Daughters & Sons

"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child," exclaims William Shakespeare's King Lear. The fragility or strength of the bond between parents and their children is an eternally relevant theme in literature. In this study guide collection, we've put together texts that examine what it means to be a son or daughter.

The Minutemen and Their World

by Robert A. Gross

Publication year 1976

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Good & Evil, Daughters & Sons

Tags US History, American Revolution, Education, Education, Military & War, World History

The Minutemen and their World is a history of 18th-century Concord, a Massachusetts town located approximately twenty miles west of Boston. The town is famous for the Transcendentalist writers who produced their works there, but it is perhaps even more famous as the site of the first battle of the American Revolution, when the famed “shot heard round the world” was fired at the town’s North Bridge (xvi). The book’s author, Robert A. Gross, describes... Read The Minutemen and Their World Summary

The Miser

by Jean-Baptiste Moliere

Publication year 1668

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Love, Social Class

Tags Comedy & Satire, Classic Fiction, French Literature

The Miser, by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (better known by his stage name, Molière) was written in 1668 and was first performed at the theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris on September 9th, 1668. The five-act play, which takes much of its inspiration from Plautus’ Latin comedy Aulularia (or The Pot of Gold), is a comedy centered on a penny-pinching old miser, Harpagon, who schemes to make more money by arranging marriages for himself and his two... Read The Miser Summary

The Nanny

by Lana Ferguson

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Family, Guilt, Loneliness, Daughters & Sons, Fathers

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance, Parenting

... Read The Nanny Summary

Then She Was Gone

by Lisa Jewell

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Daughters & Sons

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

Lisa Jewell’s mystery novel Then She Was Gone follows Laurel Mack in her search for answers regarding her daughter Ellie’s disappearance. Through a series of flashbacks and differing points of view, Jewell gradually unfolds the details of the past and looks inside the mind of the psychopath who kidnapped Ellie, all while chronicling the steps Laurel must take to heal from the sorrow that has consumed her.This novel was originally published in 2017, but this... Read Then She Was Gone Summary

The Orchard Keeper

by Cormac McCarthy

Publication year 1965

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Conflict, Environment, Future

Tags Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, American Literature, Southern Gothic, Classic Fiction

The Orchard Keeper is the 1965 debut novel of American author Cormac McCarthy. The story explores the relationship between a young boy and the man who killed the boy’s father; it explores themes of The Chaos of the Wilderness, Cyclical Violence, and The Encroachment of Modernity. The Orchard Keeper won a number of awards, while McCarthy’s later works would earn him a Pulitzer Prize. Other works by this author include No Country for Old Men... Read The Orchard Keeper Summary

The Other Boleyn Girl

by Philippa Gregory

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Future, Daughters & Sons, Family, Nation

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, Romance, Life-Inspired Fiction

The Other Boleyn Girl (2001) is a historical women’s fiction novel by British author and journalist Philippa Gregory. Gregory first reached bestseller status with her debut historical novel Wideacre (1987). The Other Boleyn Girl won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association and was adapted into a film. The novel is narrated by Mary, the Boleyn daughter whose more famous sister, Anne, has overshadowed her in the historical record. Mary... Read The Other Boleyn Girl Summary

The Paris Agent

by Kelly Rimmer

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Memory, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Nation, War, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World War II, Military & War, French Literature, World History

... Read The Paris Agent Summary

The People Could Fly

by Virginia Hamilton

Publication year 1985

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Equality, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Perseverance, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Joy, Guilt, Revenge, Memory, Death, Animals, Environment, Appearance & Reality, Food, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Fate, Race, Language, Regret, Shame & Pride, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Teamwork

Tags Fairy Tale & Folklore, Symbolic Narrative, US History, African American Literature, Race & Racism

... Read The People Could Fly Summary

The Plot

by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Daughters & Sons, Literature, Revenge

Tags Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Arts & Culture, Psychology, Trauma & Abuse, Philosophy, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Plot Summary

The Proving Ground

by Michael Connelly

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Regret, Disability, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Death, Daughters & Sons, Teamwork, Social Class, Community, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Science, Technology, Science/Technology, Gender & Feminism, Biography, US History

... Read The Proving Ground Summary

The Reckoning

by John Grisham

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, War, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Race, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Femininity, Masculinity, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Death, Coming of Age, The Past, Nation

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Race & Racism, Military & War, World History

... Read The Reckoning Summary

The Rest of Our Lives

by Ben Markovits

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Race, Aging, Midlife, Death, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Domestic Fiction, Relationships

... Read The Rest of Our Lives Summary

The Rocking Horse Winner

by D. H. Lawrence

Publication year 1926

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Childhood & Youth

Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Modernism, Finance, Social Class, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, World History, Fantasy

D. H. Lawrence published “The Rocking Horse Winner” in 1926, just four years before his death in 1930. He had written a story, “Glad Ghosts,” for inclusion in Lady Cynthia Asquith’s supernatural fiction anthology Ghost Book. She did not like the story, partly because of the celebration of male sexuality and other erotic undertones. Lawrence wrote “The Rocking Horse Winner” for her instead. Lawrence sets the story in a haunted house, appropriate for a “ghost”... Read The Rocking Horse Winner Summary

The Seagull

by Anton Chekhov

Publication year 1895

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Regret, Fame, Conflict, Love, Art, Daughters & Sons, Appearance & Reality

Tags Drama, Tragedy, Comedy & Satire, Russian Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

While Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull is now regarded as one of his most famous plays, it was not until the second time it premiered in Russia that it garnered success. Written in 1895 and first produced the following year, The Seagull is set against the backdrop of a summer country home, and tackles The Consequences of Disillusionment, The Purpose of Art, and the price of Living in the Shadow of a Renowned Parent. Chekhov relies... Read The Seagull Summary

The Setting Sun and the Rolling World

by Charles Mungoshi

Publication year 1987

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Daughters & Sons, Religion & Spirituality

Tags History: African , Religion & Spirituality, Race & Racism, African Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism

The Setting Sun and the Rolling World is a short story collection published in 1987 by Zimbabwean author Charles Mungoshi. Across 17 stories, Mungoshi explores profound cultural divides in his native country between tradition and modernization, rural and urban life, and colonialism and African nationalism. Although the characters are different in each piece, taken together the stories comprise a coming-of-age narrative, as the protagonist of each tale is generally a little older and more experienced... Read The Setting Sun and the Rolling World Summary