Jude the Obscure

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy's last novel, "Jude the Obscure" is a fearless exploration of the hypocrisy of Victorian society, edited with an introduction by Dennis Taylor in "Penguin Classics". Jude Fawley's hopes of an education at Christminster University are dashed when he is trapped into marrying the wild, earthy ...

North and South

Elizabeth Gaskell, Elizabeth Gaskell

'How am I to dress up in my finery, and go off and away to smart parties, after the sorrow I have seen today?' Elizabeth Gaskell's compassionate, richly dramatic novel features one of the most original and fully-rounded female characters in Victorian fiction, Margaret Hale. It shows how, forced to move ...

Islam: The Essentials

Tariq Ramadan

Hardly a day goes by without mention of Islam. And yet, for most people, and in much of the world, Islam remains a little-known religion. Whether the issue is violence, terrorism, women's rights or slavery, Muslims are today expected to provide answers and to justify what Islam is - or is not. But littl...