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.

The Double

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Publication year 1846

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Social Class, Community, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger

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

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The Drowned World

by J. G. Ballard

Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Climate, Death, Future, The Past, Environment, Place, Social Class, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Order & Chaos

Tags Science Fiction, Climate Change, British Literature

The Drowned World is a 1962 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by British author J.G. Ballard. Set in a future London that has been completely submerged in the ocean due to climate change-induced flooding, it follows a group of scientists who embark on a mission to study its unique, rapidly evolving flora and fauna. The novel is an extension of a shorter story published in Science Fiction Adventures. The novel is one of the first works... Read The Drowned World Summary

The Drowning Woman

by Robyn Harding

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Duchess of Malfi

by John Webster

Publication year 1614

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Power & Greed, Marriage, Justice, Social Class, Femininity

Tags Tragedy, Jacobean Era, Social Class, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

The Duchess of Malfi, originally published as The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy, is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by John Webster. Webster also wrote the revenge tragedy The White Devil and frequently collaborated with other playwrights working for the King’s Men in London. It was written in 1613 and performed to a private audience at Blackfriars Theatre a year later. That same year it was also performed to a general audience at the... Read The Duchess of Malfi Summary

The Duke and I

by Julia Quinn

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Trust & Doubt, Shame & Pride, Love, Perseverance, Marriage

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism, World History, Regency Era

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The Elite

by Kiera Cass

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Hope, Love, Regret, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Literature

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction

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The Embassy of Cambodia

by Zadie Smith

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Education, Education, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

by Jacqueline Kelly

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Femininity, Coming of Age, Animals, Environment, Plants, Grandparents, Social Class, Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Science & Nature, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History

Published in 2009, Jacqueline Kelly’s The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a middle grade novel that follows the life of a young Calpurnia as she explores her love for science in the highly patriarchal society that dominated Texas in the late 19th century. The novel received praise from both readers and critics for its thematic emphasis on discovery and personal growth, earning it the Newbery Honor Award in 2010. This guide refers to the 2011... Read The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Summary

The Ex

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Grandparents, Marriage, Social Class, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

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The Exiles

by Christina Baker Kline

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Gender Identity, Femininity, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Loyalty & Betrayal, Equality

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, British Literature, World History

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The Fall

by Albert Camus

Publication year 1956

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Guilt, Social Class

Tags Philosophy, Absurdism, French Literature, Post-War Era, World History, Classical Period, Philosophy

The Fall (French: La Chute) is a 1956 novel by French author and philosopher Albert Camus, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature the following year. It is the last novel Camus published before his death in 1960. Camus’s work deals with absurdism, the philosophical stance that life has no higher meaning. The Fall is told in first-person perspective by the protagonist Jean-Baptiste Clamence as he tells his life story over a series of five... Read The Fall Summary

The Familiar

by Leigh Bardugo

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Love, Social Class, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, World History, Magical Realism, Romance

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The Family Under The Bridge

by Natalie Savage Carlson

Publication year 1958

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Shame & Pride, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Poverty, Special Occasions, Children`s Literature, French Literature, Classic Fiction

The Family Under the Bridge is a work of realistic historical fiction set in Paris in the early 1900s. It was originally published in 1958 and then reprinted in 1989. The author, Natalie Savage Carlson, is an American of French-Canadian descent who spent many years living in Paris. The book, which follows an unhoused man as he meets and befriends a young family, won a Newbery Honor Award in 1959 and a Horn Book Fanfare... Read The Family Under The Bridge Summary

The Favorite Girl

by Monica Arya

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Loneliness, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Literature

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The Fifth Child

by Doris Lessing

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Social Class, Beauty

Tags Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Classic Fiction

The Fifth Child is a novella by British writer Doris Lessing, recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature. First published in the UK in 1988, the work blends domestic realism and gothic horror in an unsettling portrait of Harriet and David Lovatt, a couple with old-fashioned values whose lives are upended by the birth of their fifth child, Ben. Aggressive, unusually strong, and non-communicative, Ben does not conform to the Lovatts’ expectations of a... Read The Fifth Child Summary