Great Books
A Brave New World
- Aldous Huxley 1894-1963 -1932 - Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, Mstapha Mond, John (the Savage), Linda (John's mother) - Traagedy occurs in an "ideal" world of test-tube babies and people who think alike when two rebellious citizens introduce a "Savage" to their society - 5 castes (Alpha, Beta, Gammas, Deltas, Epsilons); Ford is god of the brave new world; happy-drug called soma; "O Brave New World"--Shakespeare's The Tempest
Doctor Faustus
- Christopher Marlowe 1564-93 -1594 - John Faustus, Mephistophiles (demon), Lucifer (Devil), Old Man (anon., urges Faustus to repent), Good and Evil Angels, Wagner (servant), Valdes and Cornelius (magicians), the Pope, Charles V, Beelzebub, Helen of Troy (worshipped by Faustus) - A German scholar sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for a promise of infinite wisdom and power - Written in 1588
The Divine Comedy
- Dante Alighieri 1265-1321 -1307-1320 - Dante (both author and traveler in hell), Virgil, Beatrice, Paolo and Francesca, Farinata, Pier Delle Vigne, Brunetto Latini, Ugolino of Pisa - An imaginary journey through hell in order to understand the nature of sin - 3 parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), Paradiso (Heaven); invented terza rima incatenata (linked third rhyme)
Daisy Miller
- Henry James 1843-1916 -1879 - Daisy Miller (Annie P. Miller), Frederick Forsythe Winterbourne, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Costello, Randolph C. Miller - An American gentleman living in Europe is intrigued by a charming American girl who disdains the rules of European society - Rejected by Lippincott's magazine; first published in England's Cornhill mag by Virginia Woolf's father Leslie Stephen
Candide
- Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arouet) 1694-1778 -1758 - Caandide (illegitimate son of the Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh's sister), Pangloss (his tutor), Martin, Cunegonde (daughter of the baron), Cacambo (valet) -1758 - After a naïve young man faces some of life's hardships, he rejects his tutor's blind optimism in favor of a more realistic view of the world - Satire of Leibnitzian optimism--abstract philosophy
The Color Purple
-Alice Walker 1944- -1982 - Celie (narrator), Nettie, Shug Avery, Alphonso ("Pa"), Mr. ---(Albert), Harpo, Sofia Butler - A young black woman who is raped and abused learns through the love of another woman to achieve self-respect and happiness - Epistolary--written in the form of a letter (90 letters)
Diary of a Young Girl
-Anne Frank 1929-45 -1947 - Anne Frank (age 13-15), Margot Frank (sister), Otto Frank (father), Edith Frank (mother), Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan, Peter Van Daan, Mr. Dussel (Jewish dentist), Miep Van Santen (real name Miep Gies), Henk Van Santen, Victor Kraler, Mr. Koophuis - A young Jewish girl keeps a diary telling of the 25 mos. during which she, her family, and 4 others hide from Nazi Gestapo in Amsterdam during WWII - Anne writes to her diary "Kitty"; originally written in Dutch in the "Secret Annex"; Anne and Margot died of typhoid in Bergen-Belsen; original title "In the Back of the House"
Beowulf
-Anon -680-800 -Beowulf, Hrothgar (Danish king), Unferth (insults Beowulf), Aeschere, Grendel (monster), Grendel's Mother, Hygelac, Wiglaf, Dragon -A mighty warrior frees the Danes from two murderous monsters, then dies after a fight with a dragon -concept of comitatus--loyalty and friendship uniting warriors and their leader
The Death of a Salesman
-Arthur Miller 1915- -1949 - Willy Loman, Linda (wife), Biff, Happy, Charley, Bernard, Uncle Ben, Miss Francis, Howard Wagner - An aging salesman, haunted by his past, suffers a mental breakdown and commits suicide - Willy Loman seeks reconciliation with his son Biff
The Crucible
-Arthur Miller 1915- -1953 - John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor (his wife), Abigail Williams (leader of hysterical girls), Rev. Parris, Tituba - Rumors of witchcraft cause fear in a puritanical New England town, and many fine people are destroyed in the hysteria - Written as reaction to McCarthy's red scare
David Copperfield
-Charles Dickens 1812-70 -1849-50 - David Copperfield, Clara Copperfield (mother), Clara Peggotty, Edward Murdstone (step-father), Little Em'ly, Betsey Trotwood, James Steerforth, Wilkins Micawber, Mr. Wickfield, Uriah Heep, Dora Spenlow (1st wife), Agnes Wickfield (2nd wife) - A man, writing his memoirs as an adult, reflects on his unsettled childhood and on the events that led to his becoming a successful novelist - Dickens' most autobiographical novel
All Quiet on the Western Front
-Erich Maria Remarque 1898-1970 - 1929 - Paul Baumer, Albert Kropp, Muller, Leer, Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky, Kantorek, Corporal Himmelstoss - A "lost generation" of young German soldiers courageously face death on the Western Front in WWI
