Required Reading Lists

Our Required Reading Lists Collection features poems, fiction, short stories, and other texts frequently studied in academic contexts. With texts spanning from the ancients, such as Plato, through contemporary literary giants, this well-rounded Collection represents the breadth and enduring appeal of literature and its study.

The Wave

by Todd Strasser

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Education, Community, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Psychology, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Psychology, Classic Fiction

The Wave is a 1981 young adult novel by Todd Strasser (originally written under the pseudonym Morton Rhue). A novelization of a teleplay by Johnny Dawkins for the 1981 made-for-TV movie of the same name, the story is a fictionalized account of a 1967 social experiment called “The Third Wave,” which took place at a high school in Palo Alto, California. In the novel, the experiment unfolds at the fictional Gordon High School. The story... Read The Wave Summary

The Waves

by Virginia Woolf

Publication year 1931

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Aging

Tags British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

The Waves by Virginia Woolf was published in 1931. Widely considered to be Woolf’s most experimental work, The Waves is a proponent of themes and techniques of modernism, including stream-of-consciousness narration and the use of leitmotifs. Set in England in the first part of the 20th century, the novel explores the lives of six characters from childhood into adulthood, exploring their unique experiences and the relationships between them. Employing a rotational structure of the six... Read The Waves Summary

The Whale Rider

by Witi Ihimaera

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Animals, Childhood & Youth, Fate

Tags Mythology, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Animals, Magical Realism, Fantasy

The Whale Rider is a 1987 novel by New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera. A film adaptation was made in 2002 that would go on to win several awards. Throughout the novel, Ihimaera juxtaposes the migration of a herd of whales with the Maori tribe’s search for a male heir. The Whale Rider comprises four major sections, as well as a prologue, epilogue, and glossary. Each section of text is named after one of the seasons... Read The Whale Rider Summary

Trumpet

by Jackie Kay

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Grief, Race, Love, Family, Music, Sexual Identity

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Music, Grief & Death, Race & Racism, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Trumpet Summary

Ulysses

by James Joyce

Publication year 1922

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Friendship, Community, Nation

Tags Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modernism, Irish Literature, World History

Ulysses is a 1922 novel by Irish author James Joyce. The story is a loose adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, portraying a day in the lives of several characters who live in Dublin, Ireland, in June 1904. Ulysses proved controversial on release due to accusations of obscenity but is now celebrated as one of the most important and influential works in the English language and considered a classic.This guide is written using the... Read Ulysses Summary

Utopia

by Thomas More

Publication year 1516

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Economics, Justice

Tags Satirical Literature, Philosophy, Politics & Government

Originally published in 1516, Utopia is a short work of political and social satire. It was written by Sir Thomas More, an English attorney and the Lord High Chancellor in the court of King Henry VIII. Famously, More was executed in 1535 for refusing to publicly support Henry’s break from the Catholic Church.Utopia describes an ideal island nation from which the novel receives its name. More combines various elements from philosophical dialogues (such as Plato’s... Read Utopia Summary

Waiting for the Barbarians

by J. M. Coetzee

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Guilt, Truth & Lies

Tags African Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Historical Fiction

Waiting for the Barbarians is a 1980 novel written by John Maxwell Coetzee, a South African and Australian novelist who was winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature. Penguin chose the book for its Great Books of the 20th Century series, and the novel won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for fiction. Waiting for the Barbarians was influenced by the 1904 poem of the same name written by... Read Waiting for the Barbarians Summary

Walker Brothers Cowboy

by Alice Munro

Publication year 1972

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Coming of Age, Fathers, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Great Depression, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

“Walker Brothers Cowboy” by Alice Munro is a short story set during the Great Depression. The story uses the themes of The Disillusionment of Fading Childhood, The Bittersweet Effects of Nostalgia, and Finding Solace in Companionship to implicitly explore larger issues of poverty and social class. The story was published in Munro’s debut collection, Dance of the Happy Shades, in 1968. The stories in this collection are set in and around a variety of fictional... Read Walker Brothers Cowboy Summary