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 Lacuna

by Barbara Kingsolver

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Nation, Art, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction

The Lacuna (2009) is Barbara Kingsolver’s sixth novel. This work of historical fiction was a New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2010 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The novel traces the life of Mexican American Harrison Shepherd from the 1920s to the 1950s. The son of a dissolute flapper who chases rich men, Shepherd begins to make his way by landing a job working for the famous Mexican visual artists Frida Kahlo and Diego... Read The Lacuna Summary

The Lady Of Shalott

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Publication year 1842

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Art

Tags Lyric Poem, Gender & Feminism, Victorian Period, Mythology, British Literature, World History, Fantasy, Victorian Era, Classic Fiction

“The Lady of Shalott,” one of Lord Alfred Tennyson’s best-known poems, is a four-part lyrical ballad loosely inspired by the 13th-century Italian novella Donna di Scalotta. It makes use of vivid romantic language and heavy symbolism. Based on Arthurian legend and medieval sources, the poem tells the story of Elaine of Astolat, a fictional woman confined to a tower overlooking the fields surrounding Camelot. The Lady of Shalott falls in unrequited love with Sir Lancelot... Read The Lady Of Shalott Summary

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos

by Dominic Smith

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Art

Tags Historical Fiction, Arts & Culture, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History

In Part 1, thieves steal At the Edge of a Wood—assumed to be the only surviving work of 17th-century painter Sara de Vos—from the apartment of Martijn “Marty” de Groot during a fundraiser for orphans. Marty does not discover the theft until months later because the thieves replace the original painting with a forgery created by Eleanor “Ellie” Shipley, an Australian doctoral student studying art history at Columbia University. Smith tells the story of how... Read The Last Painting of Sara De Vos Summary

The Long Way Home

by Louise Penny

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Loyalty & Betrayal, Art, Fame, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

The Long Way Home (2014) is the 10th novel in the Inspector Gamache series written by the Canadian author Louise Penny. Like the other books in the series, the novel revolves around the village of Three Pines, Quebec, although it also encompasses events in other places. In addition to a central mystery focused on a wife’s attempt to find her estranged husband, the novel explores themes of art, creativity, ambition, and loss. This guide references... Read The Long Way Home Summary

The Lost Steps

by Alejo Carpentier

Publication year 1953

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Race, The Past, Marriage, Colonialism, Art, Literature, Music, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Magical Realism, Symbolic Narrative, Latin American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

The Lost Steps, first published in 1953 by Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier, is a parody of the lost world novels that were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World (1912). The novel follows an unnamed New York City composer on a quest for Indigenous musical instruments in South America. Carpentier, known for his roles as a... Read The Lost Steps Summary

The Loved One

by Evelyn Waugh

Publication year 1948

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Art, Death

Tags Satirical Literature, British Literature, Humor, Grief & Death, World History, Classic Fiction

Published in 1948, The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy by English writer Evelyn Waugh is a short satirical novel that lampoons both the Los Angeles funeral industry and the Hollywood film business. British expatriates and Americans clash in this morbid but merry tale of smiling corpses and lavish pet funerals. Waugh wrote it after a trip to Hollywood during which he visited the Forest Lawn Cemetery. The book inspired the 1965 film The Loved One... Read The Loved One Summary

The Magician

by Colm Tóibín

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Conflict, Sexual Identity, Family, Marriage, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Justice, Music, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, LGBTQ+, Military & War

... Read The Magician Summary

The Maltese Falcon

by Dashiell Hammett

Publication year 1930

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Apathy, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Death, The Past, Beauty, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Order & Chaos, Art, Good & Evil, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Appearance & Reality, Politics & Government, Social Class, Community, Immigration

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Roaring Twenties, Great Depression

Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon (1930) is a detective novel that was first serialized in the magazine Black Mask. As Hammett’s third novel, The Maltese Falcon includes the introduction of Sam Spade as the protagonist, a departure from the nameless Continental Op who narrated his previous stories. Spade’s hard exterior, cool detachment, and reliance on his own moral code would become staples of the hardboiled genre, and The Maltese Falcon has since been named one... Read The Maltese Falcon Summary

The Master

by Colm Tóibín

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Literature, Loneliness, Love, Mental Health, Aging, Death, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Art

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Irish Literature

... Read The Master Summary

The Masterpiece

by Fiona Davis

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Femininity, Gender Identity, The Past, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Beauty, Equality, Fame

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gender & Feminism

... Read The Masterpiece Summary