Nature Versus Nurture

How much of our identity is shaped by our environments? How much is intrinsic to who we are and beyond the control of external forces? These are ancient questions with complex answers. In this collection we've gathered texts that explore the issue of nature versus nurture from a variety of angles.

Crooked House

by Agatha Christie

Publication year 1949

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Appearance & Reality, Family, Social Class, Siblings, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, British Literature, Classic Fiction

Crooked House is a crime fiction novel by mystery writer Agatha Christie, and its title was inspired by the house in the nursery rhyme, “There Was a Crooked Man.” The novel was first published in the US in 1949 by Dodd, Mead, and Company, and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in the same year. Crooked House is one of Christie’s favorites among her own work. The novel takes place in post-World War... Read Crooked House 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

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths

by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire

Publication year 1962

Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Language, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Marriage, Siblings, Colonialism, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Children`s Literature

... Read D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths Summary

Deadly Animals

by Marie Tierney

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hate & Anger, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Animals, Nature Versus Nurture, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger

... Read Deadly Animals Summary

Defending Jacob

by William Landay

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Defending Jacob is a 2012 crime novel by William Landay. The main character is Andy Barber, a Massachusetts assistant district attorney, who finds his personal and professional life thrown into turmoil when his son, Jacob Barber, is accused of murdering his classmate Ben Rifkin. Andy, a resident of Newton, Massachusetts, narrates the events of the 2007 murder and trial alongside the transcripts of a 2008 grand jury investigation whose subject remains unstated until the final... Read Defending Jacob Summary

Devolution

by Max Brooks

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction

... Read Devolution Summary

Ellen Foster

by Kaye Gibbons

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Memory, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Love, Gratitude, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Equality, Good & Evil, Literature, Art, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Mothers, Nature Versus Nurture, Appearance & Reality

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism

Ellen Foster is a work of adult fiction by US novelist Kaye Gibbons, first published by Algonquin Books in 1987. The novel was Gibbons’s debut, and it won the Sue Kaufman Prize for literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a notable citation from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. Critics praised the novel for its unsentimental outlook and the wry, distinct voice of its protagonist. Ellen, a young girl living in the American... Read Ellen Foster Summary

Eve

by Cat Bohannon

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Family

Tags Science & Nature, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Health, Anthropology, Anthropology, World History

... Read Eve Summary

Fire and Ice

by Erin Hunter

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Animals

... Read Fire and Ice Summary

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

by Edwin A. Abbott

Publication year 1884

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Science & Technology, Nature Versus Nurture, Gender Identity

Tags Satirical Literature, Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Social Class, Gender & Feminism, British Literature, Victorian Period, Science & Nature, World History, Philosophy

IntroductionIn his introduction to Flatland: a Romance of Many Dimensions (1884), British mathematician Banesh Hoffmann describes the novel as “a stirring adventure in pure mathematics” and emphasizes the fundamentally fantastical nature of the story (iii). He also says that author Edwin A. Abbott intended the novel to be instructional. Both the surreal nature of Flatland and its didactic elements are plain, but there is disagreement among scholars and readers on the question of exactly what... Read Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions Summary

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus

by Mary Shelley

Publication year 1818

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Gender Identity, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Classic Fiction, Romanticism, British Literature, Science Fiction, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Fantasy

First published in 1818, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel by Mary Shelley. It is written in the tradition of Romanticism, a late 18th-century and early 19th-century movement that responded to the Enlightenment. Rejecting rationalism, Romantic literature often celebrated the power of nature and of the individual. Frankenstein is also considered a Gothic novel because of its emphasis on darkness, the sensational, and the wildness of nature.Shelley was the daughter of political philosopher... Read Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus Summary

Galapagos

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Equality, Power & Greed, Fate, Safety & Danger, Social Class, Economics, War, Hope, Guilt, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Science Fiction, Humor, Postmodernism, Trauma & Abuse, Finance, Anthropology

Galapagos is a 1985 novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut. The novel’s narrator is the long-dead Leon Trout, a ghost who watched the evolution of humanity of the course of a million years. The story explores the themes Nature Versus Nurture, Pacifism, and Regret.This guide uses an eBook version of the 1985 Dial Press edition.Content Warning: This novel depicts explicit acts of violence and refers to death by suicide.Plot SummaryLeon Trout, the story’s narrator, is... Read Galapagos Summary

Goblin Market

by Christina Rossetti

Publication year 1862

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Community, Education, Siblings, Beauty, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Wins & Losses

Tags Narrative Poem, Symbolic Narrative, Gothic Literature, World History, Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Victorian Era, Classic Fiction

Enigmatic and strange, English poet Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” has sparked multiple interpretations since its publication in 1862. The poem helped launch her career and expand the Pre-Raphaelite art movement into literature.The long narrative poem centers on Lizzie’s rescue of her sister from an enchantment cast by malicious goblins. Fairy tales and folklore inspired many Victorian writers, who felt weary about England’s increasing industrialization.Often seen as an allegory, scholars have posited that the poem’s characters... Read Goblin Market Summary

Greenwood

by Michael Christie

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Science & Nature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read Greenwood Summary