Showing results by narrator "Glenn Hascall" in All Categories

Two British members of Parliament - one an elder conservative, the other a younger man with a liberal bent (and an eye on the older man's daughter) face a difficult choice. Some stranger has left each of them a considerable fortune on condition they give up their well-respected family names and adopt that of Wurzel-Flummery.  

Franz Kafka was one of the first and greatest masters of dystopian literature. In his bleak world view, man is presented as helpless and ineffectual, his destiny determined by distant, obscure and essentially unfriendly agencies. In none of his works is this savage and unreasoning enslavement presented more vividly than in Metamorphosis, a novella in which Gregor Samsa, a respectable employee and dutiful son, wakes to find himself transformed into a gigantic insect.

One husband. One wife. One trusting relationship. A fable from master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Did they participate in a con, or is it possible that these two old folks simply came to the place where love and trust could help her say, "What the old man does is always right"?

Acclaimed author Hans Christian Andersen regales us with another memorable short fable. One plant is misunderstood, criticized, and killed. Yet it was this plant alone that could help an ailing king. This tale suggests that sometimes we place too little a value on things that may be worth so much more than we imagine.

This memorable tale written by the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz follows a mannequin who is brought to life by a mischievous elf. More modern stories bear a resemblance to this story as audiences are encouraged to suspend belief and follow the lives and times of inanimate objects.

It is an unmistakable truth that a politician will gain enemies. Those enemies will seek to find some mistake made in the past that they can use against the politician. This is just such a case with this memorable short story from A. A. Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh. Filled with the humor you might expect from the author, the reason for political blackmail may surprise you.

This is a classic short story written by acclaimed author Charles Dickens about a significant shipwreck. However, perhaps this is more an allegory of life's journey than a maritime adventure. It may just be that listeners will think more about their own life courses and how they relate to others in the end.

We often condemn what we don't understand. In this short tale from L. Frank Baum (of The Wizard of Oz fame), we see members of high society suddenly engaging in activities they wouldn't normally have anything to do with. There was a reason for their change, but for those who didn't know the reason, the men's actions seemed disgraceful. A tale that seems to encourage the old adage "walk a mile in another man's shoes."

A short fable from acclaimed author Hans Christian Andersen. In this memorable tale, Andersen tackles the subject of prejudice by looking at the subject through the eyes of an apple branch that assumes he is superior to the dandelion. This story may be viewed as both great story as well as a powerful object lesson.

If you are less than fond of telemarketing phone calls, door-to-door salesmen, and email spam, then you have something in common with beloved humorist Mark Twain. In this story, he encounters a "Canvasser" (essentially a door-to-door huckster). The man's story is compelling and it is only at the end that Twain connects the dots, but by then he's in line to buy something he doesn't need.

An odd but well-loved short story following steps into madness. A country doctor has had more work than he can handle, and the stress seems to have taken him to a place that seems as at home in nightmares as in the madness of an overworked mind. Kafka's work often lends itself to the turmoil of the human mind. In this respect the story does not fail to impress.

Acclaimed author Nathaniel Hawthorne weaves a short tale of a ghost, now old, that had died in youth. As with many such stories, there are things he must do to move beyond his predicament. This story finds him seeing those who roam for centuries and those who finish whatever tasks they were to perform moving on sooner than he would have liked. This ghost story is not so much terror driven as it seems a reflection on the thinking of a ghost. Intriguing.

In this short tale, young Margery is learning to spell out words and thinks herself a fine writer. The first word she mastered was "baby". The faithful uncle attempts to teach her some of the best ways to create a solid and enjoyable story. In the end, her story was just three words, but perhaps there was a depth no one expected. Perhaps the uncle was just overthinking things.

These stories came before the more famous "Winnie the Pooh", but point to the master storyteller A. A. Milne always was. In this beloved tale, the unnamed uncle describes correspondence with his niece Margery. The young girl has as unique a perspective on life as her uncle and has derived her own unique spelling of words.

Sometimes we weary of houseguests. The goblin in this short story from classic author Hans Christian Andersen can't quite decide whether he wanted to stay with the student who loved poetry or the huckster who had porridge. Follow the imp through his unusual decision.

Another masterful interaction between young Margery and her uncle. From the mind of the creator of Winnie the Pooh comes one in a series of short stories that captures the joy of childhood and the frustration of an uncle unused to interacting with children.

All short stories are open to interpretation and philosophical dialogue, but this memorable tale from acclaimed author Virginia Woolf might be described as a case study in the mentality of hoarding or at the very least an obsession. What would John give up to discover and collect a very unusual group of items? Would this collection improve his life, or would it give way to madness?

Welcome to a wonderful slice of backwoods American humor. F. Scott Fitzgerald penned this delightful short tale of love, feuds, whiskey, and rye. Narrator Glenn Hascall follows the story with character and wit fully intact. This may remind you of classic love stories, but the twists, turns, and slingshots make something entirely different.

Kew Gardens may not be unlike any beautiful garden you might visit. However, Virginia Woolf, invites us to inspect the minds of a few who visit the garden. This is a place of dreams, an oasis, a hideaway from all that is busy and frantic.

A story from classic writer Hans Christian Andersen that is more a commentary on society than fable. It has been said that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country. It has also been said that he who will not learn from history is doomed to repeat it. Andersen reflects on a variety of history makers who were not viewed favorably when they made history.