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Sea Poems
Sea Poems
Cale Young Rice
¥8.09
Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Cale Young Rice, ‘Sea Poems. Cale Young Rice writes in the foreword of the book: “The poems of this volume, gathered here after many requests, are, with a few exceptions, from my previous lyrical publications. They are also in a real sense an intimate record. For the sea has often enough seemed to me almost as a vast external sub consciousness in which the forces of my being—as well as the world's—were at play.” Cale Young Rice (December 7, 1872 – January 24, 1943) was an American poet and dramatist. He was born in Dixon, Kentucky, to Laban Marchbanks Rice, a Confederate veteran and tobacco merchant, and his wife Martha Lacy. He was a younger brother of Laban Lacy Rice, a noted educator. Cale Rice grew up in Evansville, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky. He was educated at Cumberland University and at Harvard (A.B., 1895; A.M., 1896). He was married to the popular author Alice Hegan Rice; they worked together on several books. The marriage was childless, and Cale committed suicide by gunshot during the night of January 23–24 at his home in Louisville a year after her death due to his sorrow at losing her. Cale Rice's poems were collected and published in a single volume by his brother, Laban Lacy Rice. His birthplace in Dixon is designated by Kentucky State Historical Marker 1508, which reads: "Birthplace of Rice brothers, Cale Young, 1872-1943, noted poet and author; Laban Lacy, 1870-1973, well-known educator and author. Lacy published The Best Poetic Works of Cale Young Rice after Cale's death. Included in famous collection is poem, "The Mystic." Cale married Alice Hegan, also a distinguished Kentucky writer. Home overlooks Memorial Garden."
The Death of the Lion
The Death of the Lion
Henry James
¥8.09
Dodo Classics brings you another classic from Henry James, ‘The Death of the Lion.’ ? This short novel is a black comedy about fame, manipulation, pretension, and surviving it all. The narrator, a reprehensible and seedy journalist, sets out to interview a minor author, and in his own quest for glory, turns the author into the celebrity of the day. The sudden and untimely death of the author, with his latest work unfinished, presents a troubling dilemma for the narrator, which he resolves with no more conscience than he had when he began his quest. ? Henry James, OM, son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an American-born author, one of the founders and leaders of a school of realism in fiction. He spent much of his life in England and became a British subject shortly before his death. He is primarily known for a series of major novels in which he portrayed the encounter of America with Europe. His plots centered on personal relationships, the proper exercise of power in such relationships, and other moral questions. His method of writing from the point of view of a character within a tale allowed him to explore the phenomena of consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. ? James insisted that writers in Great Britain and America should be allowed the greatest freedom possible in presenting their view of the world, as French authors were. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators in his own novels and tales brought a new depth and interest to realistic fiction, and foreshadowed the modernist work of the twentieth century. An extraordinarily productive writer, in addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel writing, biography, autobiography, and criticism,and wrote plays, some of which were performed during his lifetime with moderate success. His theatrical work is thought to have profoundly influenced his later novels and tales.
Finished
Finished
H. Rider Haggard
¥8.09
Dodo Collections brings you another classic from H. Rider Haggard, ‘Finished.’ ? A curious effect of Haggard's successful emulation of the terse, pithy style of saga prose is that the idiom of this novel actually seems rather less dated in the early 21st century than Haggard's other work or the general run of Victorian adventure fiction. Improvements in our understanding of the Viking period have done surprisingly little to falsify Haggard's imagination of its setting, and the book should still hold appeal to any reader interested in the period. ? Sir Henry Rider Haggard was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and the creator of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of the scale of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. He was also involved in agricultural reform and improvement in the British Empire.? His breakout novel was?King Solomon's Mines(1885), which was to be the first in a series telling of the multitudinous adventures of its protagonist, Allan Quatermain. Haggard was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Conservative candidate for the Eastern division of Norfolk in 1895. The locality of Rider, British Columbia, was named in his memory.
