Class

This thematic collection covers texts that investigate the particularly fraught dynamics and divisions of class, including Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Ernesto Galarza's Barrio Boy.

Politics

by Aristotle

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Social Class

Tags Philosophy, Education, Education, Philosophy, Classical Period, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government, World History, Ancient Greece

Politics by Aristotle is a study of political theories and approaches written in the fourth century BCE. Politics serves as a companion to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. In Politics, Aristotle builds a case in response to Plato’s Republic. Aristotle argues that the purpose of a city is to contribute to the common good, creating a framework for individuals to pursue happiness through virtue. The philosopher and scientist gathered data on 158 different cities before writing his... Read Politics Summary

Pompeii

by Robert Harris

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Appearance & Reality, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Natural Disaster, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Italian Literature, World History, Classical Period

Pompeii is a 2003 historical fiction novel by British author Robert Harris. The novel blends together the history of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD with a fictional plot about an engineer sent from Rome to repair the city’s aqueducts. This study guide uses an eBook version of the 2003 Ballantine Books edition. Plot SummaryMarcus Attilius Primus is a young aqueduct engineer, also known as an “aquarius.” His father and his grandfather were... Read Pompeii Summary

Powerful

by Lauren Roberts

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Love, Friendship, Social Class, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance

... Read Powerful Summary

Powerless

by Lauren Roberts

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Social Class, War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

... Read Powerless Summary

Preludes

by T. S. Eliot

Publication year 1917

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Place, Environment, Loneliness, Apathy, Social Class, Community

Tags Free Verse, Urban Development, Modernism, Classic Fiction

... Read Preludes Summary

Prep

by Curtis Sittenfeld

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Femininity, Social Class, Gender Identity, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery, Friendship, Loneliness

Tags Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Prep Summary

Pride

by Ibi Zoboi

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Social Class, Community, Siblings, Family, Conflict, Race, Equality

Tags Romance, Social Class, Urban Development, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Pride Summary

Private Lives

by Noël Coward

Publication year 1930

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Humor, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

IntroductionPrivate Lives is a comedy of manners by English playwright, composer, and actor Noël Coward. The play, which opened in London in 1930 and was adapted into a film in 1931, is a social satire on the frailties of marriage and pretensions of high society.Five years after their divorce, Elyot Chase and Amanda Prynne have married new spouses; the two couples accidentally book the same hotel in France for their respective second honeymoons. Realizing that... Read Private Lives Summary

Promise Boys

by Nick Brooks

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism

... Read Promise Boys Summary

Pygmalion

by George Bernard Shaw

Publication year 1913

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Femininity, Language

Tags British Literature, Drama, Comedy & Satire, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Romance, Humor

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw was first published in 1914, with an updated version published in 1941. The play was Shaw’s most popular and most critically acclaimed work. It inspired the heavily romanticized musical and movie adaptation My Fair Lady, which won both a Tony for Best Musical and an Oscar for Best Picture.Shaw began his career as a novelist, but his novels were largely unsuccessful. After he moved from Dublin to London, he shifted... Read Pygmalion Summary

Radio Golf

by August Wilson

Publication year 2005

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Memory, Race, Place, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Dramatic Literature, Race & Racism, Classic Fiction

... Read Radio Golf Summary

Ragged Dick

by Horatio Alger

Publication year 1868

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Childhood & Youth, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate, Wins & Losses

Tags Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Social Class, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History

Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks was Horatio Alger, Jr.’s first bestselling book. Ragged Dick was serialized in 1867 in the monthly American children’s magazine, Student and Schoolmate, prior to its successful publication as a novel in 1868. The first volume in a six-volume series, Ragged Dick established Alger’s primary theme of a boy’s rise from humble beginnings to prosperity and respectability. Alger’s “rags to riches” narrative built on... Read Ragged Dick Summary

Ragtime

by E. L. Doctorow

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Social Class, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Social Justice, Social Class, Race & Racism, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

... Read Ragtime Summary

Rain, Rain, Go Away

by Isaac Asimov

Publication year 1959

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fear, Social Class, Community, Economics, Education, Immigration, Nation, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Education, Education

... Read Rain, Rain, Go Away Summary