From Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita to Raven Leilani's Luster, the texts in this collection investigate themes related to the power and promise of many types of art — from the written word to visual arts such as painting and cinema.
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, LGBTQ
Tell the Wolves I’m Home is the 2012 debut novel of author Carol Rifka Brunt. In it, 14-year-old narrator June Elbus wrestles with her grief over the death of her uncle Finn Weiss, who died of AIDS. Set in 1987 New York at the height of the AIDS crisis, the novel confronts the stigmas surrounding the disease through June’s parents and sister, who blame Finn’s long-term partner, Toby Aldshaw, for transmitting AIDS to Finn. As... Read Tell the Wolves I'm Home Summary
Publication year 1648
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Lyric Poem, Science / Nature, Restoration
Publication year 1844
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture
The United States Magazine and Democratic Review first published Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Artist of the Beautiful,” in 1844. Two years later, it appeared in a collection of Hawthorne’s stories, Mosses from an Old Manse. Drawing from both Romantic and Transcendentalist traditions, “The Artist of the Beautiful” is a science-fictional tale about the creation of art and the life of the artist, set against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution. Peter Hovenden and his... Read The Artist of the Beautiful Summary
Publication year 1992
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Art, Identity: Language
Tags Self Help, Psychology, Arts / Culture, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Religion / Spirituality, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 2023
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Arts / Culture, Crime / Legal
Publication year 1888
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fame
Tags Classic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Realism, Italian Literature, American Literature, History: World
The Aspern Papers by Henry James is a novella first published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1888. The unnamed protagonist and narrator is an editor and obsessive fan of fictional poet Jeffrey Aspern, who is no longer living. Having heard that a former romantic partner of Aspern’s, Juliana Bordereau, and her niece, Tita Bordereau (renamed Tina in later editions), are in possession a collection of papers related to the poet, the narrator rents rooms in... Read The Aspern Papers Summary
Publication year 1977
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Philosophy, Education, Social Justice
Publication year 1678
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Lyric Poem, Colonial America, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 1933
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: War
Tags LGBTQ, Arts / Culture, French Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction, Biography
Publication year 1912
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Identity: Race
Tags Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, African American Literature, Harlem Renaissance, Arts / Culture
Published anonymously in 1912, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is James Weldon Johnson’s fictional memoir centered on how a talented man born to a Black mother and a white father after the Civil War became white in the early-20th century. Johnson, an important critical and artistic contributor to the Harlem Renaissance, published the novel under his own name in 1927 during the height of the movement. The novel is an important bridge between the... Read The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Memoir / Autobiography, Creative Nonfiction, Science / Nature, Animals
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Futurism
white... Read The Bar Code Tattoo Summary
Publication year 1872
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Philosophy, Literary Criticism, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture, Drama / Tragedy, German Literature
The Birth of Tragedy Out of the Spirit of Music is a work of dramatic theory and cultural criticism by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). It was originally published in 1872 as Nietzsche’s first work, and later rereleased in 1886 under the title The Birth of Tragedy, or Hellenism and Pessimism. Nietzsche argues that Greek tragedy is born out of the merger between Apollonian and Dionysian perspectives. Nietzsche first differentiates between these two worldviews... Read The Birth of Tragedy Summary
Publication year 1936
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Magical Realism, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Publication year 1992
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Romance, Arts / Culture, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
A world-traveling photographer and a farmer’s wife connect in a sudden, impossible romance in The Bridges of Madison County, a 1992 novel by Robert James Waller. Lauded by critics as a soaring, spiritual story of true love thwarted, but ridiculed by others for greeting-card sentimentality, Bridges became a #1 New York Times bestseller and stayed on the list for three years. With theater and film adaptations, it is one of the most widely read books... Read The Bridges of Madison County Summary
Publication year 1911
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Class, Self Discovery, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth
Tags Action / Adventure, Allegory / Fable / Parable
“The Celestial Omnibus” is a short story by British author E. M. Forster, originally published in 1911 in an anthology titled The Celestial Omnibus and Other Stories. Forster primarily saw success as a novelist, penning classics like A Room with a View (1908) and Howard’s End (1910), but all of his works are similarly preoccupied with issues of class, gender, and intellectual hypocrisy. In its eponymous collection, “The Celestial Omnibus” joins other stories of fantastical... Read The Celestial Omnibus Summary
Publication year 1940
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Education
Tags Fantasy, Allegory / Fable / Parable, History: World, Magical Realism, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Jorge Luís Borges’s short story “The Circular Ruins” was originally written in 1939 and was first published under the title “Las ruinas circulares” in the Argentinian literary journal Sur in 1940. By the time “The Circular Ruins” was finally translated into English for American audiences in 1962, Borges was on his way to international renown. In 1961, he was awarded the Prix Formentor (an elite international award), and he traveled to the US to become... Read The Circular Ruins Summary
Publication year 1963
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Class, Natural World: Objects, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, British Literature, Realistic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Class, Love / Sexuality, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction
The Collector is English author John Fowles’s debut novel, published in 1963. The story follows a 20-something lepidopterist, Frederick Clegg, who becomes obsessed with a beautiful art student named Miranda Grey. After winning a fortune, Frederick kidnaps Miranda and imprisons her in his cellar, keeping her like a rare butterfly. Fowles combines psychological thriller, romance, and dark comedy genres into a tale that satirizes romances such as Shakespeare’s The Tempest by exposing their psychological and... Read The Collector Summary