The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction - Complete 20 Volumes

The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction - Complete 20 Volumes offers an unparalleled assembly of narratives that traverse the diverse terrains of human experience, curated to illuminate the myriad ways stories reflect, distort, and construct our world. This anthology showcases a spectacular range of literary styles— from the psychological realism of Henry James and the sardonic wit of Mark Twain to the romantic entanglements of Jane Austen and the gothic mysteries of Edgar Allan Poe. It presents an opportunity to immerse oneself in the pinnacle of 19th and early 20th-century literature, highlighting the cultural and philosophical questions that continue to resonate today. The diversity within this collection serves not only as a testament to the editors' expansive vision but also as a comprehensive introduction to the foundational texts of modern Western literature. The contributing authors and editors, each a luminary in their own right, bring together a tapestry of cultural and historical backgrounds, exemplifying a range of literary movements from Romanticism to Naturalism, and from the Golden Age of Russian Literature to the American Renaissance. Their collective works, bound by themes of social change, moral conflict, and the human condition, offer a panoramic view of the shifting cultural landscapes of their time. The anthology aligns with and contributes to a broader understanding of significant literary and social movements, enriching the reader's grasp of literary evolution. For anyone seeking to delve into the heart of classic literature, The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction - Complete 20 Volumes presents a unique portal. It is a treasure trove for readers, scholars, and anyone with a keen interest in the development of narrative form and the exploration of enduring themes across different cultures and epochs. This collection invites readers into a dialogue with the past, facilitating a deeper appreciation for the stories that have shaped our literary and cultural heritage. Its educational value cannot be overstated, offering insights into the human psyche and society through the lens of timeless narratives. Engaging with this collection is not just an act of reading—it is an invitation to a conversation across centuries.

