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 Golden Gate

by Amy Chua

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Power & Greed, Justice, Immigration, Equality, Femininity, Mental Health, Truth & Lies, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Race & Racism, Love & Sexuality, Social Class

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The Good Earth

by Pearl S. Buck

Publication year 1931

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Power & Greed, Environment, Social Class, Perseverance, Place, Community

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Asian History, Education, Education, World History, Chinese Literature

A measure of the quality, prescience, and veracity of Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth is that, nearly a century after its first publication, the book remains required reading in literature, world history, and social science courses. The novel is a simple, straightforward narrative about 50 years in the life of Wang Lung, an uneducated farmer in eastern China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While this era period was one of continual... Read The Good Earth Summary

The Grapes of Wrath

by John Steinbeck

Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Justice, Social Class

Tags American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, US History, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics & Government, Great Depression, Naturalism, Education, Education, World History

The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is a classic novel by American author John Steinbeck. It centers on the Joads, an Oklahoma family evicted from their farm following the 1930s dust storms which ruined local crops. Losing their land, the Joads travel to California to seek work. On their journey they encounter hardship, prejudice, and police intimidation. However, when they get there, things become worse. They must stay in squalid camps and discover that work for... Read The Grapes of Wrath Summary

The Great Train Robbery

by Michael Crichton

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction

The Great Train Robbery (1975) by Michael Crichton is a fictionalized account of the Great Gold Robbery of 1855. It details the actions of criminal mastermind Edward Pierce and his co-conspirators as they plan and execute the heist of £12,000 of gold from a train in London. This historical thriller analyzes Victorian beliefs about crime in the context of a rapidly changing society overwhelmed by industrialization. Historically, Pierce’s successful heist shocked a nation that believed... Read The Great Train Robbery Summary

The Great Trouble

by Deborah Hopkinson

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Social Class, Community, Art, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Health, British Literature, Children`s Literature, Grief & Death, World History

The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel (2013) is a middle grade historical fiction novel by American author Deborah Hopkinson. Hopkinson is a prolific writer of books for young readers and has published over 70 books, including biographies, picture books, middle grade historical fiction, and long-form nonfiction. The Great Trouble explores themes of class disparity and scientific inquiry and is set against the background of the 1854... Read The Great Trouble Summary

The Guardians

by Ana Castillo

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Family, Social Class, Community, Immigration, Nation, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Women`s Studies, Education, Education, Latin American Literature, American Literature, Arts & Culture

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The Guest

by Emma Cline

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Social Class, Truth & Lies

Tags Psychological Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Social Class, Gender & Feminism, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Hamlet

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1940

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, The Past, Social Class, Power & Greed

Tags American Literature, Southern Literature, Southern Gothic, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

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The Hare With Amber Eyes

by Edmund de Waal

Publication year 2010

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Family, Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Race, The Past, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Jewish Literature, World History

Edmund de Waal’s The Hare with Amber Eyes (2010) is a family memoir that traces the fate of a collection of Japanese netsuke across generations of the Ephrussi family. Blending personal narrative with cultural history, the author reconstructs the rise and fall of his Jewish ancestors against the backdrop of Western Europe’s turbulent modern history. The book is a meditation on the Jewish diaspora and the fragility of cultural assimilation, exploring how objects, particularly works... Read The Hare With Amber Eyes Summary

The Heart Goes Last

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Power & Greed, Fate, Marriage, Conflict, Economics, Social Class

Tags Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Margaret Atwood’s The Heart Goes Last is a work of speculative fiction released in 2015. The novel is a reworking of her Positron series for the website Byliner: four interconnected stories that were digitally released as episodes over the course of a year, starting in March 2012. The project aimed to recapture the literary tradition of serialization, but the final installment was never released, and the novel is intended to bring things together and provide... Read The Heart Goes Last Summary

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

by Carson McCullers

Publication year 1940

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Community, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Victorian Period, British Literature, American Literature, Southern Literature, Southern Gothic

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940) is a Southern Gothic novel written by Carson McCullers, one of the most prominent American literary voices of the 20th century. Set in a small unnamed town, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter captures the spiritual isolation and loneliness of five ordinary people in the deep American South in the 1930s. McCullers is known for her contributions to the development of the Southern Gothic subgenre, and her novels... Read The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Summary

The Heiress

by Rachel Hawkins

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Social Class

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

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The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

by Henry Fielding

Publication year 1749

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Social Class, Coming of Age

Tags Coming of Age, Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Humor, Romance, Historical Fiction, British Literature, World History

First published in 1749, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling is considered one of the best and most influential early novels in English literature. Henry Fielding was a respected dramatist, essayist, and satirist, and as a public official, he helped to establish London’s first professional police force.A comic novel that blends romance, realism, picaresque, and social commentary—while passing itself off as a true history of a life as well as a reflection of human... Read The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Summary

The Homecoming

by Harold Pinter

Publication year 1964

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Masculinity, Aging, Social Class, Community, Gender Identity

Tags Drama, Psychological Fiction, Education, Education, British Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

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