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.

Publication year 1955

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Technology, History: U.S., Biography, Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction


Publication year 1945

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Play: Drama, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction

An Inspector Calls is a three-act play written by J. B. Priestley, first performed in 1947. In the play, an inspector questions a wealthy family about the death of a young woman who worked at the family’s factory. An Inspector Calls first premiered in Moscow in 1945 before showing in England. The play has been adapted for film, television, and radio, and a 1992 stage revival won a Laurence Olivier Award, a Drama Desk Award... Read An Inspector Calls Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Race, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1879

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance

Anna Karenina is Leo Tolstoy’s second novel, following War and Peace (1869). Serially published in 1877, Anna Karenina depicts the efforts of its titular character to escape an unhappy marriage to her older, civil servant husband and pursue a love affair with a young and dashing count, Alexei Vronsky. The novel is a sweeping family drama exploring Tolstoy’s interest in marriage, family, agrarian politics, and gender roles. The work is also a portrait of Russian... Read Anna Karenina Summary


Publication year 1936

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Class, Society: Community

Tags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Asian Literature, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Indian Literature, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2015

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Play: Drama, Race / Racism, Satire, Education, Education, American Literature, Drama / Tragedy


Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Society: Class

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Regency Era


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Romance


Publication year 1961

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Class

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Humor, Class, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

“A&P” is one of John Updike’s most well-known and celebrated short stories, first published in The New Yorker on July 22, 1961, and later appearing in the author’s short story collection Pigeon Feathers. A Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Updike populates his realist fiction with small-town, middle-class Americans. Adaptations of “A&P” include a 1966 short film directed by Bruce Schwartz, starring Sean Hayes as Sammy and Amy Smart as Queenie.The protagonist, Sammy, is also the story’s first-person... Read A&P Summary


Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Class

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction

A Painted House, a novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham, tells the story of seven-year-old Luke Chandler coming of age in Black Oak, Arkansas, in 1952. The novel focuses on a fateful autumn in which one of the workers on Luke’s family’s cotton farm murders a local man. Luke, as one of the only witnesses to the murder, must navigate the tensions that arise as his loyalty to his family is... Read A Painted House Summary


Publication year 1897

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Relationships: Mothers, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness

Tags Classic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Southern Literature, Education, Education, American Literature, History: World

“A Pair of Silk Stockings” (1897) is a short story (2000-words) written by Kate Chopin, first published in Vogue magazine. The story is a work of Literary Realism, set at the time of publication and told from the third-person point of view. It describes the experience of Mrs. Sommers, a married, middle-class woman raising a family on a modest income, who unexpectedly comes into $15, a considerable amount of money in 1897. The interest of... Read A Pair of Silk Stockings Summary


Publication year 1980

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Colonialism, Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government, Social Justice, Race / Racism, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States is one of the most famous American history books published in recent decades. It has sold over two million copies. First published in 1980, the book was nominated for the American Book Award and has gone through at least six major revisions. Although controversial when first published, the book has become comfortably mainstream. It is mentioned by name in the film Good Will Hunting and the... Read A People’s History of the United States Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Natural World: Place

Tags Satire, Humor, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Business / Economics, American Literature, Reconstruction Era, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Apex Hides the Hurt, a 2006 novel by American author Colson Whitehead, follows a nameless, emotionally muted nomenclature consultant, or an expert in creating brand names. The novel toggles between the protagonist’s memories of success at his company, and his current consulting assignment—renaming a town. The novel satirizes contemporary American consumer culture and features themes of race and identity. Whitehead uses humor and revelation as key narrative techniques in this story about a man who... Read Apex Hides the Hurt Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Romance, New Adult


Publication year 1909

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Society: Class

Tags Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Sports, Poverty, Psychology, Social Justice, American Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

Jack London’s 1909 “A Piece of Steak” is a naturalist short story first published in The Saturday Evening Post. It took him between two and four weeks to write, and he was paid a very handsome (for the era) $500 for it. While London is best known for his novels about the Alaskan wilderness, including The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906), he was also interested in workers’ rights and advocated for... Read A Piece of Steak Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Aging, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags African Literature, Education, Education, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ


Publication year 1592

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Play: Tragedy, Elizabethan Era, Mystery / Crime Fiction

Arden of Faversham is an Elizabethan play originally performed in 1592. The play’s authorship is disputed. While potential authors include Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, and Thomas Watson, computer stylometric analyses attribute probable authorship to William Shakespeare. The Oxford Shakespeare attributes the play to Shakespeare and an anonymous collaborator, potentially Watson.The play is the first extant example of English domestic tragedy, which would subsequently flourish throughout Elizabeth and Jamesian drama and be rekindled in the 1700s... Read Arden of Faversham Summary


Publication year 1999

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Indian Literature, Immigration / Refugee

“A Real Durwan” is the fourth story in Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut short-story collection, Interpreter of Maladies (1999), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award. The story recounts the daily lives of the stair-sweeper, Boori Ma, and the families who share a building of flats in Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) after the Partition of India in 1947. An English-born American author raised by Bengali parents, Lahiri is known for her characters’... Read A Real Durwan Summary


Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, History: U.S., Sociology, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 2000

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Immigration, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags History: World, Japanese Literature, Biography, History: Asian, Politics / Government, Inspirational