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Le Malade Imaginaire, typically translated as The Imaginary Invalid, opened in Paris in 1673 and was the final play written by the famous French satirist Molière. Molière wrote frequently about doctors, and six of his comedies deal significantly with medical practitioners. The trope of the doctor who is as greedy and as pompous as he is inept—often speaking a jumble of Latin and Greek to prove his intelligence—is a stock character of commedia dell’arte, the... Read The Imaginary Invalid Summary

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) is written and illustrated by Brian Selznick, author of Wonderstruck, The Marvels, and several other well-known novels. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is categorized as historical fiction, but it fits into multiple other genres as well. In an Amazon Exclusive letter, Selznick says his novel’s unique nature makes it “not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a... Read The Invention of Hugo Cabret Summary

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The Labyrinth of Solitude is a nine-part philosophical and historical essay on Mexican identity and culture. Octavio Paz, a famous Mexican poet and career diplomat, began writing The Labyrinth of Solitude during his time as the Mexican ambassador to France in the late 1940s. Originally published in 1951, the first edition of Paz’s work appeared in Spanish under the title El labertino de la soledad, and it is widely considered to be Paz’s masterpiece. This... Read The Labyrinth of Solitude Summary

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James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 (1826) is the second in a series of historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales that describe the adventures of 18th-century American frontiersman Natty Bumppo. The Last of the Mohicans is set in 1757, in upstate New York during the French and Indian War. The book follows the attempts of Bumppo, his Mohican friends Chingachgook and Uncas, and other followers as they escort... Read The Last of the Mohicans Summary

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The Left Hand of Darkness is a speculative fiction novel published in 1969 and written by Ursula K. LeGuin. Set in LeGuin’s fictional Hainish Universe, in which life developed on the planet Hain instead of Earth, the novel explores the meeting of two different civilizations and their struggles to understand one another. Gender plays a strong role in the story, as protagonist Genly Ai comes from a planet that considers binary gender the norm, whereas... Read The Left Hand of Darkness Summary

American author Washington Irving published “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in 1820 as part of his short story collection The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent while living abroad in England. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a ghost story, an example of American gothic fiction that evokes horror, folklore, and the supernatural. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” has become a classic Halloween tale for its spectral villain, the Headless Horseman, and its hapless hero, Ichabod... Read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Summary

The Leopard, a historical novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, originally published in Italian in 1958, chronicles the decline of the Sicilian nobility during the 19th century, the period marking the unification of Italy. The novel follows the life of Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, as he navigates through political upheaval and the fading glory of his class amidst the rise of a new social order. The Leopard was adapted into a film in... Read The Leopard Summary

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is a nine-volume novel published between 1759 and 1767 by English novelist Laurence Sterne. The novel is considered by many scholars as an early forerunner of postmodern literature due to its metafictional commentary on its own narrative. Contemporary critics did not view the novel favorably, though its humor and sentimentalism helped it find an audience. The novel has been adapted for radio and opera and as a... Read The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Summary

James Boswell’s The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791) is often considered to be one of the finest pieces of biographical writing in the English language. Samuel Johnson was an English poet, essayist, and lexicographer who produced a pioneering and influential Dictionary of the English Language. However, he is less well-known today for his writings than as the biographical subject for Boswell, a lawyer from Scotland who first met Johnson in 1763. During their 21-year friendship... Read The Life of Samuel Johnson Summary

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the best-known work of author and literary critic Clive Staples (C. S.) Lewis. Published in 1951, the novel presents complex moral conundrums through the genre of children’s fantasy. Lewis later noted that his inspiration for the novel came from a recollection of images that he found particularly striking, such as a picture of a faun holding an umbrella in a snow-covered wood. The Lion, the Witch and... Read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Summary