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.

A Murder Is Announced

by Agatha Christie

Publication year 1950

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Justice, Social Class, Community

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, British Literature, Classic Fiction

First published in 1950, A Murder Is Announced is a mystery novel by one of the leading writers of the Golden Age of detective fiction: Agatha Christie, “Queen of Crime.” Although best known for her Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot novels such as Murder at the Vicarage and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Christie also published short story collections and wrote the world’s longest-running play—The Mousetrap (1952). Her fiction has inspired numerous film and television adaptations... Read A Murder Is Announced Summary

An American Tragedy

by Theodore Dreiser

Publication year 1925

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Justice, Appearance & Reality, Power & Greed, Marriage

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Dramatic Literature, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Published in 1925, Theodore Dreiser’s realist novel An American Tragedy is one of the author’s most critically acclaimed works. Set in the 1920s in Kansas City, Chicago, and small-town New York state, the historical fiction novel is the story of how Clyde Griffiths, the son of poor, itinerant preachers, kills Roberta Alden during a boat trip in the Adirondack Mountains.This guide is based on the Kindle edition published by Rosetta Books.Content Warning: This novel contains... Read An American Tragedy Summary

Anathema

by Keri Lake

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Shame & Pride, Social Class, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature

... Read Anathema Summary

Anatomy

by Dana Schwartz

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Death, Perseverance, Social Class, Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, World History

... Read Anatomy Summary

And Then, Boom!

by Lisa Fipps

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Food, Family, Grandparents, Social Class, Economics, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Children`s Literature

... Read And Then, Boom! Summary

An Ideal Husband

by Oscar Wilde

Publication year 1895

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Social Class, Art

Tags Comedy & Satire, World History, Dramatic Literature, Romance, Victorian Era, Humor, Classic Fiction

An Ideal Husband is a satirical play about blackmail, politics, morality, and marriage by Victorian writer Oscar Wilde. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal in Haymarket, London, on January 3, 1895. Wilde was an acclaimed playwright in London at the time, though his imprisonment in late 1895 marked his fall from public grace. The play has since been adapted for both film and theater across the world, as have many of Wilde’s other... Read An Ideal Husband Summary

A Night to Remember

by Walter Lord

Publication year 1955

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Conflict, Memory, Social Class, Community, Science & Technology

Tags World History, Dramatic Literature, Technology, US History, Biography, Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction

... Read A Night to Remember Summary

Anima Rising

by Christopher Moore

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Animals, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Art, Beauty, Power & Greed

Tags Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Arts & Culture

... Read Anima Rising Summary

An Inspector Calls

by J.B. Priestley

Publication year 1945

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Drama, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

An Inspector Calls is a three-act play written by J. B. Priestley, first performed in 1947. In the play, an inspector questions a wealthy family about the death of a young woman who worked at the family’s factory. An Inspector Calls first premiered in Moscow in 1945 before showing in England. The play has been adapted for film, television, and radio, and a 1992 stage revival won a Laurence Olivier Award, a Drama Desk Award... Read An Inspector Calls Summary

Anna Karenina

by Leo Tolstoy

Publication year 1879

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Religion & Spirituality, Social Class

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

Anna Karenina is Leo Tolstoy’s second novel, following War and Peace (1869). Serially published in 1877, Anna Karenina depicts the efforts of its titular character to escape an unhappy marriage to her older, civil servant husband and pursue a love affair with a young and dashing count, Alexei Vronsky. The novel is a sweeping family drama exploring Tolstoy’s interest in marriage, family, agrarian politics, and gender roles. The work is also a portrait of Russian... Read Anna Karenina Summary

Annihilation of Caste

by B. R. Ambedkar

Publication year 1936

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Equality, Social Class, Community

Tags Philosophy, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Asian Literature, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Indian Literature, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Annihilation of Caste Summary

An Octoroon

by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Publication year 2015

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Equality, Social Class, Love, Gender Identity, Race, Marriage, Justice

Tags Drama, Race & Racism, Satirical Literature, Education, Education, American Literature, Dramatic Literature

... Read An Octoroon Summary

A&P

by John Updike

Publication year 1961

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Humor, Social Class, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

“A&P” is one of John Updike’s most well-known and celebrated short stories, first published in The New Yorker on July 22, 1961, and later appearing in the author’s short story collection Pigeon Feathers. A Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Updike populates his realist fiction with small-town, middle-class Americans. Adaptations of “A&P” include a 1966 short film directed by Bruce Schwartz, starring Sean Hayes as Sammy and Amy Smart as Queenie.The protagonist, Sammy, is also the story’s first-person... Read A&P Summary

A Painted House

by John Grisham

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Revenge, Masculinity, Social Class

Tags Horror & Suspense, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

A Painted House, a novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham, tells the story of seven-year-old Luke Chandler coming of age in Black Oak, Arkansas, in 1952. The novel focuses on a fateful autumn in which one of the workers on Luke’s family’s cotton farm murders a local man. Luke, as one of the only witnesses to the murder, must navigate the tensions that arise as his loyalty to his family is... Read A Painted House Summary