Eternal Sky Classics

Franz Kafka

Since his death in 1924, Kafka has come to be regarded as one of the greatest modern writers, one whose work brilliantly explores the anxiety, futility, and complexity of modern life. The precision and clarity of Kafka's style, its powerful symbolism, and his existential exploration of the human condition have given his work universal significance. In addition to the title selection, considered by many critics Kafka's most perfect work, this collection includes "The Judgment," "In the Penal Colony," "A Country Doctor," and "A Report to an Academy."

The Metamorphosis

Madame Bovary

For his twentieth-century successors the formal experiments that underpin Madame Bovary look forward to the innovations of contemporary fiction. Flaubert's protagonist in particular has never ceased to fascinate. Romantic heroine or middle-class neurotic, flawed wife and mother or passionate protester against the conventions of bourgeois society, simultaneously the subject of Flaubert's admiration and the butt of his irony - Emma Bovary remains one of the most enigmatic of fictional creations. Flaubert's meticulous approach to the craft of fiction, his portrayal of contemporary reality, his representation of an unforgettable cast of characters make Madame Bovary one of the major landmarks of modern fiction.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a philosophical novel by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, published in four parts between 1883 and 1891. As one of the most influential works in modern nihilism, the book follows the life, speeches, and travels of Zarathustra, the originator of Zoroastrianism. Thus Spoke Zarathustra argues man should seek to perfect himself during his life on earth, surpassing societal standards of morality and goodness. The ideal is - man transforming himself into the "Übermensch," a more evolved, superhuman-like state of being. Thus Spoke Zarathustra argues every man should follow his own path not dictated by societal conventions.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

From its gripping first sentence onward, this novel exemplifies the term ""Kafkaesque." Its darkly humorous narrative recounts a bank clerk's entrapment -- based on an undisclosed charge -- in a maze of nonsensical rules and bureaucratic roadblocks. Written in 1914 and published posthumously in 1925, Kafka's engrossing parable about the human condition plunges an isolated individual into an impersonal, illogical system. Josef K.'s ordeals raise provocative, ever-relevant issues related to the role of government and the nature of justice.

The Trial

Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë made a daring choice for her 1847 novel. Jane Eyre possesses neither the great beauty nor entrancing charm that her fictional predecessors used to make their way in the world. Instead, Jane relies upon her powers of diligence and perception, conducting herself with dignity animated by passion. The instant and lasting success of Jane Eyre proved Brontë's instincts correct. Readers of her era and ever after have taken the impoverished orphan girl into their hearts, following her from the custody of cruel relatives to a dangerously oppressive boarding school and onward through a troubled career as a governess. Jane's first assignment at Thorn field, where the proud and cynical master of the house harbors a scandalous secret, draws readers ever deeper into a compelling exploration of the mysteries of the human heart.

Jane Eyre

Mary Shelley

Frankenstein, the title character in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's novel Frankenstein, the prototypical "mad scientist" who creates a monster by which he is eventually killed. The name Frankenstein has become popularly attached to the creature itself, who has become one of the best-known monsters in the history of motion pictures. Shelley's novel, Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus (1818), is a combination of Gothic horror story and science fiction. The book tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a Swiss student of natural science who creates an artificial man from pieces of corpses and brings his creature to life. Though it initially seeks affection, the monster inspires loathing in everyone who meets it. Lonely and miserable, the monster turns upon its creator, who eventually loses his life. The first Frankenstein film was produced by Thomas Edison in 1910. Two German films, The Golem (1914) and Homunculus (1916), dealt with a similar theme derived from Jewish folklore. The Hollywood film Frankenstein (1931), with Boris Karloff as the monster, was based as much on The Golem as on Shelley's novel. This film was a great success and was followed by dozens of variations on the Frankenstein story in films such as Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Frankenstein Conquers the World (1969), a Japanese-made version. The character of the monster has also been used as a vehicle for easy humour--as in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) and Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein (1974). Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, (born Aug. 30, 1797, London, Eng.--died Feb. 1, 1851, London), English Romantic novelist best known as the author of Frankenstein.

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