Marriage

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages," said philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The texts in this collection depict happy and unhappy marriages—and those that fall somewhere in between.

Publication year 1950

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, American Literature, Classic Fiction

Strangers on a Train (1950) is a suspense thriller by Patricia Highsmith, based on the premise that two strangers swap murders. The novel has been adapted multiple times, most famously by Alfred Hitchcock in his 1951 film. Highsmith is known for telling stories in which relatable characters are coerced into crime, although in an interview with Diana Cooper-Clark, Highsmith rejected the idea that just anyone can commit murder. On a train from New York to Metcalf... Read Strangers On A Train Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Humor


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Military / War, Relationships, Race / Racism, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Romance


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Survival Fiction, American Civil War


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy


Publication year 1926

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Harlem Renaissance, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Education, Education, African American Literature, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

The short story “Sweat” by American author Zora Neale Hurston was first published in 1926 in Fire!!, a single-issue magazine published during the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston was an anthropologist and writer whose works included many essays on anthropology and folklore focused on African American communities in the American South and the Caribbean, as well as novels and short stories. Her interest in anthropology is reflected in her creative work. For example, she often wrote dialog... Read Sweat Summary


Publication year 1964

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage

Tags Romance, Relationships


Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Race / Racism, Class, African American Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction


Publication year 1994

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Lyric Poem


Publication year 1998

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Food, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Fame

Tags Food, Relationships

Prominent chef, food writer, and editor Ruth Reichl’s 1998 memoir Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table incorporates recipes with narrative and commentary to create a portrait of Reichl’s coming of age. Reichl’s sometimes-chaotic childhood with a mother who had untreated bipolar disorder made her into an independent and rebellious young person determined to distance herself from her parents’ world. Her adolescence and young adulthood in New York; Montreal; Berkeley, California; and Ann... Read Tender at the Bone Summary


Publication year 1934

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Drama / Tragedy, American Literature, Mental Illness, French Literature, History: World

In 1934, F. Scott Fitzgerald published his fourth and final (completed) novel, Tender Is the Night. Considered by the author to be his masterpiece, the book captures the same Jazz Age-prose style and Lost Generation philosophy as his previous novels, with the added depth of being arguably his most personal novel. Unlike The Great Gatsby, which was published in the middle of the 1920s, Tender Is the Night reflects upon the Roaring Twenties after they... Read Tender Is the Night Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, New Adult


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Marriage

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Religion / Spirituality, Self Help, Relationships, Psychology, Christian literature, Love / Sexuality


Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Community

Tags Self Help, Finance / Money / Wealth, Business/Economics, Psychology, Philosophy


Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Family

Tags Romance, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Anne Tyler’s The Accidental Tourist is a literary fiction novel that follows the character-driven story of Macon Leary, who must navigate life following the death of his son and the dissolution of his marriage. The Accidental Tourist was originally published in 1985 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The Accidental Tourist is Anne Tyler’s 10th novel and one of her most recognized works. This study guide follows the paperback Berkley edition released in... Read The Accidental Tourist Summary


Publication year 1963

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Beauty

Tags Free verse, Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Satire, Confessional


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Literature


Publication year 1932

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage

Tags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Artificial Silk Girl, by Irmgard Keun, originally published in 1932 as Das kunstseidene Mädchen, is an example of Neue Sachlichkeit, a German literary movement of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933). This guide follows the 2019 Penguin Modern Classics version translated by Kathie von Ankum. Plot SummaryDoris, an 18-year-old German girl from a mid-sized town in the Ruhr Valley, dreams of becoming a star and living a life of luxury. She comes from a lower-middle-class family, lives... Read The Artificial Silk Girl Summary