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1986 books
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and grew up in poverty. This experience influenced ‘Oliver Twist’, the second of his fourteen major novels, which first appeared in 1837. When he died in 1870, he was buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey as an indication of his huge popularity as a novelist, which endures to this day.
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1529 books
Mark Twain
Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, left school at age 12. His career encompassed such varied occupations as printer, Mississippi riverboat pilot, journalist, travel writer, and publisher, which furnished him with a wide knowledge of humanity and the perfect grasp of local customs and speech manifested in his writing. It wasn't until The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), that he was recognized by the literary establishment as one of the greatest writers America would ever produce. Toward the end of his life, plagued by personal tragedy and financial failure, Twain grew more and more cynical and pessimistic. Though his fame continued to widen--Yale and Oxford awarded him honorary degrees--he spent his last years in gloom and desperation, but he lives on in American letters as "the Lincoln of our literature."
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1524 books
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer, poet, and critic. Best known for his macabre prose work, including the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” his writing has influenced literature in the United States and around the world.
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899 books
Henry James
Henry James (1843–1916) was an American writer, highly regarded as one of the key proponents of literary realism, as well as for his contributions to literary criticism. His writing centres on the clash and overlap between Europe and America, and is regarded as his most notable work.
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677 books
Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo, a major leader of the French Romantic Movement, was one of the most influential figures in nineteenth-century literature. By the age of thirty, he had established himself as a master in every domain of literature--drama, fiction, and lyric poetry. Hugo's private life was as unconventional and exuberant as his literary creations. At twenty, he married after a long, idealistic courtship; but later in life was infamous for his scandalous escapades. In 1851, he was exiled for his passionate opposition to Napoleon III. Hugo's rich, emotional novels, Notre Dame de Paris and Les Miserables, have made him one of the most widely read authors of all time.
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1101 books
Jane Austen
Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels—Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion—which observe and critique the British gentry of the late eighteenth century. Her mastery of wit, irony, and social commentary made her a beloved and acclaimed author in her lifetime, a distinction she still enjoys today around the world.
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392 books
George Eliot
George Eliot, born as Mary Ann Evans in 1819, grew up in England, quickly learning about the Victorian culture around her despite the country¿s increasing growth of industrialism. Eliot did exceptionally well at the boarding schools she attended as a child. Her road to success was being paved. At the age of seventeen her mother died, leaving her to manage the household with the help of her sister. Yet Eliot would become much more than a homemaker. Soon she began writing for the Westminster Review, eventually rising to the rank of assistant editor. It was here where she met the already married George Henry Lewes, with whom she lived until his death. It was this relationship which helped her rise in the ranks of the literary community, eventually becoming a famous author. Eliot’s move to London in 1849 marked a new beginning for her promising career, quickly improving her circle of literary friends. Soon she was disowned by her family when they realized she was living in sin with Lewes, whom she regarded as her true, if not legal, husband. Eliot would also leave her church, deciding that she didn’t believe in the faith any longer. Despite her rejection by her family and others for these matters, Eliot would soon gain acceptance as one of the foremost (and highest paid) novelists of her time. Silas Marner was published in 1861 under the penname of George Eliot, when she was forty-two years of age.
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645 books
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott was born in Scotland in 1771 and achieved international fame with his work. In 1813 he was offered the position of Poet Laureate, but turned it down. Scott mainly wrote poetry before trying his hand at novels. His first novel, Waverley, was published anonymously, as were many novels that he wrote later, despite the fact that his identity became widely known.
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553 books
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century.
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805 books
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and biographer. His work centres on his New England home and often features moral allegories with Puritan inspiration, with themes revolving around inherent good and evil. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, Dark romanticism.
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290 books
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev was a Russian writer whose work is exemplary of Russian Realism. A student of Hegel, Turgenev’s political views and writing were heavily influenced by the Age of Enlightenment. Among his most recognized works are the classic Fathers and Sons, A Sportsman’s Sketches, and A Month in the Country. Turgenev is today recognized for his artistic purity, which influenced writers such as Henry James and Joseph Conrad. Turgenev died in 1883, and is credited with returning Leo Tolstoy to writing as the result of his death-bed plea.
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699 books
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy grew up in Russia, raised by a elderly aunt and educated by French tutors while studying at Kazen University before giving up on his education and volunteering for military duty. When writing his greatest works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy drew upon his diaries for material. At eighty-two, while away from home, he suffered from declining health and died in Astapovo, Riazan in 1910.
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The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction - Complete 20 Volumes

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Synnøve Solbakken

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Fiskerjenten

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Synnøve Solbakken

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

The Harvard Classics Shelf : All 51 Volumes of Essential Classics + 20 Volumes of the Greatest Works of Fiction

Arne

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Harvard Classics (All 20 Volumes in One Edition)

The Big Book of Christmas Novels, Stories, Myths & Carols : 450+ Titles in One Edition: A Christmas Carol, Little Women, Silent Night, The Gift of the Magi…

The Santa's Library: 450+ Christmas Novels, Tales, Carols & Legends : A Christmas Carol, Silent Night, The Gift of the Magi, Christmas-Tree Land, The Three Kings…

7 best short stories - Morality Tales

Stephen Leacock, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Kate Chopin, Guy de Maupassant, Matsuo Bashō, August Nemo

The Harvard Classics Anthology : 51 Volumes of Nonfiction Books + 20 Volumes of the Greatest Works of Fiction

The Santa's Great Treasure Chest: 450+ Christmas Novels, Tales, Carols & Legends : A Christmas Carol, Silent Night, The Gift of the Magi, Christmas-Tree Land, The Three Kings…

Big Book of Christmas Novels, Tales, Legends & Carols (Illustrated Edition) : 450+ Titles in One Edition: A Christmas Carol, Little Women, Silent Night, The Gift of the Magi, The Three Kings…

Charles Dickens

Mark Twain

Edgar Allan Poe

Henry James

Victor Hugo

Jane Austen

George Eliot

Walter Scott

Washington Irving

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Ivan Turgenev

Leo Tolstoy