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.

The Adventures of Augie March

by Saul Bellow

Publication year 1953

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Social Class, Self Discovery

Tags Coming of Age, American Literature, Jewish Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Adventures of Augie March is a 1953 novel by Saul Bellow. In the novel, Bellow’s third, the eponymous title character chronicles his eventful life from an underprivileged childhood in Chicago to his waning wanderlust in Paris. The novel is critically acclaimed and won the 1954 National Book Award for Fiction. Bellow was a lauded author in his lifetime, winning prestigious awards like the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution... Read The Adventures of Augie March Summary

The Age of Innocence

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1920

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Community, Family, The Past, Love, Gender Identity, Midlife

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Social Class, Love & Sexuality, Gilded Age, American Literature, Gender & Feminism, World History, Romance

American writer Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel The Age Of Innocence (1920) was a post-armistice reflection on the 1870s New York society of her youth. Wharton, an American who lived abroad in Paris, was already the successful author of other novels, including The House of Mirth (1905) and Ethan Frome (1911).In a The New York Times article, Elif Batuman reflects that “eventually, each classic tells two stories: its own, and the story of all the... Read The Age of Innocence Summary

The Alchemist

by Ben Jonson

Publication year 1610

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Shame & Pride, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Power & Greed, Social Class, Community, Teamwork

Tags British Literature, Historical Drama, Comedy & Satire, Satirical Literature, Social Class, Finance, Renaissance, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction

... Read The Alchemist Summary

The Alloy of Law

by Brandon Sanderson

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Gender Identity, The Past, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

... Read The Alloy of Law Summary

The American Dream

by Jim Cullen

Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nation, Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality, Social Class, Immigration, Community, Economics, Equality, Justice, Politics & Government

Tags US History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Black Lives Matter, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, American Revolution, American Civil War, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Colonial America, Sociology, Education, Education, Business & Economics, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts & Culture

The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, originally published in 2003 by Oxford University Press, is a popular history book by American cultural historian Jim Cullen. As an overview and critical analysis of the American Dream, this book adds some meat to the bones of a traditionally ambiguous concept. Cullen maintains an optimistic outlook about the usefulness of the various American Dreams and about the promise of America, despite... Read The American Dream Summary

The Armor of Light

by Ken Follett

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Love, Justice, War, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, Industrial Revolution

... Read The Armor of Light Summary

The Bald Soprano

by Eugène Ionesco

Publication year 1950

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Language, Social Class, Order & Chaos

Tags Drama, Absurdism, French Literature

La Cantatrice Chauve, translated to The Bald Soprano in English, is a 1950 absurdist play by Eugène Ionesco and a seminal work of the Theatre of the Absurd movement. Ionesco was famously inspired to write the play while learning English from an Assimil language primer, in which cliché English characters having artificial conversations and reciting basic facts of life soon began to take on absurd philosophical meaning for the playwright. The Bald Soprano was Ionesco’s... Read The Bald Soprano Summary

The Bar Code Tattoo

by Suzanne Weyn

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Social Class, Politics & Government, Art, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Futurism

white... Read The Bar Code Tattoo Summary

The Bee Sting

by Paul Murray

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Midlife, Environment, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Dramatic Literature, Irish Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Bee Sting Summary

The Best of Me

by Nicholas Sparks

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Guilt, Fate, Social Class

Tags Romance, Southern Literature, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

The Best of Me (2010) is a love story by the best-selling American author Nicholas Sparks. It was adapted into a feature film by the same name in 2014. The novel is about the conflict-ridden love story between Dawson Cole and Amanda Colliers, high school lovers who were separated by social circumstances. Twenty-five years later, they get together to honor the memory of Tuck Hostetler, a father-figure who was their silent supporter and well-wisher. Once... Read The Best of Me Summary

The Betrothed

by Alessandro Manzoni

Publication year 1827

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hope, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Death, Marriage, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, War, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Romance, Italian Literature, World History

The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi), published in 1827 and revised in 1842, is a historical novel by Italian author Alessandro Manzoni. The novel follows two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, in 1600s Lombardy; their courtship is derailed by a jealous plot to prevent their marriage, ultimately leading them to the plague-stricken city of Milan, where they face many struggles. The Betrothed is heralded as one of the most important and widely read Italian novels. This... Read The Betrothed Summary

The Bewitching

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Death, Animals, Place, Family, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Fantasy

... Read The Bewitching Summary

The Black Pearl

by Scott O'Dell

Publication year 1967

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Action & Adventure

American author Scott O’Dell’s The Black Pearl is a young adult novel and bildungsroman (coming-of-age story) that was first published in 1967. The Black Pearl was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal, which recognizes distinguished American children’s literature. The work’s literary influences include Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and John Steinbeck’s The Pearl—another novel set among the pearl divers of La Paz. Scott O’Dell is best known for historical children’s fiction and his novel Island of... Read The Black Pearl Summary