Publication year 1591
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Fear, Masculinity, Art, Literature
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.
Sonnet 1
Sounds Like Love
Speak
Stay True
Steal Like an Artist
Steppenwolf
Still Life
Still Life
Strange Pictures
Suddenly, Last Summer
Surviving the Applewhites
Swing Time
Table for Two
Talking As Fast As I Can
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Argument of His Book
The Art Forger
The Artist of the Beautiful
The Artist's Way
Publication year 1591
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Fear, Masculinity, Art, Literature
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Grief, Joy, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Sexual Identity, Family, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Art, Fame, Good & Evil, Music, Trust & Doubt
Tags Romance
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Art, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Mental Health, Family, Friendship
Tags Trauma & Abuse, Mental Illness, Coming of Age, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Speak is a young-adult realistic fiction novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, first published in 1999. It follows the plight of a teenager, Melinda, who was raped at age 13 and struggles to put her life back together and find her voice. Anderson has written several young adult novels, all of which address pressing issues for teens honestly and empathetically. She was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards award for her important and relevant contributions to... Read Speak Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Grief, Friendship, Art, Immigration
Tags Coming of Age, Race & Racism, Asian Literature, Music, Biography
Publication year 2012
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Language, Art, Science & Technology, Self Discovery
Tags Leadership, Business & Economics, Psychology, Psychology, Arts & Culture, Self-Improvement
Publication year 1927
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Masculinity, Mental Health, The Past, Self Discovery, War, Art, Beauty, Literature, Music, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Philosophy, Existentialism, German Literature, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Steppenwolf, originally published in German in 1927, then translated into English in 1929, is the eighth novel published by Swiss German novelist Hermann Hesse. The novel was commercially successful upon publication, and it remains a popular novel to the present day. However, Hesse remarked that whereas his intention was to find humor in life and resist despair, Steppenwolf has often been misunderstood as a glorification of suffering. Much of Hesse’s body of work addresses spiritual... Read Steppenwolf Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Art, Appearance & Reality, Community
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense
Published in 2005, Still Life is Louise Penny’s debut novel, the first in a series of mystery novels set in rural Canada featuring detective Armand Gamache. Penny won multiple awards for Still Life, including a Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Award, a Barry Award, an Arthur Ellis Award, an Anthony Award, and the Dilys Award. A made-for-TV film adaptation produced by PDM Entertainment aired in 2013. This guide is based on the 2006 Minotaur Books edition.Content... Read Still Life Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Art, Love, Friendship, War
Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Military & War, Italian Literature, World History, Arts & Culture
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Appearance & Reality, Mothers, Art
Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Japanese Literature, Psychological Fiction
Publication year 1958
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Sexual Identity, Family, Art
Tags Southern Gothic, Drama, American Literature, Southern Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction
Suddenly Last Summer (1958) is a one-act play by American playwright Tennessee Williams. It was originally staged with another Williams drama (Something Unspoken) in a double bill known as Garden District and met with mixed reviews upon its Broadway premiere. This may have been due to the content of the play, which includes pedophilia, cannibalism, and relationships between men (considered scandalous at the time). Indeed, Williams reportedly modeled Suddenly Last Summer and its two-monologue structure... Read Suddenly, Last Summer Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Coming of Age, Fathers, Friendship, Grandparents, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Order & Chaos
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Surviving the Applewhites is a children’s novel written by American author Stephanie S. Tolan and was first published in 2002.The narrative follows Jake Semple, a troubled teenager forced to move in with the unconventional and eccentric Applewhite family following an incident at school. Jake struggles to fit in at first but gradually sheds his past transgressions and undergoes a transformative journey toward self-discovery and redemption. The novel touches on Personal Growth and Transformation, Individuality Versus... Read Surviving the Applewhites Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Shame & Pride, Femininity, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Art, Beauty, Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Music, Realistic Fiction, British Literature, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Finance, Gender & Feminism, History: African , European History, Love & Sexuality, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction
Swing Time (2016) is renowned author Zadie Smith’s fifth novel. Inspired by classic movie musicals and Smith’s childhood passion for musical theater, Swing Time is a story about women, how forms of privilege warp our worldviews, and the ways in which history informs our present. The novel is divided into seven parts, each narrated by the same unnamed protagonist sometimes as a child and sometimes as an adult.One of the most respected literary voices of... Read Swing Time Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Joy, Femininity, Place, Teamwork, Social Class, Economics, Art, Beauty, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Femininity, Love, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Nostalgia, Coming of Age, Midlife, Self Discovery, Art
Tags Humor
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Grief, Friendship, Conflict, Forgiveness, Family, Siblings, Art, Truth & Lies
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, 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 1961
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Art
Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction
Publication year 1648
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Art, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Lyric Poem, Science & Nature, Restoration
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Art, Perseverance, Gender Identity, Fame, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction
The Art Forger is the fourth book from author B. A. Shapiro. With a PhD in sociology, Shapiro is well known for combining meticulous research with character-driven storytelling. Her academic background shapes her fiction; in The Art Forger, Shapiro approaches art and crime as social and philosophical questions as well as plot devices. Her characters explore questions about why society values certain objects and what the art world’s obsession with reputation and provenance mean about... Read The Art Forger Summary
Publication year 1844
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Beauty, 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 Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery, Fear, Hate & Anger, The Past, Art, Language
Tags Self-Improvement, Psychology, Arts & Culture, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy