A Bayard From Bengal: Being some account of the Magnificent and Spanking Career of Chunder Bindabun Bhosh
F. Anstey
A young Indian scholar arrives in England with grand ambitions, armed only with a flowery vocabulary and a misplaced sense of chivalry, only to find himself entangled in a series of absurd social and sporting misadventures.
A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life
Mrs. Molesworth
This gentle, elegiac portrait follows the brief, luminous life of a young boy whose tender spirit and deep curiosity leave an indelible mark on those around him.
Charles Auchester, Volume 2 (of 2)
Elizabeth Sara Sheppard
A young musician navigates the transcendent, often overwhelming demands of genius and devotion within an idealized world of symphonic art.
Chronicles of Dustypore: A Tale of Modern Anglo-Indian Society
Cunningham, H. S. (Henry Stewart), Sir
The heat of the Indian plains is only matched by the intensity of the social pressure in this refined, often claustrophobic world where duty and desire collide. Beneath the veneer of colonial etiquette, hearts are tested by the relentless demands of a life lived on the imperial frontier.
Critical Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 3), Essay 4: Macaulay
John Morley
This work offers a balanced, critical assessment of a literary titan, examining why his prose captivated the Victorian public while simultaneously questioning the long-term depth and moral nuance of his historical and political vision.
Cruel Barbara Allen: From Coals Of Fire And Other Stories, Volume II. (of III.)
David Christie Murray
A gifted musician’s desperate hunt for fame in London leads to a feverish misunderstanding, testing the boundaries of his artistic pride and the depth of his devotion to the girl he left behind.
Doctor Birch and His Young Friends
William Makepeace Thackeray
This is a wry, bittersweet chronicle of life at a provincial boarding school, observing the small dramas, power struggles, and heartaches of both students and masters. It offers a candid look at the fragility of childhood joys and the persistence of adult burdens.
Further Experiences of an Irish R.M
E. Oe. (Edith Oenone) Somerville
A weary magistrate navigates the collision of rigid English expectations and the unpredictable, riotous spirit of the Irish countryside in this collection of wry, observant tales.
Gerald Eversley's Friendship: A Study in Real Life
J. E. C. (James Edward Cowell) Welldon
This observant, deeply melancholy narrative follows the quiet, scholarly life of a boy whose intense devotion to a school friend and a noble family shapes his path from a lonely youth into a life of solitary public service.
Guy Deverell, v. 1 of 2
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
A man of high social standing finds his peaceful life unraveling when a mysterious guest arrives at his country estate, bringing with him the heavy, unspoken weight of a long-buried family secret.
Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings
Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
Caught between an old world of pagan portents and a new order of feudal chivalry, a doomed king fights to shield his realm from foreign conquerors and internal betrayal, only to meet his tragic destiny on the battlefield.
Jack Carstairs of the power house
Sydney Sandys
This story of a young electrical engineer is a bracing, muscular portrait of professional ambition and moral combat in the early twentieth century. It captures the raw friction between the technical demands of a burgeoning industry and the messy, often treacherous realities of human ambition.
Love's Labour's Lost
William Shakespeare
Four young noblemen swear off romance for three years of strict study, only to fall instantly in love when a foreign princess and her court arrive at their doorstep.
Made to Measure: Deep Waters, Part 3
W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs
A battle of wills erupts in a small provincial home when a rejected suitor turns an old man’s bad advice into a relentless sit-in.
Maid of the Mist
John Oxenham
Two survivors of a shipwreck build a life of quiet devotion while trapped on a desolate, debris-strewn sandbank. This story explores how beauty and purpose can be forged from isolation.
Mirk Abbey, Volume 2 (of 3)
James Payn
The specter of a secret marriage and a dark, vengeful past haunts a noble household, where a mother’s desperate efforts to preserve her family’s honor threaten to undo her own life.
Nuttie's Father
Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge
A quiet girl, long accustomed to a small provincial life, finds her identity upended when her missing father claims her for a higher sphere.
Poeta de Tristibus
Anonymous
The Muse is a fickle patron, and in this sharp-tongued satire, a destitute poet discovers that the path to literary immortality is paved with empty bellies and broken promises.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 102, April 23, 1892
Various
This collection captures the pulse of late Victorian London, blending sharp political satire, social commentary, and the whimsical absurdity of the era’s magazine culture. It serves as a time capsule of a society preoccupied with propriety, reform, and the power of the press.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, September 12, 1917
Various
A satirical dispatch from wartime London captures a society navigating existential conflict with absurd bureaucracy, stiff upper lips, and domestic eccentricity.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, December 20, 1890
Various
A collection of Victorian wit, satire, and social commentary, this volume captures the chaotic, fast-paced spirit of late 1890s London life. Through a mix of sketches, parliamentary diaries, and light verse, it serves as a spirited mirror to the anxieties and absurdities of an empire in flux.
Pygmalion and the Image
William Morris
The artist’s obsession bridges the divide between stone and spirit, turning a sculptor’s silent, marble masterpiece into a living, breathing partner through the sheer intensity of his longing.
Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known British Poets, Volume 1
Unknown
A guide through the forgotten origins of English verse, spanning initial Celtic echoes to the rich, complex lyrics of early modern poets.
Studies in Wives
Marie Belloc Lowndes
This collection explores the hidden fault lines of Edwardian matrimony, exposing how social expectations and stifling domesticity often force wives into silence, deception, or tragic rebellion.
