Art

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 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Art

Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Magical Realism


Publication year 1996

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity

Tags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter


Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Language

Tags Philosophy, Narrative / Epic Poem, Arts / Culture, Creative Nonfiction, Ancient Greece, Philosophy, Literary Criticism, Classical Period, Classic Fiction

Poetics, written around 335 BCE, is one of the most important works of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. This guide refers to the 2013 Oxford World’s Classics edition, translated and edited by Anthony Kenny.Poetics sets out to analyze the nature and uses of poetry. To Aristotle, poetry doesn’t just mean verse but theater; the works he examines are mostly plays. While Poetics is one of the most influential works of world philosophy, it’s also incomplete:... Read Poetics Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Colonialism, Society: Immigration, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race

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


Publication year 1980

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Literary Criticism, Psychology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Philosophy, Psychology, Gender / Feminism, French Literature


Publication year 1800

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Arts / Culture, Romanticism / Romantic Period, Education, Education, British Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

“Preface to Lyrical Ballads” is an essay by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. In 1798 Wordsworth wrote, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the poetry collection Lyrical Ballads. Believing that the poems were so novel in theme and style that they required some explanation, Wordsworth wrote a prefatory essay to accompany the second edition of the poems in 1800; he then expanded the essay for the third edition of 1802.The “Preface” is often considered a manifesto... Read Preface to Lyrical Ballads Summary


Publication year 1650

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Fame

Tags Gender / Feminism


Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Family, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art

Tags History: World


Publication year 2007

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Lyric Poem, Relationships


Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Business / Economics, Psychology, Self Help, Science / Nature, Education, Sports, Music, Arts / Culture, Education, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology


Publication year 2006

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Art, Identity: Language

Tags Literary Criticism, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Art, Relationships: Family

Tags Chinese Literature, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: War

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, War On Terrorism / Iraq War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

Saturday is a novel by Ian McEwan, first published in 2005 by Jonathan Cape. Ian McEwan is an acclaimed British author who has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize numerous times, winning the award for Amsterdam in 1998. In Saturday, McEwan delves into the inner life of a single individual, Henry Perowne, a successful neurosurgeon living in London. The novel takes place over the course of a single day, February 15, 2003, against the... Read Saturday Summary


Publication year 2005

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Fame, Identity: Language

Tags Arts / Culture, Education, Business / Economics, Self Help


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Colonialism

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy


Publication year 1956

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Grandparents, Values/Ideas: Art

Tags Grief / Death


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Disability

Tags Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Grief / Death


Publication year 2014

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Art, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

Snow is a novel of postmodern literary fiction published in Turkish in 2002 and in English in 2004. Snow won the Le Prix Médicis étranger award for the best foreign novel in France. The author, Orhan Pamuk, won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature and was the youngest person ever to receive this award. Pamuk was born in Istanbul in 1952 and grew up in Nişantaşı, Turkey. He studied architecture and journalism, only to decide... Read Snow Summary


Publication year 1924

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Gender, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Poverty