Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
By Frederick Richard Pickersgill (1820-1900), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Viola tries to tell Orsino, Duke of Illyria, that his beloved Olivia is not the only woman deserving of his attention.
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Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Pubic domain.
Emma tries to reconcile her father to the unaccountable tastes of his nearest and dearest.
© Ian Patterson, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was commissioned by a fiercely independent Britain, and Beethoven was excited to oblige.
© Nick MacNeill, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
In Charles Dickens’s tale set around Mugby Junction, a man sees his life flash by like a ghostly train.
By Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Charles Dickens explains the thinking behind Jesus Christ’s choice of friends.
By Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
A young English girl in Dr Johnson’s London struggles to share her gift for music.