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Books > Fiction > Special features > Classic fiction
Translated by Constance Garnett with an Introduction and Notes by
Dr Keith Carabine, University of Kent at Canterbury. Crime and
Punishment is one of the greatest and most readable novels ever
written. From the beginning we are locked into the frenzied
consciousness of Raskolnikov who, against his better instincts, is
inexorably drawn to commit a brutal double murder. From that moment
on, we share his conflicting feelings of self-loathing and pride,
of contempt for and need of others, and of terrible despair and
hope of redemption: and, in a remarkable transformation of the
detective novel, we follow his agonised efforts to probe and
confront both his own motives for, and the consequences of, his
crime. The result is a tragic novel built out of a series of
supremely dramatic scenes that illuminate the eternal conflicts at
the heart of human existence: most especially our desire for
self-expression and self-fulfilment, as against the constraints of
morality and human laws; and our agonised awareness of the world's
harsh injustices and of our own mortality, as against the mysteries
of divine justice and immortality.
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Pan
(Hardcover)
Knut Hamsun
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R833
Discovery Miles 8 330
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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We
(Hardcover)
Yevgeny Zamyatin
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R818
Discovery Miles 8 180
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Ships in 12 - 19 working days
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'One of the greatest achievements in comedy. A work of staggering
genius' - David Walliams An international phenomenon and
pop-culture classic, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has been
a radio show, TV series, novel, stage play, comic book and film.
Following the galactic (mis)adventures of Arthur Dent, Hitchhiker's
in its various incarnations has captured the imaginations of
curious minds around the world . . . It's an ordinary Thursday
lunchtime for Arthur Dent until his house gets demolished. The
Earth follows shortly afterwards to make way for a new hyperspace
express route, and his best friend has just announced that he's an
alien. At this moment, they're hurtling through space with nothing
but their towels and an innocuous-looking book inscribed, in large
friendly letters, with the words: DON'T PANIC. The weekend has only
just begun . . . With exclusive bonus material from the Douglas
Adams archives, and an introduction by former Doctor Who
showrunner, Russell T Davies. The intergalactic adventures of
Arthur Dent begin in the first volume of the 'trilogy of five',
Douglas Adams' comedy sci-fi classic The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy.
Ravaged by years of war and civil conflict, Britain has changed its
name to Airstrip One and become part of Oceania - one of the three
totalitarian blocks dominating the world - ruled by a mysterious
leader called Big Brother who keeps the population in thrall
through strict surveillance and brutal police repression. In a
society where the individual is suppressed and turned into an
"unperson" for not conforming, and where not only personal thought,
but also historical record and language itself are constantly being
manipulated by the ruling regime, Ministry of Truth worker Winston
Smith tries to make sense of the rebellious thoughts and passions
that are stirring inside him, and finds himself impotent against
the inexorable machine that surrounds him and threatens to crush
him at any time. Arguably the greatest dystopian novel of all time
and the most influential post-war work of fiction - which enriched
the English language with words such as "Newspeak", "doublethink"
and "thoughtcrime" - Nineteen Eighty-Four is a riveting read and a
groundbreaking exploration of mass surveillance, censorship and
mind control, which has a deep resonance with the world we live in.
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