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.

The Tenant

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Family, Self Discovery, War, Marriage

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction

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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

by Anne Brontë

Publication year 1848

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, Romance, British Literature, Gothic Literature, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the second and final novel written by Anne Brontë (1820-1849), the youngest of the three celebrated Brontë sisters. The novel was published in 1848 under Anne’s pseudonym, Acton Bell. Unlike Anne’s first novel, Agnes Grey (1847), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was an immediate sensation and stirred strong reactions to its subject matter, which touched on adultery, marital separation, alcohol use disorder, and domestic abuse. After her death, Anne’s... Read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Summary

The Train From Rhodesia

by Nadine Gordimer

Publication year 1952

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Marriage, Social Class, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed, Conflict

Tags Race & Racism, African Literature, Relationships

“The Train from Rhodesia” is a short story by Nadine Gordimer, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. The story originally appeared in The Soft Voice of the Serpent, her first collection of stories, published in 1953 and used as the basis for this study guide.The story takes place in a train station in an unnamed African village. The station is surrounded by beggars and by vendors selling carved wooden animals. A stationmaster... Read The Train From Rhodesia Summary

The Trojan War: A New History

by Barry Strauss

Publication year 2006

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Marriage

Tags European History, Military & War, Classical Period, World History, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Recorded in Homer’s epic poems, which are widely considered seminal in the canon of western literature, the Trojan War continues to enjoy mythic status within contemporary culture over two millennia later. In the light of new archaeological evidence, Barry Strauss re-examines the most fabled war in history in his 2006 text The Trojan War: A New History. Strauss returns to the era when the war actually took place, some 500 years before Homer, and examines... Read The Trojan War: A New History Summary

The Unwedding

by Ally Condie

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Place, Friendship, Marriage, Social Class, Art, Trust & Doubt

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

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The Viscount Who Loved Me

by Julia Quinn

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Friendship, Fate, Siblings, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Childhood & Youth, Love, Literature, Mothers, The Past, Family, Future, Appearance & Reality, Equality, Beauty, Self Discovery, Hate & Anger, Marriage, Loneliness, Conflict, Masculinity, Trust & Doubt, Grief, Femininity, Fathers, Nostalgia, Truth & Lies, Shame & Pride

Tags World History, Regency Era, Romance, Historical Fiction

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The Way of All Flesh

by Samuel Butler

Publication year 1903

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Family, Marriage, Death, Education, Coming of Age

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Victorian Period, British Literature, Music, World History, Victorian Era

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The Way Up To Heaven

by Roald Dahl

Publication year 1954

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Fear, Revenge, Midlife, Self Discovery, Good & Evil

Tags Education, Education, Classic Fiction

“The Way Up to Heaven” by Roald Dahl was initially published in 1954 in an issue of The New Yorker magazine and later included in his 1960 short story compilation book Kiss Kiss. The story was also adapted for TV in 1957 and 1979. Dahl is well known for his children’s novels, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, and The Big Friendly Giant, many of which appeal with elements that are unusually... Read The Way Up To Heaven Summary

The Wives

by Tarryn Fisher

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Femininity, Gender Identity, Power & Greed, Marriage

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

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The Wives of the Dead

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Publication year 1832

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Grief

Tags Colonial America, Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction

“The Wives of the Dead,” a short story published in 1832 by American dark-romantic author Nathaniel Hawthorne, tells of sisters-in-law in colonial Massachusetts whose husbands die at the same time and details their attempts to help each other cope with the loss. The eerily surreal story touches on several of Hawthorne’s literary obsessions, including Gothic horror, Puritan guilt, love and devotion, Early American history, and feminism. The story later appeared in an 1851 collection, The... Read The Wives of the Dead Summary