Random Loyal Books Podcasts

The introduction to Hegel’s lectures on the philosophy of world history is often used to introduce students to Hegel’s philosophy, in part because Hegel’s sometimes difficult style is muted in the lectures, and he discourses on accessible themes such as world events in order to explain his philosophy. Much of the work is spent defining and characterizing Geist or spirit. Geist is similar to the culture of people, and is constantly reworking itself to keep up with the changes of society, while at the same time working to produce those changes through what Hegel called the “cunning of reason”. Another important theme of the text is the focus on world history, rather than regional or state history. The obscure writings of Jakob Böhme had a strong effect on Hegel. Böhme had written that the Fall of Man was a necessary stage in the evolution of the universe. This evolution was, itself, the result of God’s desire for complete self-awareness. Hegel was fascinated by the works of Spinoza, Kant, Rousseau, and Goethe, and by the French Revolution. Modern philosophy, culture, and society seemed to Hegel fraught with contradictions and tensions, such as those between the subject and object of knowledge, mind and nature, self and Other, freedom and authority, knowledge and faith, the Enlightenment and Romanticism. Hegel’s main philosophical project was to take these contradictions and tensions and interpret them as part of a comprehensive, evolving, rational unity that, in different contexts, he called “the absolute idea” or “absolute knowledge”. According to Hegel, the main characteristic of this unity was that it evolved through and manifested itself in contradiction and negation. Contradiction and negation have a dynamic quality that at every point in each domain of reality—consciousness, history, philosophy, art, nature, society—leads to further development until a rational unity is reached that preserves the contradictions as phases and sub-parts through an up-lifting (Aufhebung) into a higher unity. This whole is mental because it is mind that can comprehend all of these phases and sub-parts as steps in its own process of comprehension. It is rational because the same, underlying, logical, developmental order underlies every domain of reality and is ultimately the order of self-conscious rational thought, although only in the later stages of development does it come to full self-consciousness. The rational, self-conscious whole is not a thing or being that lies outside of other existing things or minds. Rather, it comes to completion only in the philosophical comprehension of individual existing human minds who, through their own understanding, bring this developmental process to an understanding of itself. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, History, Introduction to The Philosophy of History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy

The title ‘Anthem’ is derived as an anthem to sense of self and self-governing thoughts. Anthem is a story of Equality 7-2521 who is a young man living in some unspecified future time and place. In this future era freedom and individual rights have been eradicated. The starring character of the novel is an inquisitive street cleaner. He lives in a society where people have lost their knowledge of individualism, to the extreme that people do not know words like ‘I’ or ‘mine’. All the people live and work for their livelihood in collective groups, along with the people with power, namely the ‘Councils’. There are many types of councils namely the Council of Vocations, Council of Scholars etc. The society is where all the terminology of individualism is completely restrained. They emphasize the principle that all are equal and should remain that way. Equality was an outstanding student during childhood and was very interested in learning. He wanted to become a scholar in the Council, but for his thought, he was punished by the Council which is responsible for assigning jobs to each individual. They punished him by assigning him the job of street sweeper. Equality had a thirst for knowledge that he secretly satisfy by sneaking into a tunnel every evening, where he was alone. He used the time to write, think and to perform some scientific experiments. Soon he falls in love with a woman named Liberty 5-3000. The book enumerates the quest for knowledge by this young man who struggles to find answers for many burning questions. These questions lead him to discover the mystery behind his society and the key to freedom. You’ll find the book hard to put down as it tackles the question of expressing love in a society that does not recognize it. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: anthem, audio books, audiobook, ayn rand, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Philosophy, Psychology, romance, science, science-fiction, travel

One of the world’s most valued scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture which is a part of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Undeniably, it is also one of the most important texts in the history of literature and philosophy. The scripture offers a guide on how to achieve a self-sufficient life and clarification of Indian theology. Written in the form of a poetic dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, the piece is comprised of 700 verses. It depicts the relationship between man and God, a divine purpose, and the omnipresence of God that serves to reward good. The literary piece takes place on the eve of a great battle which promises to be violent and with definite casualties. On the scene of the battlefield, Prince Arjuna is inspecting the area while in doubt and morally insecure about whether or not to go ahead with the battle against his very own kin. In response to the prince’s indecisiveness, Krishna explains his duties as a prince as he proceeds to address certain philosophies using examples and analogies. For that reason, the dialogue has been presented as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and attainment of self-contentment. Most inspiring is the purpose of the sacred Hindu text, whose aims are not merely to enlighten and instruct on the scope of religion, but also try and reach out to humanity in general in order to incite a better life for everyone and promote coexistence. By means of its philosophies and knowledge, the document presents profound wisdom which is sure to leave an eternal impression through its powerful and perpetual message. A work offering comfort and enlightenment, the Bhagavad Gita is regarded with much respect and love as it directs its readers towards a fulfilling and joyous life. Translated by Sir Edwin Arnold, the book presents a translation magnificently written and true to the original, as it alluringly stirs up emotion and strong imagery within its audience.

