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.

All's Well

by Mona Awad

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Gender Identity, Appearance & Reality, Art, Good & Evil

Tags Horror & Suspense, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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All the Water in the World

by Eiren Caffall

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Climate, Environment, Food, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Art, Beauty, Equality, Justice, Literature, Music, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Science Fiction

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A Month in the Country

by J.L. Carr

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, War, Marriage

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, World War I, Arts & Culture, World History, Classic Fiction

A Month in the Country is a fiction novel published in 1980 by the British author J.L. Carr, a retired schoolteacher and publisher. The novel tells the deceptively spare tale of Thomas Birkin, a veteran of World War One who, having just returned from overseas, accepts summer employment to restore a mural. Dating back nearly five centuries, the mural adorns the wall of an old country church in northern England. During the weeks he painstakingly... Read A Month in the Country Summary

Amsterdam

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Friendship, Revenge, Art, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam, a satirical novel published in 1998, won the prestigious Booker Prize. McEwan is a highly regarded British author, known for acclaimed works such as Atonement, The Children Act, and Saturday. Set in London during the late 1990s, Amsterdam captures the cynical atmosphere of post-Thatcherite Britain, particularly the codependent relationship between politics and the press. The novel follows two successful middle-aged friends, a composer and a newspaper editor, who make a fateful euthanasia... Read Amsterdam Summary

An Actor Prepares

by Constantin Stanislavski

Publication year 1936

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Truth & Lies, Language

Tags Arts & Culture, Dramatic Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938), one of the most influential and formative practitioners in the history of western theatre, published An Actor Prepares in 1936. The text is based on his work and teachings at the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia. As translator Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood notes, Stanislavski dreamed of creating “a manual, a handbook, a working textbook” (v) for actors. Stanislavski’s technique, which incorporates the practices of many theatre artists that came before him, has become... Read An Actor Prepares Summary

An Ideal Husband

by Oscar Wilde

Publication year 1895

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Social Class, Art

Tags Comedy & Satire, World History, Dramatic Literature, Romance, Victorian Era, Humor, Classic Fiction

An Ideal Husband is a satirical play about blackmail, politics, morality, and marriage by Victorian writer Oscar Wilde. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal in Haymarket, London, on January 3, 1895. Wilde was an acclaimed playwright in London at the time, though his imprisonment in late 1895 marked his fall from public grace. The play has since been adapted for both film and theater across the world, as have many of Wilde’s other... Read An Ideal Husband Summary

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

by Barbara Kingsolver

Publication year 2007

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Art

Tags Food, Arts & Culture, Science & Nature, Creative Nonfiction

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (2007) is, on its surface, a memoir detailing a year in the life of one family, told through an account of their food. However, it is also at times a manifesto and frequently veers into academic exploration of themes like sustainability and the current state of farming in the US. Author Barbara Kingsolver sets out to chronicle a year in her family’s food life when they undertake an experiment: to “attempt to... Read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Summary

Anima Rising

by Christopher Moore

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Animals, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Art, Beauty, Power & Greed

Tags Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Arts & Culture

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A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

by James Joyce

Publication year 1916

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality, Art, Language

Tags Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, Life-Inspired Fiction, Irish Literature, Modernism, Education, Education, World History

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is the 1916 debut novel by Irish author James Joyce. The novel tells the story of Stephen Dedalus, a thinly-veiled alter ego for Joyce, who embarks on a journey of artistic awakening. As a landmark novel in the history of literary modernism, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man has been hailed as one of the most important works of the 20th century and... Read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Summary