Reading Level
TOEIC Reading: 415-490
TOEFL Jr. Reading: 300 above
Summary
The novel is set in the mid-19th century, although it includes glimpses into the history of the house, which was built in the late 17th century. The house of the title is a gloomy New England mansion, haunted since its construction by fraudulent dealings, accusations of witchcraft, and sudden death. The current resident, the dignified but desperately poor Hepzibah Pyncheon, opens a shop in a side room to support her brother Clifford, who is about to leave prison after serving thirty years for murder. She refuses all assistance from her wealthy but unpleasant cousin, Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon. A distant relative, the lively and pretty young Phoebe, turns up and quickly becomes invaluable, charming customers and rousing Clifford from depression. A delicate romance grows between Phoebe and the mysterious attic lodger Holgrave, who is writing a history of the Pyncheon family.
Summary
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on directing the play as a tragedy. Since this initial production, directors have had to contend with the dual nature of this play. The play concerns an aristocratic Russian woman and her family as they return to the family's
Summary
"King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" by Sir Thomas Malory is a prose compilation written around 1470. This Middle English work weaves together legendary tales of King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table.
Summary
"Oedipus King of Thebes" by Sophocles is an Athenian tragedy written around 429 BC. When a plague ravages Thebes, King Oedipus vows to find and punish the murderer of the previous king, Laius. As he investigates, the blind prophet Tiresias warns him to abandon his search.
Summary
"Silas Marner" by George Eliot is a novel published in 1861. A wrongly accused weaver flees his community after betrayal destroys his faith and future. He settles in rural Raveloe, living as a reclusive miser obsessed with hoarding gold coins. When his treasure is stolen, despair overwhelms him—until a mysterious child appears at his door on a snowy night.
Summary
"Pygmalion" by Bernard Shaw is a play written in 1912. When phonetics professor Henry Higgins boasts he can transform a Cockney flower girl into a duchess simply by teaching her proper speech, Colonel Pickering takes the bet. Eliza Doolittle arrives at Higgins's door seeking lessons to improve her prospects, setting in motion a social experiment that will test class boundaries and personal transformation.