The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J. D Salinger. The novel follows Holden Caulfield, a teenager from New York City, who is expelled from his prep school and then takes a journey around America. The novel deals with themes of teenage angst, alienation, and rebellion. Holden often struggles with these themes and … Read more
Spring Silkworms is a novel by Chinese author Mao Dun. Spring Silkworms was first published in 1932. The novel tells the story of a group of silkworm farmers in China who are struggling to make a living. The farmers are forced to sell their silkworms to a local merchant, who then sells the silkworms to … Read more
Cold Mountain is a novel set in the American Civil War, written by Charles Frazier. The story follows Inman, a Confederate soldier who deserts and makes his way back to Cold Mountain, in western North Carolina, where he had been raised. Along the way, he meets various people and experiences different aspects of the war. … Read more
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, is a novel about the Napoleonic War and its aftermath. The novel tells the story of five families in Russia during the war, and how their lives are affected by it. War and Peace is considered one of the greatest novels ever written, and has been praised for its … Read more
Lord Jim, a novel by Joseph Conrad, tells the story of a man who is disgraced after a failed attempt to do the right thing. Jim is an idealist who believes in the honor of seafaring life. When his ship sinks, Jim takes it upon himself to lead the crew in an escape attempt. However, … Read more
The Awakening is a novel written by Kate Chopin that was published in 1899. The novel tells the story of a woman named Edna Pontellier who struggles to find her identity and independence in a society that expects her to conform to certain standards. The novel addresses several major themes, including: – The conflict between … Read more
Holes by Louis Sachar is a novel about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who is sent to a camp called Camp Green Lake for stealing sneakers. The novel follows Stanley’s time at the camp and the strange occurrences that take place there. Holes is an enjoyable read and is perfect for young adults. Sachar does … Read more
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel set during World War I, written by Erich Maria Remarque. The novel follows the story of Paul Baumer, a young German soldier who fight in the trenches and experiences the horrors of war. One of the most important characters in the novel is Katczinsky, an older … Read more
The Outsiders is a novel by S. E. Hinton that explores the conflict between self identity and group identity. The novel follows the story of Ponyboy Curtis, a teenage boy who is trying to find his place in the world. He is constantly torn between the desire to be independent and the need to belong … Read more
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo is a novel that is rife with universal themes. Some of these include love, redemption, and hope. Love is one of the most central themes in Les Miserables. The love between Marius and Cosette is perhaps the most prominent example, but there are many other instances of love in the … Read more
Moby Dick is a novel written by Herman Melville in 1851. The story follows the journey of the whaling ship Pequod, and its captain Ahab, who seeks revenge on a giant white sperm whale. Moby Dick is considered to be one of the great American novels, and has been adapted into numerous films and stage … Read more
The 1920s was a time of great change in America. The economy was booming and many people were moving to cities in search of opportunities. The traditional way of life was changing, and with it came new challenges and controversies. One of the most controversial books to come out of the 1920s is The Great … Read more
Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith are two characters in a novel by Virginia Woolf. Clarissa is a wealthy socialite who is married to a government minister. Septimus is a young man who has been traumatized by war. Both Clarissa and Septimus struggle with their mental states throughout the novel. Clarissa is able to compartmentalize … Read more
Blood Meridian is set in the American Southwest, primarily in the borderlands region where Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona meet. The novel takes place in the mid-19th century, during a time when the United States was expanding westward and claiming new territory. The book’s setting is important because it helps to create a backdrop against … Read more
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, is a novel about a man’s journey to find enlightenment. The main theme of the novel is Siddhartha’s search for self-knowledge. Siddhartha is constantly on the move, seeking new experiences and knowledge. He eventually learns that true knowledge comes from within. Siddhartha also learns that the world is full of suffering, … Read more
Marry Me is a novel by John Updike that was published in 1957. The novel tells the story of a young man named Henry Bech who is struggling to find meaning in his life. Bech is married to a woman named Joan, but he is not happy with his marriage. He decides to divorce Joan … Read more
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is a novel by Kim Edwards that tells the story of a doctor who keeps his daughter’s Down Syndrome diagnosis a secret from her family. The book was published in 2004 and won the National Book Award for Fiction. The story is narrated by David, the doctor who kept his daughter’s … Read more