Black Heart and White Heart: A Zulu Idyll
Black Heart and White Heart: A Zulu Idyll
H. Rider Haggard
¥8.09
Dodo Collections brings you another classic from H. Rider Haggard, ‘Black Heart and White Heart: A Zulu Idyll.’ ? In "Black Heart And White Heart", H. Rider Haggard mounts once more those trusty steeds of his, the nobility of the savage and the rascality of the civilized white. He rides, too, with all his old dexterity, and the story concerning Zulus, witches, battles, sacrifices, and traitors, of which this volume consists, will revive the pleasures of reading his books. ? "Has the age of miracle quite gone by?" asks H. Rider Haggard concerning this story. "Hardly," most readers would be inclined to answer, if the question were put to them while their brains were alive with the witcheries and the wonders which are Haggard's " stock-in trade." The marvels he recounts lose nothing in effect because they deal with the immediate and the remote past of the country in which Briton and Boer have just fought the fight for supremacy and empire. And by an odd coincidence, a book which opens with a description of an encounter between an Englishman and a Boer at Utrecht appeared on the very day on which Utrecht was occupied by British forces. ? Haggard takes us to Zululand just before the outbreak of the war which crushed the power of Cetewayo, to ancient Zimbabwe, just before the period at which the Phoenicians may be supposed to have succumbed to the attacks of the native barbarians, and to a part of Central Africa occupied by the Children of Fire, whose country had been penetrated, and whose horrible customs had been observed by none but a solitary missionary. ? The novelist rings the changes on scenes and ideas which he has made familiar; here are the wizardry, the superstitions, the horrors, the deeds of devotion, of treachery, of love and of triumph, the superlative heroism, spiritual and material, which characterize all his work. Imagination runs riot, making unrealities live, and the fascination of "King Solomon's Mines" and " She" is over all. ? Sir Henry Rider Haggard was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and the creator of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of the scale of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. He was also involved in agricultural reform and improvement in the British Empire. ? His breakout novel was King Solomon's Mines( 1885), which was to be the first in a series telling of the multitudinous adventures of its protagonist, Allan Quatermain. ? Haggard was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Conservative candidate for the Eastern division of Norfolk in 1895. The locality of Rider, British Columbia, was named in his memory.
Henry VIII, with line numbers
Henry VIII, with line numbers
William Shakespeare
¥8.09
The classic Shakespeare history play, with line numbers. According to Wikipedia: "William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564 – died 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright."
Goethes Novellen Und Erz?hlungen
Goethes Novellen Und Erz?hlungen
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
¥8.09
Novelle, Belagerung von Mainz, und Unterhaltungen Deutscher Ausgewanderten. Wikipedia: "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (* 28. August 1749 in Frankfurt am Main; ? 22. M?rz 1832 in Weimar), geadelt 1782, war ein deutscher Dichter. Er forschte und publizierte au?erdem auf verschiedenen naturwissenschaftlichen Gebieten. Ab 1776 bekleidete er am Hof von Weimar unterschiedliche politische und administrative ?mter. Goethes literarische Produktion umfasst Gedichte, Dramen, erz?hlende Werke (in Vers und Prosa), autobiografische, ?sthetische, kunst- und literaturtheoretische sowie naturwissenschaftliche Schriften. Auch sein umfangreicher Briefwechsel ist von gro?er literarischer Bedeutung. Goethe war ein Vorreiter und der wichtigste Vertreter des Sturm und Drang. Sein Roman Die Leiden des jungen Werthers machte ihn 1774 in ganz Europa berühmt. Sp?ter wandte er sich inhaltlich und formal den Idealen der Antike zu und wurde ab den 1790er Jahren, gemeinsam mit Friedrich Schiller und im Austausch mit diesem, zum wichtigsten Vertreter der Weimarer Klassik. Im Alter galt Goethe auch im Ausland als Repr?sentant des geistigen Deutschland."