The Forlorn Hope: A Tale of Old Chelsea
Hall, S. C., Mrs.
This evocative Victorian narrative bridges the gap between local history and social advocacy, blending the atmospheric charm of 1830s Chelsea with a poignant, urgent plea for the medical care of the impoverished sick.
The Intriguers
William Le Queux
A struggling Italian street musician is swept from the snowy alleys of Victorian London into the dangerous, high-stakes world of Russian imperial espionage.
The Prude's Progress: A Comedy in Three Acts
Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome
A penniless brother and sister navigate poverty and a web of romantic misunderstandings in this brisk, witty Victorian comedy of manners and moral reckoning.
The Weird Picture
John R. Carling
A man discovers his brother has gone missing just before his wedding, only to find himself ensnared in a murderous obsession centered on a mysterious portrait.
Witness to the Deed
George Manville Fenn
The shadow of a past crime threatens to destroy a young woman’s future, as a man haunted by a violent encounter tries to protect her from the truth.
An Essay on Satire, Particularly on the Dunciad
Walter Harte
This defense of verse satire argues that the genre is a sophisticated form of moral philosophy, essential for correcting the vices of the age and upholding the dignity of literature.
An Unknown Lover
Vaizey, George de Horne, Mrs.
A young woman’s correspondence with a stranger in a far-off land evolves into a test of her courage, leading her to abandon her cloistered life for an uncertain journey toward a mysterious, long-distance romance.
Christie, the King's Servant: A Sequel to "Christie's Old Organ"
Walton, O. F., Mrs.
A simple bunch of wildflowers triggers a vivid, long-dormant memory of a life-changing summer in a remote fishing village.
Contraband
G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville
A dashing baronet maneuvers through the high-stakes world of Victorian society, where the pursuit of pleasure often masks a desperate struggle to outrun mounting debts and emotional entanglement.
Coquette
Frank Swinnerton
The story of a young woman’s ruthless pursuit of social standing, this novel tracks the transformation of a clever, ambitious dressmaker as she navigates the suffocating constraints of her working-class life.
Heritage
V. (Victoria) Sackville-West
The story of a young woman’s untamed nature and the men caught in her orbit unfolds across the English countryside and the distant, sun-drenched ruins of the Near East. It is a haunting exploration of how human heritage—the deep-seated, often irrational pull of one's origins—shapes the choices we make when we…
Limehouse Nights
Thomas Burke
Amid the fog-choked, narrow lanes of early twentieth-century London, the desperate inhabitants of the docks collide in a fever dream of violence, illicit romance, and unrelenting sorrow.
Molly Brown's Sophomore Days
Nell Speed
This collegiate chronicle follows a spirited young woman navigating the social currents, financial anxieties, and shifting alliances of her sophomore year at Wellington College.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98 January 11, 1890
Various
The London of 1890 is a theater of stark contrasts, where the grinding exhaustion of the working class unfolds in the shadow of a glittering, self-indulgent society. This collection captures the pulse of a city divided between the midnight oil of the shop-serf and the champagne-soaked wit of the elite.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, October 24, 1917
Various
This issue of a venerable satirical magazine captures the peculiar, strained rhythm of London life during the fourth year of the Great War, blending biting political commentary with the frantic need for domestic normalcy. It is a snapshot of a nation attempting to laugh while the world burns.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, December 8, 1920
Various
This volume captures the irreverent pulse of post-war London, offering a kaleidoscopic view of a society grappling with the absurdities of politics, the eccentricities of the elite, and the everyday struggle against bureaucracy. It is a sharp, witty snapshot of a world desperately trying to find its footing.
Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 2: Great Britain and Ireland, Part 2
Unknown
The traveler’s gaze is a bridge between the living world and the ghosts of literature, turning stones and soil into stories that transcend their own geography.
Songs of the Springtides and Birthday Ode: Taken from The Collected Poetical Works of Algernon Charles
Algernon Charles Swinburne
This collection of poetry captures the wild, elemental spirit of the sea and serves as a fervent tribute to the transformative power of artistic genius. It is a work of immense lyrical intensity, designed to mirror the rhythms of the tides and the sweeping scope of history.
St. Patrick's Day
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
A hot-headed justice meets his match in a persistent soldier who uses disguises, fake poisons, and comic trickery to win the hand of the daughter forbidden to him.
The Bequest: Ship's Company, Part 6
W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs
A reluctant suitor finds himself trapped by a dead friend’s final wish, only to discover that the tangled webs we weave to avoid fate often catch us in the end.
The Carved Cupboard
Amy Le Feuvre
Four orphaned sisters struggle to navigate sudden poverty and their own restless ambitions, eventually discovering that the true legacy they inherit is found not in a locked cupboard, but in the quiet surrender of their own wills.
The Lay of Marie and Vignettes in Verse
Matilda Betham
A tribute to the medieval spirit, this collection weaves the legend of a forgotten female minstrel into a series of romantic verse narratives, exploring the intersection of chivalric duty and the hidden, personal life.
The Path to Honour
Sydney C. Grier
Amid the political volatility of 19th-century India, a principled officer and a resolute young woman navigate the treacherous demands of duty, loyalty, and personal ambition.
The Puritan Widow
Unknown
A grieving widow and her daughters are ensnared by a clever scholar’s elaborate web of deceit, forcing them to navigate a series of theatrical ruses that expose the vanity of those around them.