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, bhagavad-gita, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Philosophy, religion, Sir Edwin Arnold (Translator)

One of the first instances of science fiction, Wells’ classic tale published in 1986 examines various controversial philosophical issues active at the time of its publication, most notable being the implications of vivisection and degeneration. Narrated by its everyman protagonist Edward Prendick, the novel follows the events of his stay at a mysterious island, home to ghastly secrets, horrors, and incomprehensible experiences. Furthermore, the novel features innovative themes which have become iconic in the modern science fiction genre, including moral and ethical responsibility, evolution, and man’s interference with the course of nature. The novel begins when Edward Prendick, an educated gentleman is shipwrecked in the middle of nowhere, and is taken aboard a passing ship where he is revived by a man later introduced as Montgomery. The man explains to Prendick that he is headed to a private island where he works, along with the animals on the ship. While on board, Prendick also meets a gruesome brute by the name of M’ling, whom he believes to be Montgomery’s manservant. When Montgomery reaches his destination he initially refuses to accommodate Prendick after the captain demands he leave the ship, but later takes pity on his bleak circumstance and agrees to put him up. The protagonist is subsequently introduced to the cold and intense Dr. Moreau, whom Prendick recognizes as a former distinguished physiologist in London, whose horrific experiments in vivisection had been publicly exposed. Prendick is housed in an outer room of the enclosed compound, and is cautiously locked out of the inner part. Conquered by curiosity, he decides to explore the jungle where he comes face to face with a startling figure that marks the beginning of his task to unearth the shocking truth behind the segregated island and its beastly population. The Island of Dr. Moreau brilliantly intrigues readers with its generous serving of ingenuity, abominable imagery and chilling hypothesis of the possible dangers of scientific progression. A literary classic, the novel imposes many ethical questions still relevant to modern society, and certain to provoke reaction.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, animals, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, H. G. Wells, Horror/Ghost stories, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, science, science-fiction, Teen/Young adult, The Island of Dr. Moreau

The Black Arrow tells the story of Richard (Dick) Shelton during the Wars of the Roses: how he becomes a knight, rescues his lady Joanna Sedley, and obtains justice for the murder of his father, Sir Harry Shelton. Outlaws in Tunstall Forest organized by Ellis Duckworth, whose weapon and calling card is a black arrow, cause Dick to suspect that his guardian Sir Daniel Brackley and his retainers are responsible for his father’s murder. Dick’s suspicions are enough to turn Sir Daniel against him, so he has no recourse but to escape from Sir Daniel and join the outlaws of the Black Arrow against him. This struggle sweeps him up into the greater conflict surrounding them all. The story of the Wars of the Roses is told in miniature by The Black Arrow.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, History, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Robert Louis Stevenson, romance, Teen/Young adult, The Black Arrow; a Tale of Two Roses, War stories

In Plato’s Ion, Socrates questions Ion on whether he should really claim laud and glory for his ‘rhapsodic’ recitals of Homer’s poetry.

Categories: Arts, Education, Society & Culture

Tags: Ancient Texts, audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), ebooks, free audio books, Ion, Languages, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Plato

Hailed more as a literary masterpiece than an accurate account of historical facts, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second by Thomas Babington Macaulay is an admirable mix of fact and fiction. Modern day readers may find much that is offensive and insensitive in this five volume work which covers a particular period in the long and eventful history of Britain. However, it is certainly a book that leads the reader on to further research into the events and people mentioned. The book opens with an elaborate and detailed introduction which describes the writer’s motives and reasons for embarking on this project. He goes on to trace the early civilizations that preceded the establishment of the British Monarchy. He credits the British people with resisting all foreign influences beginning with the Romans and going on to the French, Dutch and Germans who had an important role to play in the affairs of the country. The British character and traditions are lauded and commended above all others. This was something which was characteristic of the Victorian age in which Macaulay lived, when the British Empire was at the height of its powers. He was still working on the fifth volume and the reign of William III when he died at the relatively young age of 59. For Macaulay and his contemporaries, Britain at that time represented the zenith of civilization. Macaulay himself was assigned the task of introducing English in British colonies, especially in India. Some of his controversial ideas included dividing the world into “civilization and barbarism” and his contempt of indigenous cultures. His famously insular outlook which he himself took great pride in was something which permeated through all his writings. The History of England… was seen as an essentially Whig representation of events. It inspired a generation of British politicians and thinkers, the most notable among them being Winston Churchill. The philosophy and viewpoint it represents evokes a past era in which the politics of the world was completely different. Macaulay is also famous for having insisted on personally visiting many of the places he describes and thus introducing the concept of social history in addition to a mere political discourse. In spite of all the attacks it received both when it was first published and later, the book remains a highly readable account of the history of the tiny island nation which went on to become a superpower. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, from the Accession of James the Second, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, The History of England, Thomas Babington Macaulay

