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Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that—contrary to the teachings of his distinguished tutor Dr. Pangloss—all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, Candide has become Voltaire's most celebrated work.

Madame Bovary is the debut novel of French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life. When the novel was first serialized in La Revue de Paris between 1 October 1856 and 15 December 1856, public prosecutors attacked the novel for obscenity. The resulting trial in January 1857 made the story notorious. After Flaubert's acquittal on 7 February 1857, Madame Bovary became a bestseller in April 1857 when it was published in two volumes. A seminal work of literary realism, the novel is now considered Flaubert's masterpiece, and one of the most influential literary works in history.

Written in 1914 but not published until 1925, a year after Kafka’s death, The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, The Trial has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers.

A Doll's House (1879\), is a masterpiece of theatrical craft which, for the first time portrayed the tragic hypocrisy of Victorian middle class marriage on the stage. The play ushered in a new social era and "exploded like a bomb into contemporary life". The Student Edition contains these exclusive features: · A chronology of the playwright's life and work · An introduction giving the background of the play · Commentary on themes, characters. language and style · Notes on individual words and phrases in the text · Questions for further study · Bibliography for further reading.

This is Goethe's first novel, published in 1774. Written in diary form, it tells the tale of an unhappy, passionate young man hopelessly in love with Charlotte, the wife of a friend - a man who he alternately admires and detests. 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' became an important part of the 'Sturm und Drang movement, and greatly influenced later 'Romanticism'. The work is semi-autobiographical - in 1772, two years before the novel was published, Goethe had passed through a similar tempestuous period, when he lost his heart to Charlotte Buff, who was at that time engaged to his friend Johann Christian Kestner.

Existen pocos libros en la literatura mexicana con la mordacidad y la elocuencia de Bestiario. En cada una de sus viñetas de efecto lapidario, en los trazos de su estilo, en los vuelos de su ingenio y en la oportuna agudeza de su erudición aparece el narrador impecable que fue Juan José Arreola (1918-2001). Sus páginas conjugan su pasión por el ensayo breve y el poema en prosa. Sus imágenes no son menos evocadas que las del célebre Manual de zoología fantástica de Jorge Luis Borges, ni menos naturalistas que los fabulosos inventarios que se han creado en torno al reino animal. “Su campo de acción es el ser humano, ya que su aproximación al mundo de los animales se cobijan en Jonathan Swift y las bestias sugieren conductas de hombres; sin embargo, las descripciones son portentosas y no sólo incluyen los símbolos naturales sino visión poética y conocimiento intuitivo”

Fem servir societat materialista i societat consumista com a sinònims, però per a la poeta i investigadora Maria Sevilla Paris són exactament el contrari: el capitalisme és un gran deliri de desmaterialització. Vivim immersos en un sistema que ens desvincula de la matèria i que atempta contra els límits orgànics del planeta. Amb un peu a la literatura i l’altre a la filosofia, Sevilla qüestiona el mite del creixement il·limitat i del subjecte autosuficient. I, vinculant la desmesura bíblica i la capitalista, ens proposa veure el concepte de límit des d’un punt de vista nou: tal com passa amb les regles de joc del vers, els límits no són obstacles a vèncer sinó ocasions privilegiades per pensar l’emancipació i la creativitat. La sèrie Deu Manaments vol repensar els grans temes de la contemporaneïtat seguint el fil conductor del Decàleg. Amb una mirada fonda i actual, responent a problemàtiques d’avui, lluny de qualsevol confessionalisme.