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.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

by Raymond Carver

Publication year 1981

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love, Marriage

Tags Relationships, American Literature, Love & Sexuality, US History, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction

American author Raymond Carver is best known for his short stories and his simple, precise writing style. He was a nominee for the National Book Awards as well as a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. In 1988, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Carver is one of the chief figures in the “Dirty Realism” movement of American writing, which became popular in the 1980s and provided vignettes of the dark side... Read What We Talk About When We Talk About Love Summary

When Rain Clouds Gather

by Bessie Head

Publication year 1968

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage

Tags African Literature, Heinemann African Writers

In the opening pages of Bessie Head’s novel When Rain Clouds Gather, Makhaya Maseko, an educated young man, is preparing to cross the border that separates South Africa from Botswana. Makhaya is disillusioned with South African society, which is premised on discrimination against black men such as him. He sets out at night, successfully evades border patrols, and arrives in Botswana. There, he registers with the authorities and meets a welcoming companion, an old man... Read When Rain Clouds Gather Summary

Who's Irish?

by Gish Jen

Publication year 1999

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Immigration, Family, Marriage

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Education, Education, US History, Asian Literature, Chinese Literature

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Wifedom

by Anna Funder

Publication year 2023

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Memory, Femininity, Marriage, War, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies

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Written On The Body

by Jeanette Winterson

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Marriage

Tags Romance, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

Written on the Body is a short novel by British author Jeanette Winterson. Several international publications followed the original 1992 publication of the book. The text, which is a first-person narrative, is directed at an adult reading audience. The narrative, which presents accounts of numerous love affairs, also ruminates on the nature of love, fidelity, spirituality, and death. Winterson, who was raised by members of a Pentecostal Church, trained as a missionary and started to... Read Written On The Body Summary