Crime and Punishment
-Fyodor Dostoevsky 1821-81 -1866 - Rodion ("Rodya") Romanovitch Raskolnikov, Sonia Marmelodov (forced to prostitution), Porfiry Petrovitch (detective), Dmitri Prokofitch Razumihin, Svidrigailov, Dounia Raskolnikov (sister), Luzhin, Katerina Marmelodov, Alyona Ivanovna (the pawnbroker) - In murdering an old pawnbroker, a young man commits the "perfect crime" but is punished for his deed through torment and suffering - Setting: St. Petersburg
The Canterbury Tales
-Geoffrey Chaucer 1343-1400 -1830s-1400 - Harrzy Bailly (host of Tabard Inn), Knight, Miller, Wife of Bath, Friar, Parson - Thirty pilgrims on a spiritual journey to Thomas a Beckett's shrine in Canterbury agree to tell tales to pass the time and compete for a prize
Animal Farm
-George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) 1903-50 -Old Major (idealistic pig who plans revolt--Karl Marx), Napoleon (greedy pig who becomes dictator--Joseph Stalin), Snowball (Napoleon's partner until he's driven out--Leon Trotsky), Boxer (hard-working horse--exploited labor class), Squealer, Benjamin (oldest, a donkey), Moses (a raven--religion) -Some farm animals revolt against their human owners and establish a ʺfreeʺ society that turns into a dictatorship -Farmer Jones is overthrown; an allegory for the Communist Russia -1945
A Doll's House
-Henrik Ibsen 1828-1906 -1879 - Nora Helmer, Torvald Helmer (husband), Dr. Peter Rank, Mrs. Christine Linde, Nils Krogstad - A young wife discovers the emptiness of her marriage and decides to set off in search of her own identity - Ibsen born in Skien, Norway (only Norwegian playwright you have to know)
Billy Budd
-Herman Melville 1819-91 -1924 -Billy Budd, John Claggart (ʺJimmy Legsʺ), Captain Vere, The Dansker, Surgeon, Purser -A handsome young sailor, falsely accused of mutiny, becomes a legend when he's hanged for killing his tormentor -Setting: British battleship, HMS Indomitable; Billy is Christ figure
The Call of the Wild
-Jack London 1876-1916 -1903 - Buck, Charles, Hal, Mercedes, Curly, Spritz, John Thornton - Buck, a loving family dog, is kidnapped and sold as a sled dog in Alaska, where he reverts to his primitive instincts and joins a wolf pack - London believed in Nietzsche's concept of the superman--Buck is superman
Catch-22
-Joseph Heller 1923-99 -1961 - John Yossarian, Col. Cathcart, Doc Daneeka, Hungry Joe, Major Major, Milo Minderbender, Scheisskopf, Chaplain A. T. Tappman, Gen. Dreedle, Gen. Peckem, McWatt - Capt. John Yossarian, a WWII Air Force bombardier, decides that the only way he can survive the war is to desert - Originally titled "Catch-18" but Heller already had a book with 18 in the title; a Catch-22 is a paradox, leaving no means of escape from a dilemma
The Awakening
-Kate Chopin 1851-1904 -1899 -Edna Pontellier, Leonce Pontellier, Robert Lebrun, Adele Ratignolle, Alcee Arobin, Mariequita, Victor Lebrun -A young married woman in the 1890s awakens to the value of herself and demands her independence -Setting: New Orleans
Don Quixote
-Miguel de Cervantes 1547-1616 -1605-1615 - Don Quixote, Sancho Panza (his squire), Dulcinea Del Toboso (invented lady) - A Spanish gentleman, imagining himself to be a knight, sets out on a series of adventures to rescue damsels in distress, etc.
All the King's Men
-Robert Penn Warren 1905-89 -1946 -Willie Stark, Jack Burden, Tiny Duffy, Judge Montague (Monty) Irwin, Anne Stanton, Adam Stanton, Sadie Burke -Jack Burden, an ex-reporter, narrates the rise and fall of Willie Stark, an honest man turned corrupt politician who's assassinated by his mistress's brother -Willie Starks is similar to Huey P. Long of Louisiana
As You Like It
-Shakespeare 1564-1616 -1599 -Rosalind, Orlando, Celia, Touchstone, Jaques, Oliver, Phebe, Silvius, Duke Senior -A young woman disguises herself to test the man she loves, and in doing so teaches 3 other couples about love -"The world's a stage"-Jaques
The Bluest Eye
-Toni Morrison 1931- -1970 - Pecola Breedlove, Pauline Breedlove (mother), Cholly Breedlove (father), Sammy Breedlove (brother), Geraldine, Louis Jr., Soaphead Church, Claudia Macteer - A young black girl believes that if only she had blue eyes, someone might love her - Pecola has a fixation on blue eyes and Dick and Jane (represent white culture/happiness)
Aeneid
-Virgil 70-19 B.C. -19 B.C. -Jupiter, Juno, Aeneas, Iulus, Dido, Pallas -After many failed attempts, the Trojan hero Aeneas founds Rome Dido was the Queen of Carthage
As I Lay Dying
-William Faulkner 1897-1962 -1930 -Addie, Anse, Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell, Vardaman, Rev. Whitfield -After Addie Bundren's death, her husband and children encounter horrendous difficulties in fulfilling their promise to transport her body from rural Miss. to a cemetery in Jefferson