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.

Odour of Chrysanthemums

by D. H. Lawrence

Publication year 1911

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Death, Social Class, Loneliness, Community

Tags Classic Fiction

“Odour of Chrysanthemums” is a short story by English author, D. H. Lawrence, written in 1909 and revised before its first publication in The English Review literary magazine in 1911. Lawrence also included it in his 1914 collection, The Prussian Officer and Stories. “Odour of Chrysanthemums” was among the first of Lawrence’s works to be published, though he had been writing extensively for some time. Its key themes of The Inevitability of Death and Decay... Read Odour of Chrysanthemums Summary

Of Human Bondage

by W. Somerset Maugham

Publication year 1915

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Art, Beauty, Loneliness, Social Class, Education

Tags Classic Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Coming of Age, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

Of Human Bondage is a 1915 novel written by the British author W. Somerset Maugham. The novel follows the maturation of a young man named Philip Carey as he grows up in England at the very end of the 19th century. The novel incorporates elements of both realism and modernism and has been interpreted as having some autobiographical inspiration drawn from Maugham’s own life. By describing events from Philip’s life, Maugham develops themes related to... Read Of Human Bondage Summary

Oil and Marble

by Stephanie Storey

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Place, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Fate, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Historical Fiction, Arts & Culture, Renaissance

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Old New York

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1924

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Femininity, Masculinity, Death, The Past, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Education, Art, Beauty, Equality, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Omar Rising

by Aisha Saeed

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Social Class, Community, Self Discovery, Justice

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Social Justice, Race & Racism

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Omeros

by Derek Walcott

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Language, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Climate, Environment, Plants, Place, Friendship, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Narrative Poem, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Postmodernism

Omeros (1990) by Derek Walcott is an epic poem that reimagines The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer on the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Walcott explores themes of post-colonial identity and trauma while linking life on the island to Homer’s legendary characters, such as Achilles, Helen, and Hector. Omeros has been celebrated as a foundational work of post-colonial fiction and has won numerous awards. This guide refers to the 1992 Farrar, Straus... Read Omeros Summary

On Beauty

by Zadie Smith

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Beauty, Family, Marriage, Aging, Religion & Spirituality, Race, Loyalty & Betrayal, Mothers, Social Class, Community, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Siblings, Midlife, Trust & Doubt, Friendship, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Forgiveness, Art, Apathy, Guilt, Equality, Hate & Anger, Coming of Age, Masculinity, Conflict, Education, Femininity, Self Discovery, Truth & Lies, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Death, Grief, Gender Identity, Hope

Tags British Literature, Race & Racism, Modern Classic Fiction

On Beauty by the celebrated British author Zadie Smith was published in 2005. On Beauty was shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Smith is known for writing novels and essays that analyze the intersections of identity in the contemporary world with nuance, clarity, and empathy. She is also known to be influenced by the classic English author E.M. Forster. On Beauty is loosely based on Forster’s masterpiece... Read On Beauty Summary

One! Hundred! Demons!

by Lynda Barry

Publication year 2002

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Art, Memory, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Language, Race, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Animals, Food, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Education, Immigration, Beauty, Literature

Tags Humor, Arts & Culture, Biography

One! Hundred! Demons! is a semi-autobiographical genre-defying graphic novel by American cartoonist and pedagogue, Lynda Barry. Over the course of her career as a prominent cartoonist with nationally syndicated comic strips, published collections, and illustrated novels, Barry has received many national and state-wide awards for her work, including two Eisner awards and MacArthur Genius Grant.Originally published serially in Salon magazine, the collected cartoon chapters were collected and published by Sasquatch Books in 2002, and later... Read One! Hundred! Demons! Summary

One Thousand Dollars

by O. Henry

Publication year 1919

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Gender Identity

Tags Classic Fiction, Humor, American Literature

William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry, published “One Thousand Dollars” in his 1908 collection of short stories The Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four Million. The stories explore New York City at the turn of the 20th century. Believing every person had a story to tell, O. Henry wrote about the poor and the rich and the shared experience of being human. This study guide references the 1908 edition of... Read One Thousand Dollars Summary

On the Genealogy of Morals

by Friedrich Nietzsche

Publication year 1887

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Guilt, Social Class

Tags Philosophy, German Literature, Education, Education, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Friedrich Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morals: A Polemic (1887) is an analysis of the development of morality in human history. The renowned 19th-century philosopher wrote On the Genealogy of Morals to entice readers to his larger works. In it, he challenges traditional ideals about Christian morality and the origin of virtue and ethics. Nietzsche argues that moral values are products of social power. Qualities which society has deemed virtues—such as honesty, meekness, patience, and... Read On the Genealogy of Morals Summary

Open Throat

by Henry Hoke

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Equality, Climate, Loneliness, Gender Identity, Environment, Social Class

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Humor, Dramatic Literature

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Ophie's Ghosts

by Justina Ireland

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Femininity, Race, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Family, Social Class, Economics, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, African American Literature

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Original Sins

by Eve L. Ewing

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Education, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice

... Read Original Sins Summary