Nation & Nationalism

These texts explore the concept of the nation, an idea of community that inspires patriotism and nostalgia. What makes a nation? And why are people willing to die—or to kill—to protect it? These are just a couple of the questions examined in the texts in this collection.

Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto

by Vine Deloria Jr.

Publication year 1969

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government

Tags Anthropology, Anthropology, World History, US History, Politics & Government, Race & Racism, Social Justice

Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto was written in 1969 by Vine Deloria Jr., a historian, theologian, activist, and member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The work explores the oppression and exploitation of Native people in the United States, outlines the history of Indian resistance, and recommends a course of action for modern Indigenous people. Extremely influential in the 1960s and 1970s Native American Movement, Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto remains... Read Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto Summary

Cymbeline

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1623

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Forgiveness, Love, Regret, Femininity, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Nation, War, Trust & Doubt

Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Comedy & Satire, Romance

Cymbeline is a play by William Shakespeare. Its first recorded performance was in 1611, and it was published in the First Folio in 1623. Some scholars have posited that sections may have been written collaboratively. The play is loosely inspired by accounts of the historical British king Cunobeline, but also draws on other sources. It has never been considered a history play, reflecting the looseness of this connection.Cymbeline is king of ancient Britain. His sons... Read Cymbeline Summary

Dead Mountain

by Donnie Eichar

Publication year 2013

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Memory, Language, Death, The Past, Climate, Environment, Place, Teamwork, Nation, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Russian Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Biography, European History, Crime & Law, Action & Adventure, Travel Literature

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Diary of a Madman

by Lu Xun

Publication year 1918

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Community, Appearance & Reality, Fear, Mental Health, Apathy, Nation, Power & Greed, Order & Chaos

Tags Classic Fiction, Symbolic Narrative, Mental Illness, Chinese Literature, World History

Lu Xun's "Diary of a Madman" was first published in China in 1918, during a period of significant cultural and political upheaval in the country. The Qin dynasty, in power since 1644, had recently collapsed from internal and external pressures in the 1912 Xinhai Revolution, marking a dramatic break from the past. New ideas about government, philosophy, and science prompted many Chinese intellectuals to reflect on long-held traditions and look toward a rebirth of the... Read Diary of a Madman Summary

Dopamine Nation

by Anna Lembke

Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Self Discovery, Guilt, Forgiveness, Shame & Pride, Gratitude, Family, Community, Apathy, Nation, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Health, Psychology, Science & Nature, Self-Improvement, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Leadership, Psychology

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Dragonfly in Amber

by Diana Gabaldon

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Perseverance, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Nostalgia, Memory, Hope, Masculinity, Gender Identity, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Future, Place, Marriage, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Justice, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, European History, Health, World History

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Dubliners

by James Joyce

Publication year 1914

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Death, Fathers, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Education, Education, World History

Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by Irish writer James Joyce. Originally published in 1914, the collection met resistance from publishers and critics due to its controversial themes and unusual portrayal of the everyday. Dubliners follows a range of people living in the titular city, often seeking some form of social or emotional transcendence without ever truly achieving it.This study guide is for the 1965 paperback edition from Penguin Modern Classics.Content Warning: This... Read Dubliners Summary

Dulce et Decorum est

by Wilfred Owen

Publication year 1920

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes War, Nation

Tags Military & War, Grief & Death, World War I, Education, Education, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Among Wilfred Owen’s most famous poems, “Dulce et Decorum Est” was written in 1917 while he was in Craiglockhart War Hospital in Scotland, recovering from injuries sustained on the battlefield during World War I. The poem details the death of a soldier from chlorine gas told by another soldier who witnesses his gruesome end. Owen himself died in action on November 4, 1918 in France at the age of 25. He published only five poems... Read Dulce et Decorum est Summary

Editha

by William Dean Howells

Publication year 1906

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Nation

Tags Education, Education, Military & War, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

“Editha,” by American realist writer William Dean Howells, is a short story first published in 1905. Realism refers to a mode of late 19th-century literature in which authors shunned romanticism and idealization in favor of realistic portrayals of everyday life. Realist literature contains the complex characterization and examination of social mores, often of the middle class. “Editha” is an example of realist literature in that it criticizes the romanticizing of life experiences, specifically of war... Read Editha Summary

Ella Minnow Pea

by Mark Dunn

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nation, Language

Tags Humor, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

The entire story unravels on the island of Nollop, off the coast of North Carolina. Nollop is named after Nevin Nollop, a man who wrote a sentence containing all 26 letters of the alphabet: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Because of his feat, Nollop’s statue is erected in town as a monument to the island’s namesake. Ella Minnow Pea, the main character, writes to her cousin, Tassie, announcing the first of... Read Ella Minnow Pea Summary

Empire

by Niall Ferguson

Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Race, Colonialism, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed

Tags British Literature, Historical Nonfiction, Business/Economics, World History, European History, Politics & Government

... Read Empire Summary