"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 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2006
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Lyric Poem, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Psychology, American Literature
Publication year -600
Genre Scripture, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy, Jewish Literature
The Hebrew Bible is the standard canon of Jewish sacred texts, composed in a period that falls across the second and first millennia BCE. It is also referred to as the Tanakh, an acrostic portmanteau of the three major sections of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah (“teaching”), the Nevi’im (“prophets”), and the Ketuvim (“writings”). The Hebrew Bible is a collection of 24 major texts, in which there are 39 books. These 39 books correspond to... Read Hebrew Bible Summary
Publication year 1890
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Femininity
Tags Play: Drama, Scandinavian Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction
Hedda Gabler is an 1891 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It is widely considered one of the most accomplished plays of the 19th century. Ibsen was a prolific and highly acclaimed writer who penned over two dozen plays. Many of his most famous works focus on the challenging relationships between family members and the quiet tragedies of ordinary life. Hedda Gabler is one of the most complex, challenging, and sought-after roles in theater. Many... Read Hedda Gabler Summary
Publication year 1558
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature
The Heptameron is a collection of 72 short stories written in French by Marguerite de Navarre, sister of François I, and published posthumously in 1558, almost a decade after her death. It was originally designed to be a collection of 100 tales told over 10 days in the tradition of Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron. However, at the time of the author’s death, she had only completed the first seven days and two stories of the eighth... Read Heptameron Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Gender / Feminism, African Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2008
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Self Discovery
Tags Psychology, Self Help, Relationships, Love / Sexuality
Publication year 1914
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family
Tags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Blank verse, Grief / Death
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Society: War, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Mental Health
Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2000
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Flora/plants, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Indian Literature
Homeless Bird, a novel written by Gloria Whelan and published in 2000, was a New York Times Best Seller and winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Marketed to middle grade readers, the novel has elements of historical fiction in its portrayal of cultural customs in India. Homeless Bird tells the story of Koly, a 13-year-old girl whose arranged marriage leads to her untimely widowhood. Through Koly’s coming-of-age journey from helplessness to... Read Homeless Bird Summary
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Ancient Greece, Narrative / Epic Poem, Mythology
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Romance, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2008
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage
Tags Sociology, History: Middle Eastern, History: U.S., Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality
How Does It Feel to Be A Problem: Being Young and Arab in America (2008) is a nonfiction text by Brooklyn College English professor and Arab-American Moustafa Bayoumi. The title comes from W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1903 text, The Souls of Black Folk, wherein he directed this question toward the African-American experience. Following the stories of seven young ArabAmericans living in Brooklyn, and including their struggles after the 9/11 attacks, Bayoumi’s book suggests that present-day ArabAmericans absorb the... Read How Does It Feel to Be A Problem Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage
Tags Spoken Word Poetry, Love / Sexuality, Relationships
Publication year 2025
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage
Publication year 2012
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Teams, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Self Discovery
Tags Self Help, Business / Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Philosophy
Publication year 1948
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Classic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, History: World
I Capture the Castle is a young adult novel published in 1948 by Dodie Smith. It follows the fictional journal of aspiring author Cassandra Mortmain as she writes about her family’s rise from poverty to wealth through their association with the Cotton brothers. The novel discusses themes of authorship, history, and the multiplicity of feminine identities. I Capture the Castle was adapted for film in 2003 by director Tim Fywell. This summary uses the St... Read I Capture the Castle Summary
Publication year 1925
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: War, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Historical Fiction, WWI / World War I, Education, Education, Military / War, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction
“In Another Country” is a short story by Ernest Hemingway first published in Scribner’s Magazine in 1927. Hemingway was one of the most celebrated writers of his time and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. His works include short stories and novels as well as journalism and non-fiction studies, such as Death in the Afternoon (1932), about bullfighting. This guide refers to the version of “In Another Country” reprinted in the 1938... Read In Another Country Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Grief / Death, Health / Medicine, Biography