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 Thirty Nine Steps

by John Buchan

Publication year 1915

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Politics & Government, Social Class

Tags Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

The Thirty-Nine Steps, an early spy thriller, was published by Scottish author John Buchan in 1915. It was the first of five books to feature protagonist Richard Hannay. Alfred Hitchcock adapted the story to film in 1935, emphasizing the thriller elements and changing most of the secondary characters. A theatrical version, which drew from Hitchcock’s movie but restored the comedic tone of Buchan’s novel, ran in London’s West End for 10 years. Buchan’s story of... Read The Thirty Nine Steps Summary

The Time Machine

by H. G. Wells

Publication year 1895

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Future, Social Class

Tags Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The Time Machine is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells published in 1895. The book’s protagonist, who is never named and called only the Time Traveller, is a brilliant Victorian inventor who travels 800,000 years into the future. He finds that humans have evolved into two distinct species, called the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are peace-loving and childlike simpletons who are farmed and eaten by the brutal Morlocks, who live underground... Read The Time Machine Summary

The Tortilla Curtain

by T.C. Boyle

Publication year 1995

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Immigration, Social Class, Environment, Justice

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Dramatic Literature, Race & Racism, Immigration & Refugeeism, American Literature

Published in 1995, The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle tells the story of two couples living parallel lives in Southern California: Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher, affluent white Americans with a home in the upper-middle-class subdivision of Arroyo Blanco; and Cándido and América Rincón, undocumented immigrants from Mexico living in a makeshift camp at the bottom of the canyon. Rotating among the perspectives of the four protagonists, the novel explores the inequality inherent in the United States... Read The Tortilla Curtain Summary

The Tragedy of Mariam

by Elizabeth Cary

Publication year 1613

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Gender Identity, Love, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Drama, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

The Tragedy of Mariam, Fair Queen of Jewry recounts actual historical events surrounding the execution of Mariam, the second wife of Herod the Great. Written by Elizabeth Cary, the Viscountess Falkland, this five-act play published in 1613 is unique in several ways—chiefly, in that it is the first English-language play authored and published by a woman. Multiple tragedies occur in the drama, which falls into the genre of a Senecan revenge tragedy. It’s also a... Read The Tragedy of Mariam Summary

The Train From Rhodesia

by Nadine Gordimer

Publication year 1952

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Marriage, Social Class, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed, Conflict

Tags Race & Racism, African Literature, Relationships

“The Train from Rhodesia” is a short story by Nadine Gordimer, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. The story originally appeared in The Soft Voice of the Serpent, her first collection of stories, published in 1953 and used as the basis for this study guide.The story takes place in a train station in an unnamed African village. The station is surrounded by beggars and by vendors selling carved wooden animals. A stationmaster... Read The Train From Rhodesia Summary

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

by Avi

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Gender Identity, Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Published in 1990, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by children’s book writer Avi, tells the story of a teenage girl who travels from England to America aboard a sailing ship filled with intrigue, mutiny, and murder; she learns to be a sailor, withstands a hurricane, and thwarts the captain’s attempts to kill her. Written for middle-grade readers, the book won several awards, including the Newbery in 1991. Plot SummaryThirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle, at school in... Read The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Summary

The Unwedding

by Ally Condie

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Place, Friendship, Marriage, Social Class, Art, Trust & Doubt

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

... Read The Unwedding Summary

The Viscount Who Loved Me

by Julia Quinn

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Friendship, Fate, Siblings, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Childhood & Youth, Love, Literature, Mothers, The Past, Family, Future, Appearance & Reality, Equality, Beauty, Self Discovery, Hate & Anger, Marriage, Loneliness, Conflict, Masculinity, Trust & Doubt, Grief, Femininity, Fathers, Nostalgia, Truth & Lies, Shame & Pride

Tags World History, Regency Era, Romance, Historical Fiction

... Read The Viscount Who Loved Me Summary

The Way of the World

by William Congreve

Publication year 1700

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Social Class, Power & Greed

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

The Way of the World is a play by William Congreve, first performed in 1700 at Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The Way of the World is a Restoration comedy, meaning it is a comedy written and performed in the boom of theater following the restoration of the Stuart Dynasty after the Interregnum period in England. As with many Restoration comedies, Congreve focuses his satire on the upper classes, but The Way of the World is notable... Read The Way of the World Summary