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'Struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!'
It is the end of the eighteenth century, and the navy recruits the eponymous hero ā the 'Handsome Sailor' ā to its fleet. Accused of mutinous behaviour, Billy Budd is forced to defend himself, but his fearful, silent response soon gives way to a terrible act of violence. The consequences are disastrous, and nothing can prevent the force of judgment and eventual justice upon him. Discovered among Melville's papers after his death and published posthumously in 1924, 'Billy Budd' is a powerful tale of guilt and innocence, crime and punishment, and the cost of adhering to duty.
From the author of 'Moby Dick', Melville's allegorical tales are loaded with symbolism, and showcase his distinctive writing style and themes in shorter form.
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Yes, you can access CLASSICS-BILLY BUDD & OTHER_EB by Herman Melville in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Classics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
CLASSIC LITERATURE: WORDS AND PHRASES adapted from the Collins English Dictionary
Accoucheur NOUN a male midwife or doctor
I think my sister must have had some general idea that I was a young offender whom an Accoucheur Policemen had taken up (on my birthday) and delivered over to her (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)
addled ADJ confused and unable to think properly
But she counted and counted till she got that addled (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)
admiration NOUN amazement or wonder
lifting up his hands and eyes by way of admiration (Gulliverās Travels by Jonathan Swift)
afeard ADJ afeard means afraid
shake itāand donāt be afeard (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)
affected VERB affected means to assume the appearance of
Hadst thou affected sweet divinity (Doctor Faustus 5.2 by Christopher Marlowe)
aground ADV when a boat runs aground, it touches the ground in a shallow part of the water and gets stuck
what kepā you?āboat get aground? (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)
ague NOUN a fever in which the patient has alternate hot and cold shivering fits
his exposure to the wet and cold had brought on fever and ague (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens)
alchemy ADJ false or worthless
all wealth alchemy (The Sun Rising by John Donne)
all alike PHRASE the same all the time
Love, all alike (The Sun Rising by John Donne)
alow and aloft PHRASE alow means in the lower part or bottom, and aloft means on the top, so alow and aloft means on the top and in the bottom or throughout
Someoneās turned the chest out alow and aloft (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)
ambuscade NOUN ambuscade is not a proper word. Tom means an ambush, which is when a group of people attack their enemies, after hiding and waiting for them
and so we would lie in ambuscade, as he called it (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)
amiable ADJ likeable or pleasant
Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)
amulet NOUN an amulet is a charm thought to drive away evil spirits.
uttered phrases at once occult and familiar, like the amulet worn on the heart (Silas Marner by George Eliot)
amusement NOUN here amusement means a strange and disturbing puzzle
this was an amusement the other way (Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe)
ancient NOUN an ancient was the flag displayed on a ship to show which country it belongs to. It is also called the ensign
her ancient and pendants out (Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe)
antic ADJ here antic means horrible or grotesque
armed and dressed after a very antic manner (Gulliverās Travels by Jonathan Swift)
antics NOUN antics is an old word meaning...
Table of contents
Title Page
Copyright
History of Collins
Life & Times
Contents
Bartleby, The Scrivener
Benito Cereno
Las Encantadas or, Enchanted Isles
Billy Budd
Classic Literature: Words and Phrases adapted from the Collins English Dictionary
