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 Turn of the Screw

by Henry James

Publication year 1898

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Sexual Identity, Gender Identity

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Gothic Literature, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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The Two Towers

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Publication year 1954

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hope, Friendship, Good & Evil, Self Discovery, Perseverance, War, Appearance & Reality

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

The Two Towers (1954) is the second book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. The Two Towers is a work of fantasy fiction set in the world of Middle-earth, the setting that Tolkien also used in his earlier 1937 novel, The Hobbit. It continues the quest of Frodo and his companions to destroy the One Ring that they set out on in The Fellowship of the Ring, interweaving the... Read The Two Towers Summary

The Tyger

by William Blake

Publication year 1794

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Good & Evil

Tags Lyric Poem, Science & Nature, Romanticism, Mythology, Animals, Education, Education, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

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The Unwinding

by George Packer

Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nation

Tags Business & Economics, US History, Politics & Government, American Literature, Journalism, Sociology, World History, Biography

The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America is a 2013 work of contemporary political science and history by the American journalist George Packer. It won the National Book Award in 2013 and was a finalist for the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award. The book explores the trajectory of the United States from 1978 to 2012 and argues that those years saw a diminishing of the institutions, promises, and social connections that had... Read The Unwinding Summary

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1952

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Self Discovery, Friendship

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

C. S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children originally published in 1952 as the third installment of The Chronicles of Narnia series. However, because recent editions of the series tend to number the books in chronological order of storytelling rather than the original order of publication, it is most often counted as the fifth volume in modern printings. The Chronicles of Narnia includes seven novels: The Lion, the... Read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Summary

The Voyage Out

by Virginia Woolf

Publication year 1915

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Colonialism, Literature, Gender Identity, Love

Tags Travel Literature, Coming of Age, British Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Edwardian Era, The Bloomsbury Group, Gender & Feminism, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction

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The War I Finally Won

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Fear, Love, Mothers

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, Children`s Literature, World History

The War I Finally Won is a work of historical fiction written by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley. The novel is intended for middle grade readers. It was published in 2017, and has won numerous awards, including qualifying for the New York Times Best Seller list, winning the California Young Reader’s Medal, and being named one of the Washington Post’s Best Children’s Books of the Year. The War I Finally Won is a sequel to Bradley’s highly... Read The War I Finally Won Summary

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