Books About Art

This assortment of study guides focuses on the arts, from cinema to cuisine. Read on to explore Aristotle’s Poetics, which analyzes the nature and uses of poetry; An Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski, a manual for actors based on the author’s work and teachings at the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia; and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which chronicles the art of fine dining.

Publication year 2006

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Globalization, Community, Politics & Government

Tags Philosophy, Education, Education, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Politics & Government

Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (2006) is a philosophical text written by Kwame Anthony Appiah. Appiah, a philosopher and ethicist who teaches at New York University, grew up in Kumasi, Ghana, where his father was a Ghanaian political leader and his mother a British expatriate. His family’s multicultural background, as well as the experience of growing up in diverse Kumasi and then attending school in the United Kingdom, informed Appiah’s thinking about communicating... Read Cosmopolitanism Summary

Publication year 1914

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Appearance & Reality, Masculinity, Colonialism, Shame & Pride, Fathers, Politics & Government

Tags Education, Education, World History, Irish Literature, Arts & Culture, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Shame & Pride, Race, Childhood & Youth, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Community, Immigration, Art, Safety & Danger

Tags Children`s Literature, Social Justice, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment

Tags Science & Nature, Business & Economics, Arts & Culture

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things is a work of nonfiction by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, published in 2002. The book argues that a radical change must be made to the Western world’s industrial and manufacturing systems, which are devastating to the natural world in their present state. Through discussions of environmentalism, industrialism, and design, the authors urge us, as a society, to think differently about what it means to be... Read Cradle To Cradle Summary

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery, War, Art, Justice, Literature, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Arts & Culture, Love & Sexuality, Science & Nature, Social Justice

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Globalization

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Action & Adventure, Arts & Culture

Crossing the Wire tells the story of Victor Flores, a Mexican teenager who leaves his village of Los Árboles to illegally cross the border into the United States. Victor’s father died while working in the U.S. four years earlier, leaving Victor “the man of the family” (14). His family has been living off of the money Victor makes farming corn, but free trade agreements with the U.S. have made Mexican corn worthless. The only option... Read Crossing the Wire Summary

Publication year 1869

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos

Tags Philosophy, Politics & Government, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Victorian Period, World History, Philosophy, Victorian Era, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1993

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Colonialism, Power & Greed, Literature

Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, World History, Philosophy, Politics & Government, European History, Middle Eastern History, Asian History, Literary Criticism, Sociology, Philosophy, Arts & Culture

Culture and Imperialism is a nonfiction book published in 1993 by the Palestinian American author and academic Edward Said. Originating from a series of lectures that Said delivered in 1985 and 1986, Culture and Imperialism is an expansion of the ideas set out in his groundbreaking earlier work, Orientalism (1978). Considered one of the founders of the field of post-colonial studies, Said looks at how the formerly colonized margins influence the metropolitan centers, and vice... Read Culture and Imperialism Summary

Publication year 422

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Religion & Spirituality, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Place, Revenge

Tags Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Comedy & Satire, Dramatic Literature, Arts & Culture, Religion & Spirituality

Publication year 1897

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Art, Beauty, Truth & Lies, Grief, Shame & Pride, War, Literature

Tags Classic Fiction, Drama, Comedy & Satire, Romance, Life-Inspired Fiction, French Literature, Arts & Culture, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death, Finance, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

Cyrano de Bergerac: An Heroic Comedy in Five Acts by Edmond Rostand was originally published in 1898. Rostand was a popular poet and playwright in France during his lifetime. Cyrano de Bergerac is a five-act verse drama—a tragic romance, set in France in the mid-1600s. It was far more popular than all of Rostand’s other works and has been performed and adapted countless times since its initial successful run.Cyrano de Bergerac explores themes of Unrequited... Read Cyrano de Bergerac Summary

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History, Arts & Culture

Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue is a young adult book of historical fiction written by Julius Lester and published in 2005. It was the 2006 winner of the Coretta Scott King Award as well as numerous other YA awards. The book concerns the largest slave auction in American history, which took place on March 2 and 3, 1859, in Savannah, Georgia. Plantation owner Pierce Butler sells more than 400 persons to repay his... Read Day of Tears Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Fear, Aging, Death

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grief & Death, Relationships, Depression & Suicide, Latin American Literature, Surrealism, Arts & Culture

Daytripper is a graphic novel written and illustrated by comic book artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá. Originally published in 2010 as a comic book series by Vertigo, the collected series was published as a completed book in 2011. Daytripper won the 2011 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series. Bá has also worked on popular comic series such as Umbrella Academy and Casanova. Both Moon and Bá are twins, and they sometimes refer to themselves... Read Daytripper Summary

Publication year 1912

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Literature, Guilt, Love, Sexual Identity, Aging, Death, Beauty

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, German Literature, World History, Education, Education, Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

Death in Venice (1912) is a novella by celebrated German author Thomas Mann (1875-1955). The story follows Gustav von Aschenbach, a successful but aging writer who travels to Venice seeking inspiration and respite. There, he becomes infatuated with Tadzio, an exceptionally beautiful young boy whose ethereal presence awakens a profound and dangerous longing in Aschenbach. As Venice succumbs to a cholera epidemic, Aschenbach’s obsession leads to his downfall.Mann, the recipient of the 1929 Nobel Prize... Read Death in Venice Summary

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Community, Femininity, Gender Identity, Language, Religion & Spirituality, Mothers

Tags Prose, Asian Literature, Gender & Feminism, Education, Education, Arts & Culture, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Dictee (1982) is a hybrid form of prose poetry, autobiography, ethnography, criticism, and fictional experiments. Cha was a Korean American visual artist, poet, and filmmaker. She was tragically murdered only a week after the book was published. The book went out of print for several years before interest in Cha’s work was revived in the 1990s by feminist authors, such as Norma Alarcón. Cha’s work was honored with an exhibition including... Read Dictee Summary

Publication year 2002

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Language, Love, Literature

Tags Lyric Poem, Humor, Romance, Arts & Culture, Social Class, American Literature, African American Literature

Harryette Mullen’s “Dim Lady” may remind some readers of 17th century English playwright and poet William Shakespeare’s well-known “Sonnet 130,” in which the speaker of the poem makes a mockery of his beloved’s physical appearance. During Shakespeare’s time, fashion encouraged poets to write flowery poetry that extolled the virtues and the beauty of their beloved. However, the speaker of this sonnet toys with poetic conventions of the time, describing the physical attributes of the speaker’s... Read Dim Lady Summary