Beauty

In her novel The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison writes, "Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do.” In this thematic collection, we have gathered texts that explore the promises and problems of beauty.

Salome

by Oscar Wilde

Publication year 1891

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Sexual Identity, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Tragedy, Love & Sexuality, Irish Literature, Victorian Period, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

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Saltwater

by Katy Hays

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Fame, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Published in 2025, Saltwater is a literary thriller by Katy Hays, author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Cloisters (2022). Like her debut, which is in development as a television series, Saltwater blends suspense with a richly detailed, atmospheric setting. The novel follows the wealthy Lingate family on their annual trip to Capri, an island that holds the dark secret of playwright Sarah Lingate’s mysterious death 30 years prior. Sarah’s husband, Richard Lingate... Read Saltwater Summary

Sandwich

by Catherine Newman

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Marriage, Aging, Nostalgia, Memory, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Love, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Beauty, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Literary Fiction, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction

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Sense and Sensibility

by Jane Austen

Publication year 1811

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Beauty, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Shame & Pride, Perseverance, Conflict, Social Class, Economics, Gender Identity

Tags Romance, Romanticism, British Literature, Relationships, Social Class, Gender & Feminism, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Sense and Sensibility (1811) was the first published novel of English writer Jane Austen (1775-1817). She published it anonymously, identifying herself only as "a lady." It tells the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, who find love after their father dies and they are plunged into a more modest lifestyle. Sense and Sensibility’s continual presence in the cultural imagination is evident in its numerous film and TV adaptations, including the award-winning 1995 version... Read Sense and Sensibility Summary

Sexing the Cherry

by Jeanette Winterson

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Revenge, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Language, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Space, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, LGBTQ+, Postmodernism

Jeanette Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry (1989) is a work of historiographic metafiction that blends fantasy elements with the historical backdrop of 17th-century England. The novel is primarily told through the alternating perspectives of the Dog-Woman, a powerful giantess, and her adopted son, Jordan. Rescued from the Thames as an infant, Jordan grows up to become an explorer, embarking on both literal sea voyages and fantastical journeys of the mind in search of an elusive dancer... Read Sexing the Cherry Summary

Sir Orfeo

by Anonymous

Publication year 1329

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Grief, Beauty, Music

Tags Narrative Poem, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Classic Fiction, Medieval, Education, Education, British Literature, Fantasy

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Small Pleasures

by Clare Chambers

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Marriage, Mothers, Community, Beauty, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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So Big

by Edna Ferber

Publication year 1924

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Gender Identity, Food, Place, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Art, Literature

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Poverty

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Sonnet 1

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1609

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Birth, Hope, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Food, Daughters & Sons, Future

Tags Lyric Poem, Education, Education, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction

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Sonnet 130

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1609

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Gratitude, Love, Beauty, Truth & Lies

Tags Lyric Poem, Comedy & Satire, Relationships, Love & Sexuality

William Shakespeare is the author of “Sonnet 130.” The sonnet is one of 154 sonnets that Shakespeare published in 1609 under the title Shakes-spears Sonnets. The first 126 sonnets address a young man, while Sonnets 127-152 focus on a mysterious woman. As with “Sonnet 130,” the sonnets about the enigmatic woman concern ideas of love and beauty and directly undercut typical representations of both. Thus, “Sonnet 130” is satire; it makes fun of how adored... Read Sonnet 130 Summary

Sonnet 18

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1609

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Beauty, Environment

Tags Romance, Arts & Culture, Elizabethan Era

William Shakespeare is the best-known author of the English Renaissance—also known as the Early Modern Period and the Elizabethan Age. Though readers’ attention tends to be more riveted toward his plays, Shakespeare published 154 sonnets during his exceptionally prolific career, in addition to the longer-form poems Venus and Adonis (1593), The Rape of Lucrece (1594), and The Phoenix and the Turtle (1601). Fifteen editions of Venus and Adonis—a poem in the form of 199 six-line... Read Sonnet 18 Summary

Sonnet 55

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1609

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Memory, Death, Beauty

Tags Classic Fiction, Elizabethan Era, Lyric Poem, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships

“Sonnet 55” (1609) is an English love sonnet by renowned poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The sonnet is part of Shakespeare’s Fair Youth sonnet sequence, which makes up the first 126 of his sonnets. This sonnet follows a number of the Fair Youth sonnets in the way it praises the fair youth’s beauty and claims his beauty is eternal. In this sonnet specifically, Shakespeare claims that the subject’s beauty will outlive all monuments of princes and... Read Sonnet 55 Summary