Burt L Standish

The poem describes the narrative of an Ancient Mariner who uses his crossbow to kill an albatross. After the bird is killed, a strong gale sweeps the ship farther and deeper into the Pacific Ocean.

The four selections in this volume span his entire writing career and are one of his most famous stories. These include: “The Infamous Leaping Frog in Calaveras County”, one of Twain’s most entertaining folk humor, first published in 1865.

The stories aren’t ordered, so feel free to skip around. Keep in mind that many of the best stories are at the beginning. In most stories, the heroes prevail and the villains are punished. It sounds stale until you consider who’s excellent and why.

Othello and Iago are the main characters in the narrative. Othello is a Moorish general in the Venetian army who leads his troops into a battle with the Ottoman Turks for Cyprus. Iago, on the other hand, is enraged because Othello has appointed Cassio as his lieutenant instead of him.

Herman Melville’s The Piazza Tales is a collection of tales. It was released in 1856. Five of the six pieces in the book had previously appeared in Putnam’s Monthly magazine; only the title story, “The Piazza,” was new to the collection.