Romance

"The course of true love never did run smooth," wrote William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream—and he knew what he was talking about. A text from this study guide collection might be just the thing to remind you of the bliss and pain of love.

Publication year 1918

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Beauty

Tags Modernism, Education, Education, History: World, Romance, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction

“Bliss” is a short story written by New Zealand author Katherine Mansfield. It was originally published in 1918 in The English Review and later republished in 1920 as a collection of short stories entitled Bliss and Other Stories. Katherine Mansfield was a contemporary of British writers such as Virginia Woolf (Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando), D. H. Lawrence (Sons and Lovers, Women in Love), and James Joyce (Ulysses, Dubliners). As a Modernist story, “Bliss” focuses on the... Read Bliss Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Race / Racism


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags New Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Mythology, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Bone Gap is a young adult novel by Laura Ruby. It features magical realism, meaning that the setting is realistic with fantastical elements. There are also mystery and crime elements. The novel is set in rural Bone Gap, Illinois, and is told from the third-person omniscient perspective. The narrator is all-seeing, knowing everything about the characters and events.The story follows Finn, an 18-year-old man. He is the only witness to the abduction of a beautiful... Read Bone Gap Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Self Discovery

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Self Discovery, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Grief

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community

Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, LGBTQ, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Romance, LGBTQ, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Class, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor


Publication year 1958

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, History: World, Romance

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1958 novella by Truman Capote. In the story, an unnamed narrator is introduced to a young woman named Holly Golightly and the unique New York world she inhabits. The novella is one of Capote’s most popular works and has been adapted as a musical, a play, and most famously as an Academy Award–winning film in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn. This guide refers to the eBook version of the 2000 Penguin... Read Breakfast at Tiffany’s Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family

Tags Romance, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Disability, Mythology, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy


Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Romance, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Breathing Underwater is a 2001 young adult novel by author Alex Flinn that tells the story of Nick Andreas, a wealthy teenage boy who struggles with his abusive father and abuses his girlfriend, Caitlin. When she files a restraining order and he must take a court-ordered family violence class, Nick begins to reevaluate his behavior and troubled past. As Nick is forced to face his emotional damage, he learns that change and growth are possible. Flinn’s... Read Breathing Underwater Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Marriage

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Humor, British Literature

Written by Helen Fielding in 1996, Bridget Jones’s Diary is a romance novel with a comedic twist. In 1998, it was named the British Book of the Year, and in 2003, it placed at number 75 on a BBC survey of favorite novels. A film adaptation was released in 2001. Renee Zellweger played the titular character and received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.This guide refers to the 1996 MacMillan Publishers print edition. Content... Read Bridget Jones's Diary Summary


Publication year 1997

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Hope

Tags Romance, LGBTQ, Western, Modern Classic Fiction

“Brokeback Mountain,” by award-winning American author Annie Proulx, addresses themes of Masculine Sexuality and the Forbidden Love of Queer Romance, The Inescapable Effects and Momentum of Poverty, and Powerlessness and Loss of Hope. Like much of Proulx’s work, the story includes a strong sense of place. Wyoming’s unforgiving landscape figures prominently in “Brokeback Mountain,” and the film adaptation by the same name received acclaim for its cinematography as well as its unapologetic portrayal of queer... Read Brokeback Mountain Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Relationships: Family

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, American Literature, History: World

Brooklyn is a 2009 historical fiction novel written by Colm Tóibín. The book follows Eilis Lacey as she emigrates from Ireland to Brooklyn in the 1950s, finding a job in a department store and falling in love with a young Italian man named Tony. Despite her new life in Brooklyn, Eilis makes a return to Enniscorthy, the same town Colm Tóibín was born and raised in, when her older sister Rose dies. While there, she... Read Brooklyn Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery

Tags Fantasy, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Religion / Spirituality

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman, first published in 2010, is a young adult novel. It explores the life of Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins, a high school student who has the ability to take pain away from those he cares about. Through his supernatural ability, the novel explores themes of Finding Emotional Balance, The Complications of Empathy, and The Dangers of Excessive Dependence on Others. Shusterman is the author of dozens of young adult novels, short stories, and works... Read Bruiser Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags History: World, Modern Classic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Historical Fiction, Romance