Classic StoriesStories for SummerEpisodes Episode guide

Back up to: Classic Stories

1. Wailing Well by MR James

   MR James’ story of summer scout trip takes a sinister turn when Stanley breaks the rules.
2. Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy

   Tolstoy’s timeless parable of a king seeking answers to life’s most important questions.
3. The Postmaster by Rabindranath Tagore

   Tagore’s tale of a postman leaving his job and the poor girl he's been looking after.
4. The New Dress by Virginia Woolf

   Virginia Woolf’s sharply observed tale of a young woman’s fashion faux pas.
5. The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

   Katherine Mansfield’s acclaimed story of a family are preparing for a lavish celebration.
6. The Flower Gatherer by Edward Thomas

   Edward Thomas’s story of a child exalting in the joy of summer, with a sting in its tail.
7. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane

   Stephen Crane’s humorous story of a newlywed woman arriving in a raucous Texan town.
8. Second Best by DH Lawrence

   DH Lawrence’s powerful story about growing up and coming to terms with life’s realities.
9. Rats by MR James

   MR James’ spine-tingling story about a young writer sojourn in a remote Suffolk inn.
10. One Crowded Hour by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tale of a highwayman taking to the Sussex roads.
11. Holiday Group by EM Delafield

    EM Delafield’s subtle and satirical story of a family's summer trip to the coast.
12. After the Race by James Joyce

    James Joyce’s youthful vignette about a jubilant, heady summer evening spent in Dublin.
13. A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin

    Kate Chopin’s cleverly observed story about a woman’s ambivalence towards a guest.
14. A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf

    Woolf’s strangely romantic sketch of a ghostly couple watching over their old home.
15. A Country Cottage by Anton Chekhov

    Chekhov's story of a newlywed couple whose harmony is broken by an arrival off the train.