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.

The Art Forger

by B A. Shapiro

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

The Artist of the Beautiful

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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

The Artist's Way

by Julia Cameron

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

... Read The Artist's Way Summary

The Aspern Papers

by Henry James

Publication year 1888

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Gender Identity, The Past, Art, Beauty, Fame

Tags Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Realism, Italian Literature, American Literature, World History

The Aspern Papers by Henry James is a novella first published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1888. The unnamed protagonist and narrator is an editor and obsessive fan of fictional poet Jeffrey Aspern, who is no longer living. Having heard that a former romantic partner of Aspern’s, Juliana Bordereau, and her niece, Tita Bordereau (renamed Tina in later editions), are in possession a collection of papers related to the poet, the narrator rents rooms in... Read The Aspern Papers Summary

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

by James Weldon Johnson

Publication year 1912

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Race

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Harlem Renaissance, Arts & Culture

Published anonymously in 1912, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is James Weldon Johnson’s fictional memoir centered on how a talented man born to a Black mother and a white father after the Civil War became white in the early-20th century. Johnson, an important critical and artistic contributor to the Harlem Renaissance, published the novel under his own name in 1927 during the height of the movement. The novel is an important bridge between the... Read The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Summary

The Bar Code Tattoo

by Suzanne Weyn

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Social Class, Politics & Government, Art, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Futurism

white... Read The Bar Code Tattoo Summary

The Birth of Tragedy

by Friedrich Nietzsche

Publication year 1872

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Music, Art, Order & Chaos

Tags Philosophy, Literary Criticism, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture, Dramatic Literature, German Literature

The Birth of Tragedy Out of the Spirit of Music is a work of dramatic theory and cultural criticism by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). It was originally published in 1872 as Nietzsche’s first work, and later rereleased in 1886 under the title The Birth of Tragedy, or Hellenism and Pessimism. Nietzsche argues that Greek tragedy is born out of the merger between Apollonian and Dionysian perspectives. Nietzsche first differentiates between these two worldviews... Read The Birth of Tragedy Summary

The Blind Owl

by Sadegh Hedayat

Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Loneliness, Memory, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Art, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

... Read The Blind Owl Summary

The Book of Disquiet

by Fernando Pessoa

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Apathy, Hope, Loneliness, Nostalgia, Regret, Mental Health, Death, Self Discovery, Art, Beauty

Tags Philosophy, Life-Inspired Fiction, Modernism

The Book of Disquiet is a fragmented modernist novel by Portuguese author Fernando Pessoa. Originally published in Portuguese in 1982 and in English in 1998, the title is a posthumous assemblage of Pessoa’s philosophical musings on life, urbanity, identity, and dreams. The novel is narrated by Bernardo Soares, one of Pessoa’s numerous heteronyms, or literary personas. Soares lives in Lisbon, where he works as an assistant bookkeeper. When he isn’t working, he occupies his time... Read The Book of Disquiet Summary

The Book of Magic

by Alice Hoffman

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Femininity, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction

... Read The Book of Magic Summary

The Bridges of Madison County

by Robert James Waller

Publication year 1992

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Love, Art, Fate

Tags Romance, Arts & Culture, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

A world-traveling photographer and a farmer’s wife connect in a sudden, impossible romance in The Bridges of Madison County, a 1992 novel by Robert James Waller. Lauded by critics as a soaring, spiritual story of true love thwarted, but ridiculed by others for greeting-card sentimentality, Bridges became a #1 New York Times bestseller and stayed on the list for three years. With theater and film adaptations, it is one of the most widely read books... Read The Bridges of Madison County Summary