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 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Race / Racism, Class, African American Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: Class
Tags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Relationships, Sociology, History: World
Publication year 1887
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Mental Health, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: World, Psychology, Historical Nonfiction, Journalism, Social Criticism, Health / Medicine, Mental Illness
Publication year 1998
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Food, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Fame
Tags Food, Relationships
Prominent chef, food writer, and editor Ruth Reichl’s 1998 memoir Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table incorporates recipes with narrative and commentary to create a portrait of Reichl’s coming of age. Reichl’s sometimes-chaotic childhood with a mother who had untreated bipolar disorder made her into an independent and rebellious young person determined to distance herself from her parents’ world. Her adolescence and young adulthood in New York; Montreal; Berkeley, California; and Ann... Read Tender at the Bone Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Class, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 2013
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Satire, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Relationships, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Tenth of December: Stories (2013) is American author George Saunders’s fourth short story collection. Saunders is widely regarded as one of the modern masters of the short story form, and this collection features stories written between 1995 and 2012, some of which were previously published in various literary outlets. The book was a bestseller and was widely praised on release, winning both the Story Prize and the Folio Prize. This guide refers to the 2013... Read Tenth of December Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, New Adult
Publication year 1891
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Gender, Society: Class, Society: Community, Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride
Tags Romance, Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, History: World, Victorian Literature / Period
Tess of the D’Urbervilles is Victorian writer Thomas Hardy’s 12th novel. It was first published in 1891 as a serial in the newspaper The Graphic; this serialized publication was followed by a three-volume edition in 1891 and a single volume in 1892. Like many of Hardy’s other realist novels, Tess is set in the fictional, southwestern English region of Wessex, using fictional locations closely modelled after real ones. Hardy’s sympathetic portrayal of a young woman... Read Tess of the D'Urbervilles Summary
Publication year 1979
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Siblings, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class
Tags Realistic Fiction, Relationships, Animals
In small town Oklahoma during the 1970s, a rough-and-tumble teenager learns to navigate the world with his older brother and a mostly absent father in S. E. Hinton’s young adult fiction novel Tex. Published in 1979, the book was subsequently made into a popular movie starring young Matt Dillon in the title role. Hinton herself has written that Texas McCormick is the favorite of all her iconic characters, so good natured and even tempered that... Read Tex Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman
Publication year 1953
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Society: Class, Self Discovery
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, American Literature, Jewish Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
The Adventures of Augie March is a 1953 novel by Saul Bellow. In the novel, Bellow’s third, the eponymous title character chronicles his eventful life from an underprivileged childhood in Chicago to his waning wanderlust in Paris. The novel is critically acclaimed and won the 1954 National Book Award for Fiction. Bellow was a lauded author in his lifetime, winning prestigious awards like the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution... Read The Adventures of Augie March Summary
Publication year 1956
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Class, Children's Literature, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 1920
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Society: Community, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Midlife
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Class, Love / Sexuality, Gilded Age, American Literature, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Romance
American writer Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel The Age Of Innocence (1920) was a post-armistice reflection on the 1870s New York society of her youth. Wharton, an American who lived abroad in Paris, was already the successful author of other novels, including The House of Mirth (1905) and Ethan Frome (1911).In a The New York Times article, Elif Batuman reflects that “eventually, each classic tells two stories: its own, and the story of all the... Read The Age of Innocence Summary
Publication year 1610
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Class, Society: Community, Relationships: Teams
Tags British Literature, Play: Historical, Play: Comedy / Satire, Satire, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Renaissance, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Humor, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2003
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government
Tags History: U.S., Immigration / Refugee, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, American Revolution, American Civil War, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Colonial America, Sociology, Education, Education, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture
The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, originally published in 2003 by Oxford University Press, is a popular history book by American cultural historian Jim Cullen. As an overview and critical analysis of the American Dream, this book adds some meat to the bones of a traditionally ambiguous concept. Cullen maintains an optimistic outlook about the usefulness of the various American Dreams and about the promise of America, despite... Read The American Dream Summary
Publication year 1895
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Science / Nature, Class, WWI / World War I
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: War, Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, Industrial Revolution
Publication year 2025
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Objects, Society: Class, Society: Economics
Tags Finance / Money / Wealth, Self Help