Goethes Gedichte
Goethes Gedichte
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
¥8.09
Hermann und Dorothea, Reineke Fuchs, Romische Elegien, Venetianische Epigramme, und West-Ostlicher Divan. Wikipedia: "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (* 28. August 1749 in Frankfurt am Main; ? 22. M?rz 1832 in Weimar), geadelt 1782, war ein deutscher Dichter. Er forschte und publizierte au?erdem auf verschiedenen naturwissenschaftlichen Gebieten. Ab 1776 bekleidete er am Hof von Weimar unterschiedliche politische und administrative ?mter. Goethes literarische Produktion umfasst Gedichte, Dramen, erz?hlende Werke (in Vers und Prosa), autobiografische, ?sthetische, kunst- und literaturtheoretische sowie naturwissenschaftliche Schriften. Auch sein umfangreicher Briefwechsel ist von gro?er literarischer Bedeutung. Goethe war ein Vorreiter und der wichtigste Vertreter des Sturm und Drang. Sein Roman Die Leiden des jungen Werthers machte ihn 1774 in ganz Europa berühmt. Sp?ter wandte er sich inhaltlich und formal den Idealen der Antike zu und wurde ab den 1790er Jahren, gemeinsam mit Friedrich Schiller und im Austausch mit diesem, zum wichtigsten Vertreter der Weimarer Klassik. Im Alter galt Goethe auch im Ausland als Repr?sentant des geistigen Deutschland."
King Henry IV Part 1, with line numbers
King Henry IV Part 1, with line numbers
William Shakespeare
¥8.09
The classic Shakespearean history, with line numbers. According to Wikipedia: "Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second of Shakespeare's tetralogy that deals with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV (2 plays), and Henry V. Henry IV, Part 1 depicts a span of history that begins with Hotspur's battle at Homildon against the Douglas late in 1402 and ends with the defeat of the rebels at Shrewsbury in the middle of 1403. From the start it has been an extremely popular play both with the public and the critics."
Bird Day: How to Prepare for It
Bird Day: How to Prepare for It
Charles A. Babcock
¥8.09
First published around 1900, the aim of this book is to assist school children in the accurate study of a few birds. It is believed that if this be attained, further study of birds will take care of itself. According to Wikipedia: "Charles Almanzo Babcock (born 1849, date of death unknown) was a late-nineteenth-century superintendent of schools in Oil City, Pennsylvania. He is credited with launching Bird Day, a day to celebrate birds in American schools, on May 4. The first Bird Day was celebrated in Oil City schools in 1894, and by 1901 the practice was well established."
Around the World in Eighty Days
Around the World in Eighty Days
Jules Verne
¥8.09
The delightful adventures of Phileas Fogg and Passepartout. According to Wikipedia: "Jules Gabriel Verne (February 8, 1828 – March 24, 1905) was a French author who pioneered the science-fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Journey to the Center of the Earth (written in 1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869–1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before navigable aircraft and practical submarines were invented, and before any means of space travel had been devised. Consequently he is often referred to as the "Father of science fiction", along with H. G. Wells. Verne is the second most translated author of all time, only behind Agatha Christie with 4162 translations, according to Index Translationum. Some of his work has been made into films."
The History of Rome
The History of Rome
Theodor Mommsen
¥8.09
Mommsen's history of the Roman Republic in five volumes. These volumes cover from the founding of Rome up to the disintegration of the First Triumvirate (Caesar, Pompey, Crassus). The author cites dates in the Roman style, AUC, from the founding of the city in 753 BC. A table at the end shows modern-day equivalents. According to Wikipedia, Mommsen is "generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century." This work complements Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire".
A Study in Scarlet, First of the Four Sherlock Holmes Novels
A Study in Scarlet, First of the Four Sherlock Holmes Novels
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
¥8.09
The four Sherlock Holmes novels are: A Study in Scarlet, Sign of the Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Valley of Fear. According to Wikipedia: "Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was an author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction."
The Last Chronicle of Barset
The Last Chronicle of Barset
Anthony Trollope
¥8.09
The others in the series are: The Warden, Barchester Towers, Dr. Thorne, Framley Parsonage, and The Small House at Allington. According to Wikipedia: "Anthony Trollope ( 1815 – 1882 ) became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works, known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire; he also wrote penetrating novels on political, social, and gender issues and conflicts of his day. Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans have included Sir Alec Guinness (who never travelled without a Trollope novel), former British Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir John Major, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, American novelists Sue Grafton and Dominick Dunne and soap opera writer Harding Lemay. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he regained the esteem of critics by the mid-twentieth century. "Of all novelists in any country, Trollope best understands the role of money. Compared with him even Balzac is a romantic." — W. H. Auden"
Captain Singleton
Captain Singleton
Daniel Defoe
¥8.09
The Preface begins: "That all Defoe's novels, with the exception of "Robinson Crusoe," should have been covered with the dust of neglect for many generations, is a plain proof of how much fashions in taste affect the popularity of the British classics. It is true that three generations or so ago, Defoe's works were edited by both Sir Walter Scott and Hazlitt, and that this masterly piece of realism, "Captain Singleton," was reprinted a few years back in "The Camelot Classics," but it is safe to say that out of every thousand readers of "Robinson Crusoe" only one or two will have even heard of the "Memoirs of a Cavalier," "Colonel Jack," "Moll Flanders," or "Captain Singleton." It is indeed distressing to think that while many scores of thousands of copies of Lord Lytton's flashy romance, "Paul Clifford," have been devoured by the public, "Captain Singleton" has remained unread and almost forgotten." According to Wikipedia: Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 [?] — 1731), born Daniel Foe, was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest practitioners of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain, and is even referred to by some as one of the founders of the English novel. A prolific and versatile writer, he wrote more than five hundred books, pamphlets, and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural). He was also a pioneer of economic journalism."
