Introductory Note: Alessandro Manzoni

Introductory note on Alessandro Manzoni (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)

I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed, Ch. I), by Alessandro Manzoni

Because of a fancy for a peasant girl, the tyrannical lord of an Italian village sent desperadoes to threaten the priest if he married the girl to her village lover. (Volume 21, Harvard Classics)

Manzoni died May 22, 1873.

Introductory Note: Alexander Pope

Introductory note on Alexander Pope (Wikipedia)

An Essay on Man (Epistle IV), by Alexander Pope

The sharp tongue of Alexander Pope made him celebrated, yet widely feared. In a representative product of his versatile pen, he gracefully combines his flashing wit with sage advice. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)

Alexander Pope born May 21, 1688.

Introductory Note: Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Introductory note on Shakespeare's Sonnets (Wikipedia)

Sonnets, by William Shakespeare

The most concentrated beauty of Shakespeare's unbounded creative genius is found in his sonnets. Written as personal messages to friends and not intended for publication, they reveal the inner Shakespeare more truly than do any of his great plays. (Volume 40, Harvard Classics)

Sonnets entered in the London Stationers' Register, May 20, 1609.

Introductory Note: Epictetus

Introductory note on Epictetus (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)

The Golden Sayings of Epictetus, by Epictetus

When a man is invited to a banquet he must be satisfied with the dishes put before him. Epictetus reasoned that man should be content with what life offers, and in serenity find happiness. (Volume 2, Harvard Classics)

Introductory Note: Hans Christian Andersen

Introductory note on Hans Christian Andersen (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)

Little Ida’s Flowers, by Hans Christian Andersen

Flowers often tire of their stationary life and sometimes at night frolic away to a ball in a beautiful castle. Thus a fanciful story-teller accounts for their drooping condition in the morning. (Volume 17, Harvard Classics)