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.

To Helen

by Edgar Allan Poe

Publication year 1831

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Art, Love

Tags Mythology, Lyric Poem, Love & Sexuality, Romanticism, Horror & Suspense, American Literature, World History, Fantasy, Romance, Classic Fiction

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To His Coy Mistress

by Andrew Marvell

Publication year 1681

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Death

Tags Lyric Poem, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death, British Literature, Restoration, Education, Education, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction

“To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell was posthumously published in 1681 as part of the collection Miscellaneous Poems. Marvell, a metaphysical poet, wrote this piece in Restoration England, probably after the English Civil War. Marvell’s canonical lyric works are well-known today but were unheard of during his lifetime. Like Emily Dickinson, none of Marvell's poems were published until after his death. However, some of his satirical and other prose works were published during his... Read To His Coy Mistress Summary

To Kill a Kingdom

by Alexandra Christo

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies, Family, Mothers, Community

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Mythology

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Tom Lake

by Ann Patchett

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Coming of Age, Literature, Memory, The Past, Plants, Place

Tags Realistic Fiction, American Literature, Agriculture, Arts & Culture, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

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To Room Nineteen

by Doris Lessing

Publication year 1958

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Place, Gender Identity

Tags Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, British Literature, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction

Doris Lessing’s 1963 short story “To Room Nineteen” explores the theme of female independence and autonomy—and of how difficult these are to achieve, especially at the time Lessing wrote it. Any reader familiar with Virginia Woolf’s classic essay “A Room of One’s Own” will find similarities here. Lessing, a Nobel laureate and accomplished writer within multiple genres, investigates boundaries and conventions throughout the canon of her work, frequently breaking down dichotomies and questioning cultural assumptions... Read To Room Nineteen Summary

Troilus and Criseyde

by Geoffrey Chaucer

Publication year 1385

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Love, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Marriage, Social Class, War, Beauty, Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classic Fiction, Medieval, Narrative Poem, Romance, Military & War, Education, Education, World History

Troilus and Criseyde is an epic poem by Geoffrey Chaucer written between 1382 and 1386 in Middle English. The poem is divided into five books and features Chaucer’s innovation, the Rhyme royal stanza form, which is a seven-line stanza in iambic pentameter with an ABABBCC rhyme scheme. The poem is set during the Trojan War and tells the tragic story of Troilus, a prince of Troy who falls in love with a young woman named... Read Troilus and Criseyde Summary

Tropesick

by Lauren Okie

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Forgiveness, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Romance, Contemporary Literature

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