Amy Tan is a Chinese American writer whose Mother Tongue, a novel, was published in 1990. Mother Tongue has gained popularity and critical acclaim, winning the American Book Award for first fiction in 1991 and becoming a New York Times Bestseller shortly after its release. Mother Tongue was Amy Tan’s debut novel, but it is … Read more
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The novel tells the story of a shipload of dispossessed farm families from Oklahoma who are attempting to seek better lives for themselves as migrant workers in California during The Great Depression and Dust Bowl. The novel was awarded the … Read more
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a novel about a man named Guy Montag and his adventures with books. He works as a fireman, burning down any house that has books in it, because the government has deemed them unsafe for society. The paradox in Fahrenheit 451 is that people are so afraid of what … Read more
In Demian, a novel by Hermann Hesse, the protagonist, Emil Sinclair, has a mystical experience of subconscious duality. Demian is his friend and Demian turns into an important symbol throughout the course of the book. He learns about Demian from a small note that Demian leaves him at his door. They then meet again after … Read more
Jane Eyre is a timeless classic of literature. Jane’s story is one of pain, hardship, and isolation; however, Jane finds within herself the ability to persevere through it all. Jane finds an inner strength that allows her to become one of the most beloved characters in literature. Jane has suffered abuse at the hands of … Read more
The novel The Handmaid’s Tale is not merely a story about the experiences of one woman in a patriarchal society, but rather an examination of power and gender dynamics in such societies. The Handmaid’s Tale uses Margaret Atwood’s writing style to portray what life could be like under such conditions with rich symbolism and underlying … Read more
Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Bronte, published in 1847. Jane, the main character of the story, was orphaned at birth and takes many journeys through her lifetime; journeying for both literal and metaphorical purposes. Jane’s journey is made up of events that she encounters throughout her life which shape who she becomes. Jane’s … Read more
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is considered one of the greatest pieces of literature in The United States today. The novel tells a story that most people can relate to, and it does so with fantastic use of allegory. The purpose behind The Great Gatsby’s allegories are to emphasize the message that Scott … Read more
The Bell Jar, the semi-autobiographical novel published by Sylvia Plath in 1963 under a pseudonym, is considered to be loosely based on her own experiences. The protagonist of The Bell Jar is Esther Greenwood, a young woman who has graduated from Smith College and won a prestigious summer internship at “Aunt” Emma’s fashion magazine. The … Read more
Pride And Prejudice is a novel that was originally published in 1813. Pride And Prejudice follow the love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, who are often said to be Pride and Prejudice’s main characters. The novel takes place in England in the 1800s. Pride And Prejudice was written by Jane Austen. Pride And … Read more
The novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a story about Edna Pontellier’s struggle for freedom. Edna, who lived in New Orleans at the end of the nineteenth century, was trapped in the strict gender roles and societal expectations that plagued women during this era. The role of society dictated that she be devoted to … Read more
Pride and Prejudice is a book filled with many manners, morals, and characters. All of which contribute their own unique quirks to the story. One such character that is not as appreciated as she should be is Elizabeth Bennet. She does not go through any type of physical transformation throughout Pride and Prejudice, but she … Read more
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is one of the most well-known French novels ever written. Les Miserables Themes are also commonly taught in many secondary schools, especially in USA high schools. Les Miserables Les Miserables Themes include love, perspective, God, redemption and justice. Les Misérables can be seen as a novel that challenges the reader … Read more
The Brothers Karamazov, one of his most celebrated works, is the final novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The author wrote it between 1880 and 1881 (mostly in Staraya Russa) and died less than four months after its publication, on 28 January 1881. The book portrays a parricide in which each of a murdered man’s sons shares … Read more
David Copperfield has two friends that David admires throughout the novel: Mr. Heep and Mr. Steerforth. David is always chasing after one of these friends, but David’s relationship with Heep is a little more complicated than David’s relationship with Steerforth because David does not know what to do about his feelings towards both of them. … Read more
Heart of Darkness is a novel written by Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness serves as the center point to which all other characters and story arcs revolve. Heart Of Darkness was written during a time when realism was just coming into play with novels, making Heart Of Darkness one of the first pieces of fiction … Read more
Frankenstein, which was written by Mary Shelley, is a novel that encompasses the process of creation, evolution, ambition and judgment. Frankenstein’s monster makes an appearance in the novel when he attempts to seek revenge on Frankenstein for abandoning him. A large part of Frankenstein’s reasoning behind leaving his creation was due to the fear of … Read more