The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The first six of the poem’s twelve books tell the story of Aeneas’ wanderings from Troy to Italy, and the poem’s second half treats the Trojans’ ultimately victorious war upon the Latins, under whose name Aeneas and his Trojan followers are destined to be subsumed. The poem was commissioned from Vergil by the Emperor Augustus to glorify Rome. Several critics think that the hero Aeneas’ abandonment of the Cartheginian Queen Dido, is meant as a statement of how Augustus’ enemy, Mark Anthony, should have behaved with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.

Categories: Arts, Education

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), ebooks, free audio books, Languages, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, poetry, Publius Vergilius Maro, The Aeneid

Dear Enemy is the sequel to Jean Webster’s novel Daddy-Long-Legs. The story as presented in a series of letters written by Sallie McBride, Judy Abbott’s college mate in Daddy-Long-Legs. Among the recipients of the letters are the president of the orphanage where Sallie is filling in until a new director can be installed, his wife (Judy Abbott of Daddy-Long-Legs), and the orphanage’s doctor (to whom Sallie addresses her letters: “Dear Enemy”).

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dear Enemy, ebooks, Epistolary fiction, fiction, free audio books, Jean Webster, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Teen/Young adult

Pellucidar is a fictional “Hollow Earth” milieu invented by Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. The stories initially involve the adventures of mining heir David Innes and his inventor friend Abner Perry after they use an “iron mole” to burrow 500 miles into the earth’s crust. This is the second book in the series. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, art, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Edgar Rice Burroughs, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Pellucidar, science, science-fiction

His name has become a metaphor for one who will never grow old. Peter Pan by JM Barrie is the story of a boy who remains a boy while the world around him changes. Sir James Mathew Barrie was a Scottish playwright and novelist whose works were received with great critical and commercial success in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He discovered the main inspiration for his creative genius in his friendship (and later guardianship) with the children of Arthur and Sylvia Llewellyn-Davies. The Llewellyn-Davies boys, five in number and related to the famous Du Maurier family, featured in many of Barrie’s stories and plays and some of these works were written specifically for them. Peter Pan was first introduced as a character in one of Barrie’s stories, The Little White Bird in 1901. Consequently, he appeared in a few other stories and plays and finally in 1904 made his debut in a full length play, Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. Following the phenomenal success of the play, Barrie transformed it into a novel in 1911 entitled Peter and Wendy. Peter Pan is pure and delightful fantasy. Peter’s character is far from a “perfect child.” He is selfish, foolish, thoughtless and ignorant and this is where the real appeal of the book lies. Readers are preconditioned to believe that childhood and children must always be portrayed as good and innocent. However, Barrie portrays Peter in all his authentic humanity and that’s what makes him so endearing because we truly see ourselves in Peter Pan. The descriptions are fascinating in their detail and intricacy, the dialog and conversations are absolutely spot on and Neverland is a brilliant example of the Utopia we all seek in its perfection and completeness. Captain Hook is a truly evil villain, while Tinkerbell shines in all her haughty magic. For readers who have only seen the saccharine sweet Disney version, the original Peter Pan may come as a surprise! Peter Pan cajoles Wendy Darling and two more boys to fly with him to Neverland to become the surrogate family of the Lost Boys there. A series of adventures follows, including scary encounters with Captain Hook and the vicious Tiger Lily. In fact, many readers have found the tale to be quite a disturbing Victorian fantasy about motherhood and emotional immaturity. Whatever the interpretation, Peter Pan remains one of the most brilliant and definitive portrayals of childhood and children.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, J. M. Barrie, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Peter Pan, Teen/Young adult

Written in 1903, just sixty years after the word ‘hypnotism’ was coined, this book explores the contemporary understanding of the nature, uses and dangers of the technique. Hypnotism has been practiced for many centuries, but it was in the mid-to-late nineteenth century that it became a particularly fashionable way to explore the human mind. Although understanding of the subject has evolved considerably over subsequent years, this book remains a fascinating insight into a technique once thought to be at the forefront of medical science.

