Romance

"The course of true love never did run smooth," wrote William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream—and he knew what he was talking about. A text from this study guide collection might be just the thing to remind you of the bliss and pain of love.

Loving Frank

by Nancy Horan

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fame, Beauty, Art, Self Discovery, Marriage, Family, Daughters & Sons, Femininity, Love, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Life-Inspired Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Arts & Culture

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Madame Butterfly

by Giacomo Puccini

Publication year 1904

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Colonialism

Tags Music, Drama, Italian Literature, Romance

Madam Butterfly is the English adaptation of the tragic Italian opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. It opened in Milan in 1904, and the orchestral score was first published in 1906 by Giulio Ricordi. Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa wrote the libretto (text of the opera). Puccini based his opera on the play by David Belasco and story by John Luther Long, as well as the novel Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti. These sources, and... Read Madame Butterfly Summary

Mad Honey

by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Gender Identity, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Justice, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Romance, LGBTQ+, Bullying, Depression & Suicide, Parenting, Love & Sexuality, Social Justice, Coming of Age, Diversity, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

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Magic Hour

by Kristin Hannah

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Grief, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Community

Tags Romance, Dramatic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Race, Grief, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, Equality

Tags Romance, British Literature, Historical Fiction

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a contemporary comedy of manners written by English-born author Helen Simonson, exploring the tensions that erupt in a conservative English village when a respected widower, Major Pettigrew, falls in love with Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper’s widow. While the Major longs for companionship with the gracious and sensible Mrs. Ali, he must also navigate conflicts with his self-absorbed son, the changing economy of rural English life, and the melodrama unfolding... Read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Summary

Malibu Rising

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Siblings, Coming of Age

Tags Coming of Age, Relationships, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Grief & Death, Parenting, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

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Man of La Mancha

by Dale Wasserman

Publication year 1965

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Justice, Perseverance, Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Historical Fiction, Drama, Music, Humor, Historical Drama, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Romance, Classic Fiction

Man of La Mancha, by Dale Wasserman, Joe Darion, and Mitch Leigh, took the world of musical theater by storm when it premiered in 1965. This story of Miguel de Cervantes and his comic knight, Don Quixote, won five Tony Awards as well as the Drama Critics Circle Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Variety Drama Critics Award, and the Saturday Review Award. The original production ran for over 2,000 performances and remains popular... Read Man of La Mancha Summary

Mansfield Park

by Jane Austen

Publication year 1814

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Love, Conflict

Tags Classic Fiction, World History, Regency Era, Romance, Historical Fiction, British Literature

Mansfield Park (1814) is the third novel by English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817). Set in Regency-era England, Mansfield Park is a bildungsroman, charting the life of Fanny Price from childhood to adulthood. At the age of 10, Fanny is sent from her poverty-stricken home to live with her wealthy uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. The narrative follows the protagonist’s struggles adjusting to life at Mansfield Park, her moral challenges, and her secret... Read Mansfield Park Summary

Maria Chapdelaine

by Louis Hémon

Publication year 1913

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Family, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

Maria Chapdelaine (1916) is a novel by Breton author Louis Hémon. Maria Chapdelaine tells the story of its titular protagonist, a young woman who lives on her family’s farm in a remote stretch of Québec wilderness. Against the backdrop of a brutal and unpredictable climate, Maria must choose between three suitors who each represent different lifestyles: A trapper, a farmer, and a factory worker who has emigrated to the United States. Hémon explores The Hardships... Read Maria Chapdelaine Summary

Mary Barton

by Elizabeth Gaskell

Publication year 1848

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Family, Social Class, Equality

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Historical Fiction, Romance, Social Class, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era

Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester is the 1848 debut novel of Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. It tells of the Victorian working class in Manchester, England, from 1839 to 1842, focusing on the story of the eponymous young female heroine. Through the experiences of two families—the Bartons and the Wilsons—it explores contemporary political and domestic issues during a time of increased industrialization and class tensions. As with much of Gaskell’s work, Mary Barton is narrated by... Read Mary Barton Summary

Masters of Death

by Olivie Blake

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Death, Future, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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Matched

by Ally Condie

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Art, Literature, Future, Perseverance, Self Discovery

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Arts & Culture, Futurism, Fantasy

Matched is a science fiction novel for young adults by best-selling author Ally Condie. Published in 2010, it is the first novel in the Matched trilogy. It was followed by Crossed in 2011 and Reached in 2012. Matched was a critical and commercial success—as were the other two books in the trilogy. It was a New York Times bestseller and named one of the best children’s books of the year by Publisher’s Weekly. The Young... Read Matched Summary

Maurice

by E. M. Forster

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Shame & Pride, Social Class

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Maurice (1971) is a coming-of-age novel and love story by English author E. M. Forster. Like much of Forster’s work, it straddles the realist and modernist eras; stylistically, it resembles the literature of the 19th century, but its themes—in particular, its depiction of unconscious experience—anticipate the work of writers like Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence. Drafted between 1913 and 1914, it was not published until 1971—one year after Forster’s death—because of its subject matter;... Read Maurice Summary