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.
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags History: World, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 1922
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: War
Tags British Literature, Classic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Jacob’s Room (1922) is a novel by Virginia Woolf. The novel is considered to be Woolf’s first experimental novel and a landmark in Modernist literature, notable for its fragmented narrative structure and indirect characterization. Through shifting perspectives and lyrical prose, Woolf reconstructs the life of a young English man named Jacob Flanders in the early 20th century. The novel explores The Ineffability of Individual Identity, Navigating Social Norms in a Changing World, and The Complexities... Read Jacob's Room Summary
Publication year 1994
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Class
Tags Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Agriculture, Class, History: U.S., Poverty, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Vietnam War
Publication year 2020
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Publication year 1930
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Immigration, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Auto/Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Class, Poverty, Social Justice, American Literature, Education, Education, Jewish Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Jews Without Money is a semi-autobiographical 1930 novel by Itzok Isaac Granich, published under Granich’s pseudonym, Mike Gold. The book charts the impoverished conditions of the Lower East Side of New York City and the experiences of growing up in a community of predominantly Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century. Growing up in such a difficult environment informed the author’s socialist politics as an adult. Plot SummaryMike Gold is born and raised by a... Read Jews Without Money Summary
Publication year 1939
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Disability, Society: War, Society: Class
Tags Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, WWI / World War I, Military / War, History: World, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Fame, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Class
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Magical Realism, History: World
Publication year 1932
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: War
Tags French Literature, Philosophy, Auto/Biographical Fiction, WWI / World War I, Modernism, The Lost Generation
Journey to the End of the Night is a modernist novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, first published in the French language in 1932 by Parisian publishing house Éditions Denoël et Steele. It is a semi-autobiographical work centered on the life and travels of cynical antihero Ferdinand Bardamu, set over several decades of Bardamu’s life, beginning at the outbreak of World War I. The novel became influential in the development of post–WWI literary modernism, but like many... Read Journey to the End of the Night Summary
Publication year 1922
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Economics, Society: Class
Tags Harlem Renaissance
Publication year 1895
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, Class, Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, History: World, Victorian Literature / Period
English author Thomas Hardy published his final novel, Jude the Obscure, in 1895. Critics deemed it “immoral” and “indecent,” and it became a target of book burnings because of its critique of marriage, religion, education, and class structure. The narrative follows the tragic journey of Jude Fawley, a working-class man striving for education and love, whose aspirations are consistently thwarted by societal barriers, personal setbacks, and internal struggles.This guide refers to the e-book version of... Read Jude the Obscure Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Natural World: Animals
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, Military / War, African Literature
July’s People, a 1981 dystopian novel by South African author Nadine Gordimer, imagines the aftermath of a bloody uprising that topples South Africa’s notorious, white-ruled apartheid regime. Her novel, which follows a white family’s desperate flight from Johannesburg, traces the complex interdependencies of white and Black South Africans, revealing the insidiousness of the regime’s racial disparities and mindsets, even among liberal, well-meaning white people. Through the lens of this hypothetical future, Gordimer’s novel explores racial... Read July's People Summary
Publication year 1991
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags African Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction
Published in 1991, Jump and Other Stories is a collection of 16 short stories by Nadine Gordimer. Each story provides insight into how apartheid affected the people of South Africa. Featuring tales of tragedy, war, revolution, and love, the collection uses a diverse cast of characters to address systemic racism and offer hope for an inclusive future. Nadine Gordimer was a South African writer and political activist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature... Read Jump and Other Stories Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community
Tags Romance, Sports, New Adult, Modern Classic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 1936
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger
Tags Classic Fiction, Satire, Class, Relationships, British Literature, History: World, Politics / Government
Keep the Aspidistra Flying was first published in 1936. Written by George Orwell (whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair), it is not as well-known as other works like 1984 and Animal Farm, nor was it well received when it was released. Like much of Orwell’s other fiction, though, it is a social criticism novel; it examines and critiques social, political, and economic issues contemporary to the time of its writing. In 1997, Robert Bierman... Read Keep the Aspidistra Flying Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Sports
Publication year 1995
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 1997
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Class
Tags Social Justice, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Romance, New Adult, Fantasy