Categories: Arts, Education

Tags: A. Alpheus, audio books, audiobook, Complete Hypnotism, ebooks, free audio books, instruction, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mesmerism, Mind-Reading and Spiritualism, Non-fiction, Psychology

Considered to be one of the books that changed the world and how we view ourselves, On The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin was met with incredulous horror when it was first published in 1859. The revolutionary, almost blasphemous ideas it described were seen as antithetical to the existing ideas of Creation contained in the Bible and other religious texts. It was mocked, reviled and the author was personally subjected to vicious persecution by the establishment and theologians. In the years that followed its publication, the book became the subject of furious intellectual and social debate. For modern day readers, On The Origin of Species or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life to give it its full title, represents not just a turning point in scientific discovery, but also the keystone of research and further inquiries into the field of human origin and an emergence from the Dark Ages of mere belief. Charles Darwin was a typical product of upper class Victorian society. His privileged family background included teachers, doctors, clergymen and businessmen. A desultory career in school and college was followed by vague ambitions to join the Church. Later, he embarked on a course in medicine at Edinburgh, but gave it up after two years to join Robert Grant, a famous biologist and proponent of evolutionary theories propounded by French naturalists. In 1831, Darwin was invited to join the expedition on board the now famous HMS Beagle which was to conduct explorations in South America. Darwin was employed as naturalist/companion of Captain Fitzroy and the expedition lasted for five years. The ship traveled to various South American countries and returned via Australia and Mauritius to England. Contrary to popular opinion, Darwin was certainly not the first to come up with the idea of Evolution. In fact, his own grandfather, Erasmus Darwin had proposed the idea in 1794. However Charles’ contribution was to provide the mechanism via which evolutionary theory worked which he called “natural selection.” In On The Origin of Species he provides a wealth of observations on different species and how they adapt to their natural environment. His further work on pigeon breeding and studies in geology began to crystallize in the famous theory which says that species are not “created” but they “evolve.” As a radical and profoundly original work which shook contemporary ideas to their foundation, On The Origin of Species is indeed a historically important and an informative read.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Charles Darwin, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, nature, Non-fiction, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, science

The Library of the World’s Best Mystery and Detective Stories is a six-volume edition, which contains one hundred and one tales written by authors as diverse and separated by history as Pliny the Younger (first century AD), Voltaire (17th century) and Guy de Maupassant (19th century) and also from different parts of the world. This volume which is the first, contains twenty interesting stories, and an introduction by the editor. The fascinating aspect of mystery stories is that sometimes the author allows the puzzle to solve itself without expert detective aid, while in other cases, a sleuth bends his or her deductive powers to the mystery. In rare cases, the author leaves the tale unexplained and allows the readers to draw their own conclusions. The stories contained in this volume include Francis Marion Crawford’s strange yarn, By the Waters of Paradise, which recounts how a young man’s tragic past takes a turn for the better when he meets a lovely young stranger. The New England writer, Mary Wilkins Freeman’s chilling tale of the supernatural, The Shadows on the Wall, tells of the strange circumstances which face a young woman who arrives at the home of her dead fiancé to find his three adoring sisters behaving in a very odd fashion. From the creator of the famous amateur sleuth, Uncle Abner, comes another charming puzzle in the form of the story, The Corpus Delicti. This story by Melville Davisson Post is certainly a deliciously enjoyable one! Other stories include two by Ambrose Bierce entitled The Heiress from Redhorse, a seemingly trite tale with a happy ending about a foolish heiress, but one which employs a sinister twist in the tail. Bierce’s other creepy tale The Man and the Snake tells of the horror experienced by a lonely man when he finds a snake in his apartment. No anthology of mystery stories is complete without at least one from the master, Edgar Allan Poe. This one too, has its share – The Gold Bug, a story of a man who visits his entomologist friend on a remote South Carolina and becomes obsessed by a weird bug that looks like a skull but seems to be made of pure organic gold! Washington Irving and Charles Brockden Brown are also featured in this collection. One of the most fascinating aspects of this anthology is that it was edited by Julian Hawthorne, the star-crossed son of the famous writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. A great read for all ages!

