Don Quixote -- by far the most famous book in Spanish literature -- was originally intended by Cervantes as a skit on traditional popular ballads, but he also parodied the romances of chivalry. As a result he produced one of the most entertaining adventure stories of all time and created, in Don Quixote and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, two of the greatest characters in fiction. By 1615, when he died 'old, a soldier, a gentleman and poor', his...
For April Fool's Day, we're exploring the role of fools in literature. Shakespeare is sometimes credited with establishing the fool as instrumental in his plots. Though they serve as subjects of amusement, and even ridicule, they often emerge as the ones who see the world most clearly.
Are you ready for a reading challenge this summer? We’ve rounded up a list of exceptional classics for you to consider. You could call them the original beach books!
Getting young people to read old books can be challenging. One successful approach we’ve come across is to pair the original with a modern take on the story. Here we feature ten classic books matched with fun, updated retellings.