Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving — Review

"Rip Van Winkle" is an imaginative story that feels like an old American fairy tale. It tells the story of a kind but lazy man who escapes his nagging wife by going into the mountains, where he drinks a magical potion and falls asleep for twenty years. The story's charm comes from its simple but powerful idea of escaping life's troubles and waking up to a world that has completely changed. 

The real magic of this story is not just the fantasy, but what it represents. Rip's long sleep is a clever way to show how the American Revolution suddenly transformed the colonies into a new, independent country. When Rip returns, he is confused by the new talk of politics and freedom, which is both funny and thought-provoking. Ultimately, the story is a peaceful fantasy about getting a second chance at life.

Here is link to the text of the story:
https://www.telelib.com/authors/I/IrvingWashington/prose/geoffreycrayon/ripvanwinkle.html

A Report For An Academy by Franz Kafka - Review

This story is a speech by an ape named Red Peter, who has learned to act like a man. He tells a group of scientists how he was captured from the jungle and locked in a cage on a ship. He realized that to survive and get out of the cage, he had to stop being an ape. So, he carefully studied his human captors and started copying them—learning to drink alcohol, shake hands, and even speak.

The story is funny at times, but also very sad. You see his struggle and feel how painful it is for him to force himself to become something he is not, just to find a way out.

Here is the kink to the text of the story:

https://short-stories.co/@franzkafka/a-report-for-an-academy-7e4vkpk3zd06

A Bread and Butter Miss by Saki (Hector Munro) - Review

This story is a clever and funny look at how people make plans that often go wrong. A charming but poor young man, Vance, decides to marry a very rich but simple girl just for her money. He calls her a "bread and butter miss," meaning she is boring and ordinary. His aunt is horrified by this plan and tries to stop him by showing how unrefined the girl's family is. However, her plan backfires completely, and the story takes a very unexpected turn.

The "boring" girl surprises everyone by making her own brave choice for love, not money. 

https://americanliterature.com/author/hh-munro-saki/short-story/a-bread-and-butter-miss

Story of the Bad Little Boy by Mark Twain — Review

Mark Twain’s *The Story of the Bad Little Boy* is a example of satirical subversion—a sharp, darkly comic deconstruction of the moralistic children’s tales that dominated 19th-century literature.

The story follows Jim, a mischievous boy who gleefully flouts every rule of proper childhood behavior: he lies, steals, skips Sunday school, torments animals, and manipulates his elders.

In traditional didactic tales of the era— such a child would inevitably meet a grim, cautionary end: struck by lightning, devoured by wolves, or consumed by guilt. But Twain turns this expectation on its head. Jim not only avoids punishment but thrives. He grows up to be wealthy, respected, and even elected to Congress—despite (or perhaps because of) his continued moral failings.

Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/tomsawye/mtbadboy.html

"Jeeves Takes Charge" by P. G. Wodehouse — Review

"Jeeves Takes Charge" by P. G. Wodehouse is a funny and clever introduction to the characters of Bertie Wooster and his valet, Jeeves. Bertie is a nice but not-very-bright young man who gets stuck in a situation where he is forced to get married. He doesn't know how to get out of it without causing trouble. 

The story is told by Bertie himself, and his way of talking is very silly and enjoyable. The best part is watching his new servant, Jeeves, who is incredibly smart and calm, find a perfect and quiet way to solve all of Bertie's problems.

Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://americanliterature.com/author/p-g-wodehouse/short-story/jeeves-takes-charge