Power

This curated selection of titles examines the concept of power and its role in shaping society. The texts in the Power Collection draw upon a wide range of literary traditions and genres to explore concepts related to power and its pursuit, such as equality and injustice, colonialism, authority, and conflict.

The Homecoming

by Harold Pinter

Publication year 1964

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Masculinity, Aging, Social Class, Community, Gender Identity

Tags Drama, Psychological Fiction, Education, Education, British Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

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The Horse And His Boy

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1954

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Christian, Children`s Literature, Religion & Spirituality

The Horse and His Boy, published in 1954, is the fifth of the seven books that comprise C. S. Lewis’s young readers series The Chronicles of Narnia. The first of the books, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, was published in 1950. Lewis published an additional book in the series each year through 1956. The Horse and His Boy was published in 1954. Lewis later requested the reading order of the books be changed... Read The Horse And His Boy Summary

The Housemaid

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Guilt, Fear, Revenge, Mothers, Family, Marriage, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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The House of Eve

by Sadeqa Johnson

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Education, Mothers, Marriage, Social Class, Sexual Identity, Race, Femininity, Shame & Pride, Regret, Love

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Race & Racism, World History

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The House of Mirth

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1905

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Community, Friendship, Economics, Shame & Pride, Nature Versus Nurture, Power & Greed, Beauty, Marriage, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Gender Identity, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Love, Femininity, Art, Perseverance, Hope

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satirical Literature, Social Class, Gilded Age, Naturalism, American Literature, World History

Set in New York’s high society at the turn of the 20th century, The House of Mirth (1905), was the second novel by renowned American writer Edith Wharton. Wharton drew upon her own privileged upbringing in a wealthy, long-established New York family for her astute observations of this social milieu during the Gilded Age, a period marked by economic disparities and ostentatious materialism. Prior to the novel’s publication in October 1905, The House of Mirth... Read The House of Mirth Summary

The House of the Seven Gables

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Publication year 1851

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Family, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Gothic Literature, Trauma & Abuse

The House of the Seven Gables (1851) is a novel by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. With the eponymous New England mansion serving as the novel’s centerpiece, the story charts the fortunes and misfortunes of the Pyncheon family as they navigate the haunting legacy of their family’s violent past. The novel explores the themes The Influence of the Past on the Present, The Complications of Home, and The Legacy of Violence. Like Hawthorne’s earlier novel, The... Read The House of the Seven Gables Summary

The Human Web

by John Robert Mcneill, William H. Mcneill

Publication year 2003

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Climate, Environment, Food, Place, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science & Nature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government, World History, Sociology

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The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

by Victor Hugo

Publication year 1831

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Disability, Language, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature, French Literature, World History

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is an 1831 gothic novel by French author Victor Hugo, originally published under the title Notre-Dame de Paris. Set in 15th-century France, the novel concerns the intertwined stories of Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Archdeacon Claude Frollo. The story has been adapted many times for theater, television, and film, including an animated film by Disney released in 1996.This guide refers to the 2009 Oxford Classics edition of the novel, translated from French to... Read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Summary

The Hunting Wives

by May Cobb

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Marriage, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

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The Institute

by Stephen King

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Family, Future, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Perseverance

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

Critically acclaimed, The Institute (2019) is the 60th entry in Stephen King’s body of more than 100 works. While best known as a horror writer (and one of the most popular writers since the 1970s in general), King dabbles in many genres, including fantasy, mystery, and science fiction—often blurring the boundaries between them. The Institute is more sci-fi thriller than horror, sharing story beats and themes with King’s earlier novels Firestarter and It: It follows... Read The Institute Summary

The Intuitionist

by Colson Whitehead

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Power & Greed, Literature

Tags Science Fiction, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy

The Intuitionist (1999) is a postmodern novel by American author Colson Whitehead. It is set in an unnamed city that resembles New York in the 1940s, but with one major difference: in this city, elevators (or “vertical transport”) have enormous political and economic clout. The City’s Department of Elevator Inspectors is collapsing into a corrupt power-struggle between “Empiricist” inspectors, who perform mechanical testing to establish the safety of an elevator, and the new breed of... Read The Intuitionist Summary

The Invisible Man

by H. G. Wells

Publication year 1897

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Social Class, Good & Evil

Tags Science Fiction, British Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Victorian Period, Horror & Suspense, World History, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

H. G. Wells is one of the earliest science fiction authors, sometimes referred to as the father of the genre. His 1897 novel, The Invisible Man, follows an albino scientist who discovers the secret to turning himself invisible. The novel’s blend of fantastical science and realistic, mundane detail is a signature of Wells. This novel has influenced generations of writers and artists, both through its powerful prose and fascinating plot, as well as for its... Read The Invisible Man Summary

The Iron Heel

by Jack London

Publication year 1908

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Gender Identity, Social Class, Justice, Power & Greed, Equality, Community

Tags Science Fiction

The Iron Heel is a dystopian novel by American writer Jack London and was first published in 1908. London was a prominent writer and activist of socialist causes and is best known for his adventure novels The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906). The Iron Heel is considered an early example of modern dystopian fiction and was cited by George Orwell as a portentous work on fascism. Framed as a found text... Read The Iron Heel Summary