San Antonio College Library

Satirical pieces, classical and contemporary.

It's no surprise that, as he claims in his thoughtful and witty introduction, humorist Queenan (Balsamic Dreams) relished the opportunity to pore over and select the hilarious and sometimes disturbing works in this anthology. As he points out, "One of the great pleasures in reading books that are hundreds and even thousands of years old is in discovering how little the targets of the satirist have changed over the centuries." The buffoonery and sometimes...

Describes an experiment by one Dr. Ox, and is inspired by the real or alleged effects of oxygen on living things.

In this humorous and perceptive exchange between two devils, Lewis delves into moral questions about good vs. evil, temptation, repentance, and grace.--From publisher description.

An episodic story of the hilarious misadventures of Paul Pennyfeather, whose feckless odyssey begins when he loses his trousers.

Told through a central character, Alex, the disturbing novel creates an alarming futuristic vision of violence, high technology, and authoritarianism. A modern classic of youthful violence and social redemption set in a dismal dystopia whereby a juvenile deliquent undergoes state-sponsored psychological rehabilitation for his aberrant behavior.

Completes the series of Wells' (1866-1946) science fiction classics. In a long introduction and extensive footnotes, editor Leon Stover argues that the anthill society of the moonlings was not a dystopia but a model of what Wells advocated for humans. He draws on Wells' other fiction and his non-fiction political works to buttress the claim. Appended are a review by Arnold Bennett, two essays by Wells, his and Jules Verne's views of each other, and...

"The Edwardian years in England, nostalgically remembered as 'the good old days,' were not so content as they are nowadays represented. Although the serious playwrights of the period were intent on a theatre of social and psychological significance -- the influence of Ibsen and Strindberg was just being felt -- their complacent idea of inevitable social progress through political action was tinged with pessimism. This attitude was responsible for...