Class

The titles in the Social Class Collection explore the historical and contemporary implications of social class and class division in cultures around the world. Representing a diverse range of perspectives, cultures, and societies, the selections in this Collection span a broad range of genres and forms, including essays, biographies, and fiction.

Emma

by Jane Austen

Publication year 1815

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Marriage, Social Class

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

Emma is a fiction novel published in 1815 by the English author Jane Austen. The book centers on the character development of its eponymous protagonist, a genteel young woman on a country estate who meddles in the love lives of friends and neighbors. Jane Austen was conscious that Emma’s snobbery, vanity, and meddling might make her a “heroine whom no one but myself will much like” (Austen-Leigh, James Edward. A Memoir of Jane Austen. London:... Read Emma Summary

Empire Falls

by Richard Russo

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Fathers, Power & Greed, Social Class

Tags American Literature, Humor, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

In Empire Falls, published in 2001, award-winning author Richard Russo focuses his sharp observations on family, faith, and hope for the future in small-town America, where the factories have left, the populations are dwindling, and the prospects are shrinking. Miles Roby almost got out of Empire Falls, but his mother’s illness brought him back a semester shy of graduating college. Now he runs the Empire Grill, a landmark that still anchors the dying town, and... Read Empire Falls Summary

Empire of AI

by Karen Hao

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Future, Social Class, Colonialism, Globalization, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Journalism, Environmental Science, Technology

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Empire of Pain

by Patrick Radden Keefe

Publication year 2021

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Siblings, Art, Trust & Doubt, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Health, Politics & Government, US History, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Business & Economics, Crime & Law, Finance, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

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Endgame

by Omid Scobie

Publication year 2023

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Conflict, Nostalgia, Future, The Past, Family, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags European History, Politics & Government, Sociology, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Biography

... Read Endgame Summary

Enlightenment Now

by Steven Pinker

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Education, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Nostalgia, Equality, Justice, Science & Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Community

Tags Philosophy, Science & Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics & Government, Health, Agriculture, Business & Economics, Social Class, Climate Change, Social Justice, World History, Psychology, Philosophy

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Etched In Sand

by Regina Calcaterra

Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Siblings, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government

Tags Biography, Trauma & Abuse, Inspirational, Poverty

Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island is a memoir written by Regina Calcaterra and originally published in 2013. Calcaterra wrote the memoir to call attention to the Failures of the Child Welfare System and emphasize the importance of Ending the Cycle of Abuse and Finding Purpose in Suffering. Etched in Sand focuses on Calcaterra and her siblings’ childhood in Long Island, New York and... Read Etched In Sand Summary

Ethan Frome

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1911

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Fate, Gender Identity, Social Class

Tags American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Education, Education, Romance

Ethan Frome, first published in 1911, is a novella by American writer Edith Wharton. Wharton’s work, which most often concerned the lives of America’s Gilded Age elite, is usually classified as social realism or even naturalism, a realist subgenre that depicted human life and society through a determinist lens. Although Ethan Frome’s focus on rural, working-class life was unusual for Wharton, its themes and tone reflect this naturalist influence. The novel has become a staple... Read Ethan Frome Summary

Everything That Rises Must Converge

by Flannery O'Connor

Publication year 1965

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Family, Good & Evil, Social Class, Equality

Tags Race & Racism, Southern Gothic, American Literature, Southern Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

First published in New World Writing magazine in 1961, “Everything That Rises Must Converge” is the title story from Flannery O’Connor’s final collection of short stories. Hailed as one of the United States’ greatest writers, O’Connor is best known for her award-winning short fiction and her contributions to the genre of Southern Gothic literature. The collection Everything That Rises Must Converge was published posthumously in 1965. It contains nine stories, seven of which appeared previously... Read Everything That Rises Must Converge Summary

Exodus

by Paul Collier

Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Politics & Government, Business & Economics, Sociology

... Read Exodus Summary

Fairview

by Jackie Sibblies Drury

Publication year 2018

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Social Class, Justice

Tags Comedy & Satire, Race & Racism, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Dramatic Literature

... Read Fairview Summary

Fair Weather

by Richard Peck

Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Humor

Fair Weather is a 2001 historical fiction novel set against the backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The author is award-winning children’s novelist Richard Peck, known for his incorporation of historical settings and events. Fair Weather follows 13-year-old Rosie Beckett, her two siblings, and her grandfather as they journey from their rural Illinois farm to the bustling city of Chicago, at the invitation of Rosie’s Aunt Euterpe. Through Rosie’s eyes over the course of... Read Fair Weather Summary

Fake ID

by Lamar Giles

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Race, Coming of Age, Family, Social Class, Community

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Coming of Age, Bullying, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death, Race & Racism, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

Originally published in 2014, Fake ID is a mystery/thriller novel written by Lamar Giles and intended for young adults. The narrator and main character is Nick Pearson, a 15-year-old who has just moved to Stepton, Virginia, becoming a Black student in a predominantly white setting. Nick and his family are in the Federal Witness Protection Program (WITSEC). Unintentionally, he finds himself involved in a love triangle and a mysterious murder.As a Black author, Giles is... Read Fake ID Summary

Fathers And Sons

by Ivan Turgenev

Publication year 1862

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Power & Greed, Nation

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy

Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons, sometimes translated more literally as Fathers and Children, is a work of literary fiction first published in 1862. The novel describes Russia’s emerging class divisions and the political divides within the nobility in the 1860s. After the novel’s publication, radicals embracing nihilism turned their support for science and rationality into a defense of Marxism and its emphasis on the objective laws of history and the inevitability of revolution. In literary... Read Fathers And Sons Summary