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, editor, fiction, free audio books, Julian Hawthorne, Library of the World's Best Mystery and Detective Stories, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, MYSTERY, Short stories

The Twelve Caesars is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire. The work was written in 121 during the reign of the emperor Hadrian, while Suetonius was Hadrian’s personal secretary. On the Life of the Caesars concentrates on the acts and personalities of the Julio-Claudians and their immediate successors. Together with Tacitus’ Annals, this work is a major source for the historical details in Robert Graves’ novels “I Claudius” and “Claudius the God”. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, free audio books, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars

This book, a reprint of a successful English publication, has been so enlarged as to be to all intents and purposes new. It has been carefully revised by a Reverend gentleman, who for some time filled the chair of Physics and Chemistry in one of our colleges. Recent inventions and improvements are described in a simple, popular style, so as to be easily understood by all, and short notices are given of prominent inventors and scientists. The paragraphs relating to doctrinal matters conform in every respect to the teachings of the Church. A feature which will commend the book to every teacher is the definitions of difficult words and terms, following the paragraphs in which such words occur. (from the Preface) More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: A Catechism of Familiar Things; Their History, and the Events Which Led to Their Discovery, anonymous, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, science

Two young children arrive in a small frontier settlement on the wild and desolate plains of Nebraska, on the same day and by the same train. Jim Burden is a ten year old orphan from Virginia who has come to live with his grandparents, while Antonia Shimerda who’s the same age as Jim, arrives with her large, immigrant family from Eastern Europe to try and eke out a living in the New World. The children find themselves thrown together as they live in adjoining farms. Jim tutors Antonia in English and they become good friends as they grow up. However, life takes an unexpected turn when Mr. Shimerda commits suicide. The Burden family tries to help but things go badly wrong. They leave Nebraska to settle in town, while Antonia is forced to begin working as household help. The rest of the book poignantly traces the enduring friendship between the two. My Antonia is part of Willa Cather’s famous Prairie trilogy and the last book in the series. It is also considered one of her finest works. This beloved American writer documented the hardships and tough pioneering spirit of the first settlers in the inhospitable Midwest and the travails they had to endure in the early part of the 19th century. The book is written largely in the form of a memoir told by the first person narrator, Jim Burden, who goes on to become a wealthy and successful New York attorney. He is deeply humane, thoughtful and introspective with an abiding love for the unspoiled beauty of the Nebraska Plains. He never forgets his origins and his friendship with the little Bohemian girl of long ago. Antonia Shimerda is one of the most attractive characters in American literature and is bold, free spirited, independent and generous. She is based on a real person, a Polish girl whom Willa Cather had hired as house help. Her love of life and her warm hearted, carefree yet strong attitude make her a lovable and memorable character. The lyrical descriptions of the wild beauty of the landscape, Willa Cather’s humanitarian outlook and the soul stirring narrative all make this a book to be read and reread. The role of the past in our lives, our deep connection with our environment and how it shapes us and the immigrant experience in America are some of the themes that are wonderfully explored in My Antonia. This story of a paradise lost and in a sense, regained in the memory, is an absorbing read for both adults and older children.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, My Antonia, westerns, Willa Cather

One of the earliest polished examples of existential literature, Notes from the Underground follows the life of a recluse and depicts his antagonistic attitude toward society. Written in two parts with a first person narration, the novella explores various themes expressing the misleading notion of rationalism and utopianism, existentialism, alienation and human inaction. The psychological novel begins with a monologue in which the protagonist introduces and characterizes himself. Referred to as the Underground Man and remaining unidentified throughout, the protagonist portrays himself as a bitter and misanthropic individual living in isolation and distancing himself from fallacious society. He further reveals that he is a Russian civil veteran in his forties whose spite has intoxicated him and led him to his current position of solitude and self-loathing. The monologue allows the protagonist to convey his thoughts, ideas and philosophies on life. Consequently, he sets many philosophical ideas on the table including free will, reason and logic, suffering, and conscious inaction. After explaining and justifying his beliefs, the narrator begins to tell his audience of his experiences as a young man in his twenties, and accordingly signals the beginning of the second part of the book. This section is dedicated to the events that have driven the protagonist into seclusion and illustrates his destructive interaction with various people in the 1840’s, including an officer, old schoolmates, and a prostitute. All interactions seem to be spurred by revenge, humiliation, bitterness and pessimism, which essentially send him to his personal underground. A paradoxical character, simultaneously unique and universal, illogical and philosophical, pitied and honored, the Underground Man is both a reflection of suppressive society and self-punishment. An influential piece of literature sure to provoke psychological reaction, Notes from the Underground leaves many significant topics open for debate and analysis. The ideologies that the narrator views with much contempt are what make the novel such an enthralling read. Increasing its intensity with every turn of the page, the powerful novella remains an essential for anyone with a critical eye to the requisites of society. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Education, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, History, Languages, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Notes from the Underground