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 Maltese Falcon

by Dashiell Hammett

Publication year 1930

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Apathy, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Death, The Past, Beauty, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Order & Chaos, Art, Good & Evil, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Appearance & Reality, Politics & Government, Social Class, Community, Immigration

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Roaring Twenties, Great Depression

Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon (1930) is a detective novel that was first serialized in the magazine Black Mask. As Hammett’s third novel, The Maltese Falcon includes the introduction of Sam Spade as the protagonist, a departure from the nameless Continental Op who narrated his previous stories. Spade’s hard exterior, cool detachment, and reliance on his own moral code would become staples of the hardboiled genre, and The Maltese Falcon has since been named one... Read The Maltese Falcon Summary

The Managed Heart

by Arlie Russell Hochschild

Publication year 1983

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Joy, Mental Health, Social Class, Community, Economics, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Gender & Feminism, Social Science, Business & Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

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The Man He Killed

by Thomas Hardy

Publication year 1902

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Social Class, War, Colonialism

Tags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Victorian Period, Military & War, Social Class, History: African , European History, Psychology, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Classic Fiction, British Literature

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The Man Who Was Almost a Man

by Richard Wright

Publication year 1940

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Race, Social Class, Power & Greed

Tags Coming of Age, American Literature, Education, Education, African American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

“The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is a short story by African American author Richard Wright, first published in 1940 by Harper’s Bazaar magazine and again in the posthumous 1961 short story collection Eight Men. The story engages with issues of racial discrimination, oppression, and African American identity in a naturalistic writing style. It follows the struggles of Dave Saunders, a young African American man who works at a plantation in the rural South... Read The Man Who Was Almost a Man Summary

The Man Who Was Poe

by Avi

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Coming of Age, Guilt

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Social Class, Romanticism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, World History

The Man Who Was Poe is a young adult historical fiction novel published in 1989 by Edward Irving Wortis, an award-winning American author who writes under the pen name “Avi.” Set in Providence, Rhode Island in 1848, the story is about the unlikely partnership between Edgar Allan Poe and an 11-year-old London boy named Edmund. The book sources many facts from Poe’s life and works and emulates Poe’s own Gothic style of literature. Edmund turns... Read The Man Who Was Poe Summary

The Marriage Plot

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Literature

Tags Romance, American Literature, Relationships

Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Marriage Plot (2011), set in the early 1980s, follows a love triangle among a group of recent Brown University graduates. As the 20-somethings forge a path into adulthood, they explore the dynamics of love and commitment while wrestling with ways to imbue their lives with meaning and make a purposeful mark on the world. The title references a plot trope common to 19th-century British novels, such as those by Jane Austen, in... Read The Marriage Plot Summary

The Marvelous Land of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

Publication year 1904

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Language, Masculinity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure

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The Master

by Colm Tóibín

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Literature, Loneliness, Love, Mental Health, Aging, Death, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Art

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Irish Literature

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The Mayor of Casterbridge

by Thomas Hardy

Publication year 1886

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Fate, Forgiveness, Shame & Pride, Social Class

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

The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character (1886) is a novel by Thomas Hardy. Taking place in a fictional town in rural England sometime in the 1840s, the story follows young hay trusser Michael Henchard as he traverses English social life and struggles to improve his standing. One of the foremost authors of the Victorian period, Hardy is known for his psychologically and morally complex portrayals of rural English... Read The Mayor of Casterbridge Summary

The Men of Brewster Place

by Gloria Naylor

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Race, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Social Class, Community

Tags Symbolic Narrative, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Published in 1998, The Men of Brewster Place is a companion to Gloria Naylor’s acclaimed 1982 novel, The Women of Brewster Place. Written as a series of vignettes, the novel tells the intertwining stories of seven Black men living in Brewster Place, a degrading apartment block in an unnamed American city. Each must fight to define his identity as a man while existing within the confines of a racist, sexist society. With themes of pain... Read The Men of Brewster Place Summary

The Merchant of Venice

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1596

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Forgiveness, Appearance & Reality

Tags Classic Fiction, Tragedy, Elizabethan Era, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature

The Merchant of Venice is a play by English playwright William Shakespeare. It is one of Shakespeare’s many comedies, which include As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and The Taming of the Shrew. Written in the 1590s, it concerns a Jewish moneylender in Venice named Shylock who is determined to extract a pound of flesh from a merchant who failed to pay a debt on time. As the narrative unfolds, it considers themes like The... Read The Merchant of Venice Summary

The Mercy of Gods

by James S. A. Corey

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

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The Midnight Feast

by Lucy Foley

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Revenge, The Past, Animals, Plants, Place, Friendship, Social Class, Justice, Religion & Spirituality

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

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The Millionaire Next Door

by Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko

Publication year 1996

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Social Class, Community, Economics

Tags Business & Economics, Finance

In The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy (1996) researchers Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko present their findings about the habits, lifestyles, and financial behaviors of American millionaires. While most picture millionaires as the nation’s highest earners and most conspicuous spenders, Stanley and Danko argue that most of them accumulate wealth through hard work, frugality, disciplined saving, and long-term investing. The Millionaire Next Door outlines the seven factors that Danko... Read The Millionaire Next Door Summary

The Million Dollar Shot

by Dan Gutman

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Coming of Age, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Justice, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Humor

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The Ministry of Time

by Kaliane Bradley

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Love, Regret, Race, Future, The Past, Climate, Environment, Social Class, Community, Economics, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

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