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volunteers bring you 15 recordings of The Silver Wedding by John Godfrey Saxe. This was the Weekly Poetry project for September 12th, 2010.

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Comedy, Humor, Romance

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The Expedition of Humphry Clinker was the last of the picaresque novels of Tobias Smollett, and is considered by many to be his best and funniest work. Published in London on 17 June 1771, it is an epistolary novel, presented in the form of letters written by six different characters: Matthew Bramble, a Welsh Squire; his sister Tabitha; their niece and nephew, Jery and Lydia Melford; Tabitha's maid Winifred Jenkins; and Lydia's suitor, Wilson. Much of the comedy arises from differences in the descriptions of the same events by different participants. Attributions of motives and descriptions of behavior show wild variation and reveal much about the character of the teller. The setting, amidst the high-society spa towns and seaside resorts of the 18th century provides his characters with many opportunities for satirical observations on English life and manners....

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Fiction, Humor, Satire

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Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) has been called the “prince of paradox.” Time magazine observed of his writing style: “Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out.” His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. The title of Chesteron’s 1910 collection of essays was inspired by a title given to him two years earlier by The Times newspaper, which had asked a number of authors to write on the topic: “What’s wrong with the world?”. Chesterton’s answer at that time was the shortest of those submitted - he simply wrote: “Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G.K. Chesterton”. In this collection he gives a fuller treatment of the question, with his characteristic conservative wit. (Summary by Wikipedia and Carl Manchester)...

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Politics, Humor, Essay/Short nonfiction

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volunteers bring you 14 recordings of Retort by Paul Laurence Dunbar. This was the weekly poetry project for August 23rd, 2009.

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Poetry, Humor

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...Showing Curious ways in which the English Language may be made to convey Ideas or obscure them. A collection of unintentionally humorous uses of the English language. Sections of the work: How she is wrote by the Inaccurate, By Advertisers and on Sign-boards, For Epitaphs, By Correspondents, By the Effusive, How she can be oddly wrote, and By the Untutored. (Summary by TriciaG)...

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Humor, Languages

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volunteers bring you 10 recordings of In these days . . . by Ebenezer Elliott. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for May 23rd, 2010.

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Humor, Satire, Poetry

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volunteers bring you 14 recordings of The Flatting-Mill by William Cowper. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for May 1, 2011. William Cowper (pronounced Cooper)was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called him the best modern poet, whilst William Wordsworth particularly admired his poem Yardley-Oak. He was a nephew of the poet Judith Madan. (summary from Wikipedia)...

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Advice, Humor, Instruction, Satire, Poetry

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The pieces gathered into this volume were, with two exceptions, written for the entertainment of a private circle, without any view to publication. The editor would express her thanks to the writers, who, at her solicitation, have allowed them to be printed. They are published with the hope of aiding a work of charity,—the establishment of an Agency for the benefit of the poor in Cambridge,—to which the proceeds of the sale will be devoted. (Summary by Anne W. Abbot, ed)...

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Fiction, Humor, Poetry, Short stories, Memoirs

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volunteers bring you 11 recordings of The Briefless Barrister by John Godfrey Saxe. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for July 18th, 2010.

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Humor, Satire, Poetry

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volunteers bring you 11 recordings of The Twelve Months by George Ellis. This was the Weekly Poetry project for January 24th, 2010.

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Humor, Poetry

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A comic rendering in verse of well-loved Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, each ending with a moral and full of puns. The titles of the tales themselves make another verse.(Summary by Annise)...

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Humor, Poetry, Fairy tales

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volunteers bring you 18 recordings of Love in a Cottage by Nathaniel Parker Willis. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for October 24th, 2010.

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Humor, Romance, Poetry

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The Wit and Humor of America is a 10 volume series. In this, the ninth volume, 37 short stories and poems have been gathered from 31 authors. This volume is sure to delight listeners. (Summary by Linette Geisel)...

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Humor, Fiction, Poetry

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volunteers bring you 12 recordings of Birches by Robert Frost. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for February 21st, 2010.

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Humor, Literature, Nature, Poetry

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Carl Stanton is an invalid suffering from an unusual bout of rheumatism. His fiancée is gone for the winter and though he begs her to write to help ease his boredom and pain she is stingy with her letters. She sends him what she calls a ridiculous circular which she states is very apropos of his sentimental passion for letters. In a sudden fit of mischief, malice and rheumatism, Carl decides to respond to the circular which results in bringing about the necessary distraction in a flurry of letters that do ease Carl’s boredom and pain but also bring him something else that he never quite expected. ( Summary by wikisource )...

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Fiction, Humor

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volunteers bring you 14 different recordings of Saint Distaff's Day, or the Morrow After Twelfth Day, by Robert Herrick. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of January 6th, 2008. What is St. Distaff's Day? Historically, it was the day after the Christmas festivals ended (the 12 days of Christmas), and most women went back to work with their spinning… but it was also a day of pranks and horsing around. Additional information can be found in http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/jan/7.htm Chambers' Book of Days ....

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Humor, Poetry

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volunteers bring you 23 recordings of Cupid's Darts by Anonymous. This was the Weekly Poetry project for February 12, 2012. To celebrate the somewhat silly holiday of Valentine's Day, I've selected this somewhat silly poem, which first appeared in Such Nonsense! an anthology by Carolyn Wells. Published in 1918.(Summary by Liberty Stump)...

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Humor, Nature, Poetry

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volunteers bring you 14 recordings of Merry Autumn by Paul Laurence Dunbar. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for October 10th, 2010.

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Humor, Nature, Satire, Poetry

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volunteers bring you 14 recordings of Lines on The Mermaid Tavern by John Keats. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for August 15th, 2010.

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Poetry, Humor

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This is a subset of the second collection of Gilbert’s “Bab Ballads” – light verses poking fun at the life and people of his time in Gilbert’s unique “topsy-turvey” style. The epitaph on his memorial on the Victoria Embankment in London is “HIS FOE WAS FOLLY AND HIS WEAPON WIT”, an epitaph amply exemplified in these verses. (Summary by Graham Redman)...

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Humor, Poetry