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.

Loving Frank

by Nancy Horan

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fame, Beauty, Art, Self Discovery, Marriage, Family, Daughters & Sons, Femininity, Love, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Life-Inspired Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Arts & Culture

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Lucky Broken Girl

by Ruth Behar

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Immigration, Beauty, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Disability, Arts & Culture, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Jewish Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History

Lucky Broken Girl is a middle-grade historical novel by Ruth Behar. Main character Ruthie Mizrahi, an immigrant from Cuba, lives with her parents and brother in 1966 Queens. Together they try to quell their homesickness for Cuba while seeking new opportunities in America. When a car accident injures Ruthie, she becomes bedridden in a full body cast for over a year; during that time, challenges and fears she never anticipated give her a new perspective... Read Lucky Broken Girl Summary

Main Street

by Sinclair Lewis

Publication year 1920

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Gender Identity, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Art, Beauty, Equality

Tags Satirical Literature, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Main Street is a 1920 satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis. Set in the tiny town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, the story revolves around the trials and tribulations of Carol Milford Kennicott as she struggles to adjust to small-town living. In 1930, Main Street helped Lewis become the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. This guide is based on the 1995 Penguin Classics edition of Main Street.Content Warning: This guide and... Read Main Street Summary

Marianela

by Benito Perez Galdos

Publication year 1878

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Beauty

Tags Classic Fiction

Teodoro Golfín, a renowned eye surgeon, has just arrived at the fictional town of Villamojada in Northern Spain in search of the mines of Socrates. At the request of the wealthy Francisco Penáguilas, Teodoro has come to attempt to cure his son, Pablo, of his blindness. On his way to the mines, Teodoro gets lost. He is aided by the arrival of Pablo, who offers to lead Teodoro to the mines where the doctor can... Read Marianela Summary

Marigolds

by Eugenia Collier

Publication year 1969

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Community, Economics, Beauty

Tags African American Literature, Realistic Fiction, Poverty, Great Depression, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

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M. Butterfly

by David Henry Hwang

Publication year 1988

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Beauty, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Drama

Originally published in 1988, M. Butterfly is a postmodern play by Chinese-American dramatist David Henry Hwang, who also wrote Yellow Face and Bondage. Hwang drew from two sources to compose his text: the 1904 opera Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini and the historical espionage scandal involving French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu. The play became Hwang’s best-known work and subsequently received the Tony Award for Best Play in the year... Read M. Butterfly Summary

Meeting at Night

by Robert Browning

Publication year 1845

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Climate, Beauty

Tags Victorian Era, Poetry: Dramatic Poem

“Meeting at Night” is a lyric love poem by English Victorian poet Robert Browning. It was published early in Browning’s career, in his 1845 collection Dramatic Romances and Lyrics, where it appeared as the first part of a poem titled “Night and Morning.” In 1849, Browning separated it into two poems, titled “Meeting at Night” and “Parting at Morning.” Browning’s poetry is often difficult, but “Meeting at Night” is straightforward to understand. The poem describes... Read Meeting at Night Summary

Memoirs of Hadrian

by Marguerite Yourcenar

Publication year 1951

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Death, The Past, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Fate, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags French Literature, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Memoirs of Hadrian is a fictional autobiography first published in French by Marguerite Yourcenar in 1951. Composed as the reflections of the real Roman Emperor Hadrian, who ruled in 117-138 CE, the book was well-received by critics and readers and is considered Yourcenar’s best work as well as one of the best 20th century French novels. The English version of the Memoirs was translated by Grace Frick, in collaboration with the author, and published... Read Memoirs of Hadrian Summary

Midnight Without a Moon

by Linda Williams Jackson

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Hope, Shame & Pride, Race, Beauty, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Children`s Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

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Milk and Honey

by Rupi Kaur

Publication year 2014

Genre Poetry Collection, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Femininity, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Plants, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Self Discovery, Beauty, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Gender & Feminism, Instapoetry, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse

From 2014 to 2024, six million copies of Rupi Kaur’s debut collection, milk and honey, were sold, making it one of the best-selling poetry books of the 21st century. It’s rise to fame is unusual. A Canadian writer of Indian heritage who amassed a large following through social media, Kaur specializes in short, vernacular poems, often made up of only a few lines, which are accompanied by original line drawings. Kaur was at first unable... Read Milk and Honey Summary

Miracles

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1947

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Space, Art, Beauty, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Christian, Philosophy

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Mrs Spring Fragrance

by Sui Sin Far (Edith Maude Eaton)

Publication year 1912

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Beauty

Tags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Edith Maude Eaton, who wrote under the pen name Sui Sin Far, wrote Mrs. Spring Fragrance in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. A Chicago press published the collection in 1912. Eaton, who is of Chinese-English heritage, was born in England and grew up in Canada. When she migrated to the western United States as an adult, Eaton penned her first published collection of short stories, Mrs. Spring Fragrance, which details the Asian-American experience. During the... Read Mrs Spring Fragrance Summary

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

by Emil Ferris

Publication year 2017

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Coming of Age, Social Class, Sexual Identity, Community, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Siblings, Family, Art, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Race, Fear, Conflict, Beauty, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Loneliness, Grief, Fathers

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Arts & Culture

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My Name is Red

by Orhan Pamuk

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Guilt, Love, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Teamwork, Globalization, Beauty, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Asian Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

My Name is Red (originally titled Benim Adim Kirmizi) is a 1998 historical novel by the Nobel Prize winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. Set in late-16th century Istanbul, the novel explores cultural tensions stemming from contemporary philosophical understandings of visual art. Told from the viewpoints of many different animate and inanimate characters—including Muslim and Jewish individuals, a corpse, the color red, and paintings of a horse, a devil, and a dog—the novel integrates elements of... Read My Name is Red Summary

My Sister, the Serial Killer

by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Nature Versus Nurture, Beauty

Tags Satirical Literature, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

My Sister, the Serial Killer, is a novel by Nigerian-born British writer Oyinkan Braithwaite, originally published in the UK in 2019. Set in Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, this darkly satirical, structurally experimental crime story about the extremes of family bonds bears an unusually revealing and literal title, and it has been longlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. The novel was also shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2019 Amazon Publishing Readers’ Awards... Read My Sister, the Serial Killer Summary