Ocean State Libraries

Often ranked as the greatest of Plato's many remarkable writings, this celebrated philosophical work of the fourth century BC contemplates the elements of an ideal state, serving as the forerunner for such other classics of political thought as Cicero's De Republica, St. Augustine's City of God, and Thomas More's Utopia. Written in the form of a dialog in which Socrates questions his students and fellow citizens, The Republic concerns itself chiefly...

"The internationally acclaimed author, heralded as one of the most important writers of his generation, returns with the most substantial work of his career: an emotionally captivating, very funny novel about fathers and sons, ambition and failure, and the many forms of family"--

Pilgrims on their way to worship at the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury stop at the Tabard Inn. They represent a cross-section of medieval English society. To amuse themselves on their journey, they agree that each will tall a tale that really tells much about each individual. This is often called the first book of peotry written in English.

The town of Rose Creek is under the deadly control of Bartholomew Bogue, the townspeople are desperate for protection. They find protection in seven outlaws. These seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.--

When Rosalind is banished by her uncle, who has usurped her father's throne, she flees to the forest of Arden where her exiled father holds court. There, dressed as a boy to avoid discovery, she encounters the man she loves now a fellow exile and resolves to remain in disguise to test his feelings for her. A gloriously sunny comedy, As You Like It is an exuberant combination of concealed identities and verbal jousting, reconciliations and multiple...

Essays and reflections from one of the twentieth century’s most original cultural critics, with an introduction by Hannah Arendt.
 
Walter Benjamin was an icon of criticism, renowned for his insight on art, literature, and philosophy. This volume includes his views on Kafka, with whom he felt a close personal affinity; his studies on Baudelaire and Proust; and his essays on Leskov and Brecht’s epic theater. Illuminations...