This curated selection of titles examines the concept of power and its role in shaping society. The texts in the Power Collection draw upon a wide range of literary traditions and genres to explore concepts related to power and its pursuit, such as equality and injustice, colonialism, authority, and conflict.
Publication year 1903
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Mythology, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World, Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Fairy Tale / Folklore
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, written and illustrated by Howard Pyle, was originally published in 1903. Pyle’s Book 1s part of the Arthurian romance genre, which begins with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s introduction of the Arthur character in The History of the Kings of Britain, written in the twelfth century. The Arthurian, or chivalric, romance genre includes texts from many different eras and in many different languages. Pyle’s novel offers an American perspective... Read The Story of King Arthur and His Knights Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Self Discovery, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Self Help, Psychology, Philosophy, Business / Economics, Humor, Grief / Death, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness
Publication year 1956
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Historical Fiction, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year -1800
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Historical Fiction, Ancient Egypt
Publication year 1984
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Society: War, Relationships: Family
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Action / Adventure
The Talisman is a 1984 novel co-written by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It is a fantasy novel with horror elements and has connections to the works in King’s Dark Tower series. The Talisman is a road trip book that tells the story of Jack Sawyer and his quest to save his mother. The Talisman examines themes of lost innocence, coming of age, friendship, the corrupting nature of power, and more.The Talisman has a sequel... Read The Talisman Summary
Publication year 1843
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Gothic Literature, Romanticism / Romantic Period, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction
“The Tell-Tale Heart” is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s best-known short stories, first published in The Pioneer in January 1843. It is a work of Gothic horror written from the first-person point of view; like other Poe stories that employ the same narrative style (e.g., "The Black Cat," also published in 1843, or "Berenice," published in 1835), "The Tell-Tale Heart" uses an unreliable narrator to explore obsession, guilt, violence, and the supernatural. It has been... Read The Tell-Tale Heart Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Education
Tags Action / Adventure, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure, Military / War, Climate Change, Relationships, Futurism, Fantasy, Romance
Published in 2013,The Testing is the first in a dystopian young adult trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau; it is Charbonneau’s first venture into YA fiction. The Testing is often compared to Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games due to its dystopian setting and the similarity of the brutal, life-or-death situations to which each series’ teen protagonists are subjected. The Testing received the Anthony Award for Best Children’s/Young Adult Novel in 2014 and was nominated for several other... Read The Testing Summary
Publication year 1899
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Class
Tags Business / Economics, Education, Education, Social Science, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Sociology, Philosophy, Politics / Government
The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions (1899), written by Norwegian-American sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen, is a critique of consumerism and conspicuous culture promoted by the wealthy leisure class in America during the Industrial era. Veblen proposes that economics is not simply the study of markets and cash flow; it must include sociological analysis to accurately reflect a society’s consumption patterns and their cultural and economic repercussions. Though the book... Read The Theory of the Leisure Class Summary
Publication year 1996
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Politics & Government
Tags History: World, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Historical Fiction, Mythology
Publication year 1844
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Teams, Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge
Tags Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, French Literature, History: European, Military / War, Love / Sexuality, History: World
The Three Musketeers (1844), by French novelist and playwright Alexandre Dumas, is a novel that borrows tropes from the swashbuckling genre, historical fiction, and romance to recount the adventures of a group of king’s guard who face off against the machinations of nefarious political factions set on destabilizing the monarchy. It was first published through serialization in 1844 to great popularity. Though set in the mid-1600s, the novel connected with the philosophical underpinnings of the... Read The Three Musketeers Summary
Publication year 1928
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Comedy / Satire, Classic Fiction, Poverty, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: U.S., American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction
The Topeka School is a literary novel published by Ben Lerner in 2019. Lerner, an acclaimed writer and a winner of the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2015, is well-known for his poetry and his novels. His novels are often referred to as “autofiction,” due to the fact that they feature fictionalized versions of himself and other figures from his life. The Topeka School was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.This guide follows the... Read The Topeka School Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: War, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Politics / Government, Military / War, Education, Education, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 1952
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Race / Racism, African Literature, Relationships
“The Train from Rhodesia” is a short story by Nadine Gordimer, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. The story originally appeared in The Soft Voice of the Serpent, her first collection of stories, published in 1953 and used as the basis for this study guide.The story takes place in a train station in an unnamed African village. The station is surrounded by beggars and by vendors selling carved wooden animals. A stationmaster... Read The Train From Rhodesia Summary
Publication year 1985
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Lyric Poem, Mythology, Confessional, Love / Sexuality, History: U.S., American Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1951
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger
Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Sociology, Social Science, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (1951), by Eric Hoffer, is a philosophical treatise that explores the question of why ordinary people join mass movements and become fanatical devotees of what they perceive as a holy cause. Hoffer argues that prospective fanatics—the soon-to-be true believers—experience personal frustration so intense that their strongest desire is to lose their individuality altogether by surrendering to something greater than themselves. Mass movements exploit this frustration... Read The True Believer Summary
Publication year 1972
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Auto/Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Children's Literature, Jewish Literature, Military / War, History: World
The Upstairs Room (1972) is a novel based on the experiences of author Johanna Reiss as a Jewish girl during World War II. The novel follows protagonist Annie de Leeuw and her sister Sini as they hide from the Nazis during the German occupation of Holland. Annie’s story, which is told from her first-person perspective, celebrates human resilience and compassion while exploring themes concerning the loss of childhood innocence, the sacrifices people make during wartime... Read The Upstairs Room Summary