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.

She Stoops to Conquer

by Oliver Goldsmith

Publication year 1773

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Marriage, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Humor, Classic Fiction, Comedy & Satire, British Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature

She Stoops to Conquer is a play by British writer Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in 1773. The play is a comedy of manners and a romance set in 18th-century England. Goldsmith was an Anglo-Irish poet and dramatist and this play is his most popular and well-known work, with performances still regularly occurring in the 21st century. In 1778, John O'Keeffe wrote a successful sequel to the play, entitled Tony Lumpkin in Town. She Stoops to... Read She Stoops to Conquer Summary

Shuggie Bain

by Douglas Stuart

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Mothers, Social Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, LGBTQ+, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

... Read Shuggie Bain Summary

Silas Marner

by George Eliot

Publication year 1861

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Historical Fiction, Industrial Revolution, Education, Education, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era

Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is the third novel by Mary Ann Evans, published under the pseudonym George Eliot. The realist novel portrays the life of a weaver in 1800s England against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution. The novel has been adapted into films, radio plays, theatrical productions, and television shows.This guide refers to the 2021 Alma Classics edition. Content Warning: This guide discusses addiction and depression, which feature in Silas Marner.Plot SummarySilas... Read Silas Marner Summary

Sister Carrie

by Theodore Dreiser

Publication year 1900

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Gender & Feminism, Naturalism, Education, Education, World History

Sister Carrie is a novel published in 1900 by the American author Theodore Dreiser. Dreiser uses the story of Caroline Meeber, a naïve young woman who gets caught up in the gaudy venality of the city, to explore the emptiness of materialism, the tension between flesh and spirit, the inevitability of loneliness, and the role of women in the emerging America of the new century. Now recognized as one of the defining expressions of American... Read Sister Carrie Summary

Sister of My Heart

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Love, Grief, Femininity, Gender Identity, Family, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Immigration

Tags Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

In the novel Sister of My Heart, the Indian-born American author and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni explores issues of family, womanhood, and diasporic experience, constantly affirming and exploring the redemptive power of storytelling. Divakaruni’s first collection of stories, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Award, and a Bay Area Book Reviewers Award. Her novel The Mistress of Spices was released as a film of the same name in 2005. Sister of My Heart was made into a television series... Read Sister of My Heart Summary

Skin

by Roald Dahl

Publication year 1960

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags Poverty, Children`s Literature, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

... Read Skin Summary

Skyward

by Brandon Sanderson

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Family, Teamwork, Social Class, Politics & Government, War

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

... Read Skyward Summary

So Big

by Edna Ferber

Publication year 1924

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Gender Identity, Food, Place, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Art, Literature

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Poverty

... Read So Big Summary

Solo

by Mary Rand Hess, Kwame Alexander

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Joy, Guilt, Memory, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Art, Music, Trust & Doubt, Fame, Love, Death, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Colonialism, Appearance & Reality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Prose, Free Verse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Music, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Solo Summary

Sons and Lovers

by D. H. Lawrence

Publication year 1913

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Classic Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Psychological Fiction, British Literature, World History, Romance

Sons and Lovers is a 1913 novel by English author D. H. Lawrence. The novel explores the relationship between Gertrude Morel and her son Paul, who live in a small mining town in North England at the turn of the 20th century. Though met with a lukewarm response on release, Sons and Lovers has since been critically reappraised as one of Lawrence’s most important works and has been adapted for film and television.Other works by... Read Sons and Lovers Summary

Sounder

by William Armstrong

Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Loneliness, Disability, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Social Class, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature

Sounder is a 1969 book for young readers by American author William H. Armstrong. In the novel, a young boy grows up in a Black sharecropping family on a sprawling plantation in the 19th-century in the American South, where he lives with his parents, his siblings, and his faithful dog, Sounder. Bored and lonely, the boy dreams of returning to school and learning to read, and he copes with his life of obligation by hunting... Read Sounder Summary

Spare

by Prince Harry

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Conflict, Grief, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags European History, Politics & Government, British Literature, Animals, Grief & Death, Depression & Suicide, Social Class, Relationships, Journalism, Bullying, World History, Biography

... Read Spare Summary

Sparring Partners

by John Grisham

Publication year 2022

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Justice, Siblings, Teamwork, Social Class, Politics & Government

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction, Crime & Law, Incarceration, Social Justice, Finance

... Read Sparring Partners Summary

Spike Heels

by Theresa Rebeck

Publication year 1990

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Gender Identity, Education, Masculinity, Femininity, Self Discovery, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Drama, Comedy & Satire, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, American Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Dramatic Literature, Education, Education

Theresa Rebeck’s provocative feminist two-act drama Spike Heels, first produced in 1990, is a problem play, that is a drama that looks at cultural, social, and economic issues. Problem plays intended to participate in the cultural conversation have a long and significant history in the theater. Playwrights like the Ancient Greek Euripides, 19th century Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw (whose presence looms large in Spike Heels), and a wide number of contemporary playwrights have... Read Spike Heels Summary