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle
¥8.09
10 illustrations. The Preface begins: "You who so plod amid serious things that you feel it shame to give yourself up even for a few short moments to mirth and joyousness in the land of Fancy; you who think that life hath nought to do with innocent laughter that can harm no one; these pages are not for you. Clap to the leaves and go no farther than this, for I tell you plainly that if you go farther you will be scandalized by seeing good, sober folks of real history so frisk and caper in gay colors and motley that you would not know them but for the names tagged to them. Here is a stout, lusty fellow with a quick temper, yet none so ill for all that, who goes by the name of Henry II. Here is a fair, gentle lady before whom all the others bow and call her Queen Eleanor. Here is a fat rogue of a fellow, dressed up in rich robes of a clerical kind, that all the good folk call my Lord Bishop of Hereford. Here is a certain fellow with a sour temper and a grim look--the worshipful, the Sheriff of Nottingham..."
Three Short Works
Three Short Works
Gustave Flaubert
¥8.09
This book includes The Dance of Death, The Legend of Saint-Julian the Hospitalier, and A Simple Soul. According to Wikipedia: "Gustave Flaubert (December 12, 1821 – May 8, 1880) was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary (1857), and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style. ... More than perhaps any other writer, not only of France, but of modern Europe, Flaubert scrupulously avoids the inexact, the abstract, the vaguely inapt expression which is the bane of ordinary methods of composition. As a writer, Flaubert was nearly equal parts romantic, realist, and pure stylist. Hence, members of various schools, especially realists and formalists, have traced their origins to his work. The exactitude with which he adapts his expressions to his purpose can be seen in all parts of his work, especially in the portraits he draws of the figures in his principal romances. The degree to which Flaubert's fame has extended since his death presents an interesting chapter of literary history in itself. He is also accredited with spreading the popularity of the colour Tuscany Cypress, a colour often mentioned in his chef-d'oeuvre Madame Bovary. Flaubert was fastidious in his devotion to finding the right word ("le mot juste"), and his mode of composition reflected that. He worked in sullen solitude - sometimes occupying a week in the completion of one page - never satisfied with what he had composed, violently tormenting his brain for the best turn of a phrase, the final adjective. His private letters indeed show that he was not one of those to whom correct, flowing language came naturally. His style was achieved through the unceasing sweat of his brow. Flaubert’s just reward, then, is that many critics consider his best works to be exemplary models of style."
38 Books
38 Books
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
¥8.09
This book-collection file includes 38 books -- Sherlock Holmes, Challenger, historical novels, other novels, and non-fiction. Sherlock Holmes Novels and Stories: A Study in Scarlet, novel, 1887; The Sign of the Four, novel, 1890; The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, collection of stories originally published 1891-1892 (A Scandal in Bohemia; The Red-headed League; A Case of Identity; The Boscombe Valley Mystery; The Five Orange Pips; The Man with the Twisted Lip; The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle; The Adventure of the Speckled Band; The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb; The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor; The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet; The Adventure of the Copper Beeches); The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, collection of stories originally published 1892-1893; The Hound of the Baskervilles, novel, 1901-1902; The Return of Sherlock Holmes, collection of stories originally published 1903-1904; The Valley of Fear, novel, 1914- 1915; His Last Bow, collection of stories originally published 1908-1913 and 1917 . Challenger Novels: The Lost World and The Poison Belt. Historical Novels: Micah Clarke, 1888; The White Company, 1891; The Great Shadow and Other Napoleonic Tales, 1892; The Refugees, 1893; Rodney Stone, 1896; Uncle Bernac, 1897; Sir Nigel, 1906. Books about War: The Great Boer War; The War in South Africa; A Visit to Three Fronts, June 1916. Other Fiction: The Adventures of Gerard; Beyond the City; The Captain of the Polestar and Other Stories; A Desert Drama, Tragedy of the Korosko; The Doings of Raffles Haw; A Duet With Occasional Chorus; The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard; The Firm of Girdlestone; The Green Flag; The Last Galley. Impressions and Tales; The Mystery of Cloomber; The Parasite; The Stark Munro Letters; Tales of Terror and Mystery; Through the Magic Door. Spiritualism: The New Revelation; The Vital Message. Medicine: Round the Red Lamp, Facts and Fancies of the Medical Life.