“A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” is novel that novel that tells the story of its protagonist Stephen Dedalus, his childhood, adolescence and maturation in Ireland in the late nineteenth century. Joyce’s novel is mainly concerned with presenting Stephen’s conflict in regards to religion. James Joyce was raised Roman Catholic but strayed … Read more
Hard Times is a novel by Charles Dickens, written and published in 1854. Hard Times: For These Times (or Hard Times) was also the name of a speech given by Charles Dickens; we will see the connection between the title and the content later. Dickens explores industrialization in England without romanticizing it like he did … Read more
Jane Eyre is a novel written by English author Charlotte Bronte, published in 1847 under the pen name “Currer Bell. ” Jane Eyre follows the strong-willed Jane as she navigates her way through life, ultimately finding love and happiness. Jane’s character is often considered to be an example of feminism. Jane represents the woman as … Read more
Setting plays an important role in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The book was set partially in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana during several time periods of the 19th century. Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped advance many causes of the abolitionist movement. The house Uncle Tom lived in is very important to the novel because it is where Uncle … Read more
The Anna Karenina of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel is an intriguing, complex character. Despite her adultery and death, she often draws more sympathy from readers than Anna’s lover-husband Vronsky does. But Anna’s lover Constantine Dmitrich Levin also ranks among one of the most interesting characters in literature. The reason for Anna being drawn more sympathetically … Read more
A Doll’s House is a very controversial act written by Henrik Ibsen in the 1800s. A Doll’s House exposes many social concerns during that time. The play deals with issues of women rights and marital expectations. A Doll’s House is a perfect example for a feminist work. A Doll’s House is about a woman, Nora … Read more
The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton, follows the story of two different groups living in mid-western America: The greasers and The Socs (pronounced so-shoes). The novel deals with many problems that were prevalent in society at this time such as poverty, high crime rates, violence between social classes and gang wars. The novel was written … Read more
Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a 1981 novella written by Colombian-born writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The work was originally published in Spanish. Chronicle is the story of a man who dreams his own murder and then wakes up to find himself being hunted down by townspeople because they believe his dream is a premonition … Read more
The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a novel about a woman in the late 1800s who struggles to determine her own identity in a world that pushes feminine virtues and prohibits female sexuality. The main character, Edna Pontellier, goes through one of three stages of transition throughout The Awakening. The first stage (the “awakening”) refers … Read more
In Madame Bovary, a novel by Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary is a doctor’s wife who has adulterous affairs with other men. Madame Bovary works as a teacher in the villa her husband bought for her. In Madame Bovary , Madame Bovary can’t seem to be happy about anything. Madame Bovary’s life is boring and Madame … Read more
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a Romanticist novel in The Custom House in Boston in the 1830s. The setting of The Scarlet Letter was crucial to the development of the narrative because it shows how much freedom people had at that point in time. The strong Puritan influence on New England also contributes … Read more
Les Miserables is a novel that was written by French author Victor Hugo in 1862. Les Miserables has many themes including forgiveness, self sacrifice, and courage. Les Miserables is set in France during the 1800s. This time period is known as the Industrial Revolution which caused economic and social change throughout Europe; this time period … Read more
Jane Eyre is an 1847 novel by English author Charlotte Bronte. It was published by Smith, Elder & Co on 16 October 1847, with the title Jane Eyre: An Autobiography under the pen name “Currer Bell. ” While Jane Eyre’s plot is similar to that of Jane Austen’s novel Northanger Abbey, the overall style, including … Read more
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an 1850 novel. The main character, Hester Prynne, has an adulterous affair with a minister and gives birth to their daughter Pearl. The Puritans in the Massachusetts colony sentence her to wear a scarlet letter “A” for adultery. As she struggles to raise her daughter alone while ostracized … Read more
Is Moby Dick really the better novel? Moby-Dick is a whaling epic written by Herman Melville in 1851. On its surface, Moby-Dick tells the story of an egotistical and obsessive captain and his quest to kill and conquer Moby-Dick, a white whale who has given him previous grief. However, Moby-Dick is also a critical commentary … Read more
Catch-22 is Joseph Heller’s novel that was written in the post world war 2 era. It takes place on a small island conveniently located behind enemy lines and near Italy during 1944 and 1945. Catch-22 mainly focuses on the life of Yossarian, a US bombardier and his struggle with military bureaucracy regarding his desire to … Read more