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 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

The Woman Destroyed

by Simone de Beauvoir

Publication year 1967

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Aging, Loneliness, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, Marriage, Mothers, Equality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags French Literature, Literary Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Philosophy

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The Woodlanders

by Thomas Hardy

Publication year 1887

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Sexual Identity

Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Social Class, Love & Sexuality, Victorian Period, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

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The World According To Garp

by John Irving

Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Family, Marriage, Equality

Tags Relationships, Dramatic Literature, American Literature, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

The World According to Garp, John Irving’s fourth novel, was first published in 1978 and continues to enjoy a wide circulation. The novel features elements drawn from Irving’s life and is a literary satire of gender dynamics in the wake of second-wave feminism. Irving himself claims that it’s a protest novel. The main subject areas include parenthood, death, feminism, manhood and masculinity, marriage and family structures, the influence of literature in a reader’s life, and... Read The World According To Garp Summary

The Year of Magical Thinking

by Joan Didion

Publication year 2005

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Memory, Marriage, Mental Health, Grief

Tags Grief & Death, Psychology, Psychology, Classic Fiction, Biography

Joan Didion’s memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, explores her experiences mourning the death of her husband and the severe illness of her daughter in 2003. Didion, an American journalist and essayist, first gained popularity during the 1960s and 70s covering counterculture and Hollywood, but in The Year of Magical Thinking she turns to more intimate material. Didion’s husband John Gregory Dunne died of a heart attack while he and Didion were caring for their... Read The Year of Magical Thinking Summary