Humor Classics

Satirical humor from the master. A group of congressmen are trapped in a snowbound train for two months. When they run out of food, they do what congressmen do - they form a committee to decide who among them should be eaten first.

In Shakespeare plays the tragic and the comic often fade into each other, turning into a harmonious blending of these two elements. Shakespeare takes a special delight in the employment of such harmonies. His tragedies never fail having their comic interludes, and his comedies often have a serious undertone. Still, the comic is not the tragic, and in this collection we offer some of the more humorous and witty tales from Shakespeare. The following Shakespeare adaptations are included here: A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It and Measure for Measure.

Much like Lin-Manuel Miranda did in Hamilton, the New York Times best-selling author David Elliott turns a classic on its head in form and approach, updating the timeless story of Theseus and the Minotaur for a new generation. A rough, rowdy, and darkly comedic young adult retelling in verse, Bull will have listeners reevaluating one of mythology's most infamous monsters.

TV star James Warwick and award-winning narrator/comedienne Alison Larkin star in this accessible, dazzlingly funny two-actor production of The Importance of Being Earnest--a trivial comedy for serious people. We're in England in 1895. Algy and Jack are debonair bachelors-about-town who plan to court Gwendolen and Cecily, despite opposition from the formidable Lady Bracknell.

"Le journal d'une femme de chambre", d'abord publié sous forme de feuilleton dans les années 1890 avant d'être édité en 1900, est certainement l'un des textes les plus violents d'Octave Mirbeau. Véritable réquisitoire contre les mœurs bourgeoises, ce monologue féroce et cynique révèle les bassesses et les vices d'une classe sociale triomphante qui, dans le secret des alcôves, libère le poids de ses frustrations et de ses turpitudes.

With her handler, Shiba patrols her territory for illicit magic. But Shiba has just lost her lifelong partner, and his replacement doesn't trust her. With nasty illicit magic sneaking across the border, what's a bitch to do? Of course, the real question is, "Will she do it in time?"

Esta novela constituye un momento afortunado del Siglo de Oro de la literatura espanola. No solo fue uno de los mas apreciados logros en la literatura picaresca, sino tambien una de las obras fundadoras del genero novelistico. Por medio de la narracion de simples travesuras, el autor dio a su personaje Lazaro, la voz adecuada para retratar los defectos y las miserias de los grupos y clases sociales espanolas de la epoca.

"Il fantasma di Canterville" ("The Canterville Ghost", 1887) è un celebre racconto umoristico giovanile di Oscar Wilde. Pubblicato per la prima volta sulla rivista Court and Society Review, il racconto ebbe un enorme successo e alcuni elementi della storia sono entrati nell'immaginario popolare. Ne sono stati realizzati numerosissimi adattamenti per il cinema, la televisione e il teatro. È una divertente parodia delle storie di fantasmi.

Il Profeta Almustafa è vissuto nella città di Orfaslese in solitudine e meditazione per diversi anni. Quando arriva la nave che dovrà riportarlo in patria, tutta la gente della città gli si stringe attorno, e prima dell'addio, lui risponde alle domande che le persone gli pongono, offrendo loro una visione della vita fondata sull'accettazione del sé e sulla tolleranza universale.

Un racconto ironico e surreale, una satira dell'alta società londinese di fine 800.

Fitzgerald's tale of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences. This story was the basis for the Oscar-winning Brad Pitt film of the same name.

Un cammino, il percorso di una donna. Della donna. Eva.Dal Paradiso alle scelte, dall'incanto al dolore.

Celebre racconto umoristico giovanile di Oscar Wilde, pubblicato nel 1887. Il racconto ebbe grande successo come parodia delle storie di fantasmi: in realtà, dietro al noncurante umorismo dello scrittore, la storia è pervasa di dolcezza e di poesia.

Uova Fatali, di Michail Bulgakov, racconta la vicenda umana, comica, stupefacente, fantascientifica, irrisoria, e infine tragica, del Professor Vladimir...

¿Es amor el querer poseer de forma absoluta al ser amado?LA BELLEZA INÚTIL - ¡ Quien va a creer que es amujer ha tenido siete hijos !- Pues los ha tenido, sí señor, en once años. Cuando llegó a los treinta, cerró su período de producción, para entrar en el de exhibición, cuyo final no se adivina todavía. -¡Pobres mujeres!-¿Por qué las compadeces?-¿Por qué? Ponte a pensar un poco, amigo mío. ¡Once años de preñez para una mujer como ésa! ¡Qué infierno!

El misterio que rodea el pasado de su esposa, y que él se comprometió a respetar, entorpece la aclaración del nerviosismo y la inquietud de la señora Cubitt. Holmes tranquiliza a Hilton Cubitt y le promete su ayuda una vez termine un caso delicado que está resolviendo.

Esta novela corta, enfrenta dos mundos irreconciliables: el lujo, el optimismo y el dinero contrapuestos a la desdicha, la pobreza y la apatía vital. Gordon Sterrett, como Jim Powell en "El gominola", buscará su absolución en un ensueño de juventud y encanto que le rechaza: el infierno no cabe en el paraíso. Por su lado pasan fugazmente personajes como Edith Bradin, hermosa encarnación de cuanto Gordon ha perdido; los soldados Key y Rose, reverso patético del fulgor del grand monde, y los grotescos señor Entrada y señor Salida, figuras bufas cuyas cómicas intervenciones contribuirán a resaltar la magnitud del dramático desenlace.

Стивен Ликок широко известен абсурдистскими, юмористическими и сатирическими произведениями. Первый писательский опыт - студенческая газета. Ликок писал короткие рассказы для поддержки своего финансового состояния, однако рассказы вскоре принесли ему много больше того, чего он ожидал.

First published in The Saturday Evening Post, "The Ransom of Red Chief" is a humorous short story written in 1910 by O. Henry. A pair of con men kidnap and attempt to ransom a prominent Alabama citizen’s son. Immediately they find themselves at the mercy of a particularly spoiled and clever boy who begins driving them mad. The ironic ending remains the story’s most enduring feature.

According to an LA Times, May 14, 2014 article, the following entry came from a notebook of a gold-seeking prospector, Samuel Clemens, in 1864. "Coleman with his jumping frog - bet stranger $50... - stranger had no frog & C got him one - in the meantime stranger filled C's frog full of shot and he couldn't jump - the stranger's frog won." Little did Clemens know that this would be the source for his short story that would launch his career as one of America's greatest authors.