Clockmaker Saying and Doings of Samuel Slick of Slickville
Clockmaker Saying and Doings of Samuel Slick of Slickville
Thomas Chandler Haliburton
¥8.09
Canadian novel, first published in 1836. According to Wikipedia: "Sam Slick is a character created in 1835 by Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a Nova Scotian judge and author. With his wry wit and Yankee voice, Sam Slick of Slicksville put forward his views on "human nature" in a regular column in the Novascotian. The twenty-one sketches were published in a collection titled The Clockmaker, or the Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick of Slicksville, First Series in 1836, supplemented by an additional 12 unpublished or new sketches. The book was Canada's first international bestseller and was hugely popular, not only in Nova Scotia but also in Britain and the United States."
Shakespeare's Works: 37 plays, plus poetry, with line numbers
Shakespeare's Works: 37 plays, plus poetry, with line numbers
William Shakespeare
¥8.09
This file includes all of Shakespeare's plays, with line numbers (11 tragedies, 12 comedies, 10 histories, and 4 romances), plus his poetry (Sonnets, Venus and Adonis, Rape of Lucrece, Lover's Complaint, and Passionate Pilgrim. According to Wikipedia: "William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564 – died 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright."
The Bishop and Other Stories
The Bishop and Other Stories
Anton Chekhov
¥8.09
This collection includes: THE BISHOP, THE LETTER, EASTER EVE, A NIGHTMARE, THE MURDER, UPROOTED, and THE STEPPE. According to Wikipedia: "Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860 – 1904) was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics Chekhov practised as a doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful wife," he once said, "and literature is my mistress." Chekhov renounced the theatre after the disastrous reception of The Seagull in 1896; but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Constantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced Uncle Vanya and premiered Chekhov’s last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four works present a special challenge to the acting ensemble as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a "theatre of mood" and a "submerged life in the text." Chekhov had at first written stories only for the money, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations which have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. His originality consists in an early use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, later adopted by James Joyce and other modernists, combined with a disavowal of the moral finality of traditional story structure He made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them."
The Cook's Wedding and Other Stories
The Cook's Wedding and Other Stories
Anton Chekhov
¥8.09
This collection includes: THE COOK'S WEDDING, SLEEPY, CHILDREN, THE RUNAWAY, GRISHA, OYSTERS, HOME, A CLASSICAL STUDENT, VANKA, AN INCIDENT, A DAY IN THE COUNTRY, BOYS, SHROVE TUESDAY, THE OLD HOUSE, IN PASSION WEEK, WHITEBROW, KASHTANKA, A CHAMELEON, THE DEPENDENTS, WHO WAS TO BLAME? THE BIRD MARKET, AN ADVENTURE, THE FISH, ART, and THE SWEDISH MATCH. According to Wikipedia: "Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860 – 1904) was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics Chekhov practised as a doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful wife," he once said, "and literature is my mistress." Chekhov renounced the theatre after the disastrous reception of The Seagull in 1896; but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Constantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced Uncle Vanya and premiered Chekhov’s last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four works present a special challenge to the acting ensemble as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a "theatre of mood" and a "submerged life in the text." Chekhov had at first written stories only for the money, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations which have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. His originality consists in an early use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, later adopted by James Joyce and other modernists, combined with a disavowal of the moral finality of traditional story structure He made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them."