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 1947
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Christian literature, Philosophy
Publication year 1931
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Self Help, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Monster, a YA novel about a Black New York teenager accused of murder, quickly became one of Walter Dean Myers's most acclaimed works when it was published in 1999, winning the Coretta Scott King Award, receiving the Prime Excellence Award of the American Library Association, named a National Book Award Finalist. The completion and release of the novel occurred during the arc of the conviction and eventual exoneration of the Central Park 5, Black teenagers... Read Monster Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race
Tags Arts / Culture, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy
Publication year 1929
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Modernism, Education, Education, British Literature, Literary Criticism, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Holidays & Occasions, British Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2015
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Music, Arts / Culture, Grief / Death, Travel Literature
Publication year 1939
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Lyric Poem, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1901
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Femininity
Tags Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Romance, History: World, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Art, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Arts / Culture
Publication year 2023
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Jewish Literature, History: World, Biography, Music, Inspirational
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Teams, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Asian Literature, History: World, Arts / Culture
My Name is Red (originally titled Benim Adim Kirmizi) is a 1998 historical novel by the Nobel Prize winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. Set in late-16th century Istanbul, the novel explores cultural tensions stemming from contemporary philosophical understandings of visual art. Told from the viewpoints of many different animate and inanimate characters—including Muslim and Jewish individuals, a corpse, the color red, and paintings of a horse, a devil, and a dog—the novel integrates elements of... Read My Name is Red Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Romance, Fantasy
Publication year 1942
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Mythology, Classical Period, Education, Education, History: World, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Originally published in 1942, Mythology is primarily a compendium of Greek and Roman myths, with a brief final section on Norse mythology, written by American educator and classicist Edith Hamilton. Hamilton engages with the myths as both a storyteller and a literary critic. She organizes and retells the myths narrated in ancient sources, and she assesses those ancient sources as works of literature. Her approach is grounded in the assumptions that Greek and Roman civilizations... Read Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes Summary
Publication year 1982
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Play: Drama, Play: Comedy / Satire
Noises Off by Michael Frayn was originally performed and published in 1982. It ran in English theaters until 1987, was revived in 2000, and began running in the United States in 2001. Frayn’s career as a professional playwright began in 1970, and Noises Off brought him significant critical and commercial success. It was followed many other successful plays, including the Tony-award-winning Copenhagen (1998). Noises Off won the London Evening Standard Award and the Laurence Olivier... Read Noises Off Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Music
Tags Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Depression / Suicide
Written by Colm Tóibín, Nora Webster (2014) is a historical novel that follows the titular character, a young woman who is struggling to raise her four young children, process her grief, and reinvent her life after her husband passes away. In 2015, the novel won the Hawthornden Prize, and it has also received numerous other prestigious award nominations. Throughout his career, Colm Tóibín has alternated between fiction and non-fiction, producing works such as Brooklyn (2009), which... Read Nora Webster Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Southern Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Publication year 1820
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Education, Education, Romanticism / Romantic Period, British Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1915
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: Class, Society: Education
Tags Classic Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, British Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance
Of Human Bondage is a 1915 novel written by the British author W. Somerset Maugham. The novel follows the maturation of a young man named Philip Carey as he grows up in England at the very end of the 19th century. The novel incorporates elements of both realism and modernism and has been interpreted as having some autobiographical inspiration drawn from Maugham’s own life. By describing events from Philip’s life, Maugham develops themes related to... Read Of Human Bondage Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Life/Time: Aging, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Community, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Life/Time: Midlife, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: Education, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags British Literature, Race / Racism, Modern Classic Fiction
On Beauty by the celebrated British author Zadie Smith was published in 2005. On Beauty was shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Smith is known for writing novels and essays that analyze the intersections of identity in the contemporary world with nuance, clarity, and empathy. She is also known to be influenced by the classic English author E.M. Forster. On Beauty is loosely based on Forster’s masterpiece... Read On Beauty Summary