Classic Novels

our town

(Thornton Wilder, 1938).It is divided into three acts: "Daily Life" (Professor Willard and Editor Webb gossip on the everyday lives of town residents); "Love and Marriage" (Emily Webb and George Gibbs fall in love and marry); and "Death" (Emily dies while giving birth, and her spirit converses about the meaning of life with other dead people in the cemetery). A Stage Manager talks to the audience and serves as a narrator throughout the drama, which is performed on a bare stage.

macbeth

1603-1606 Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when its protagonist, the Scottish lord Macbeth, chooses evil as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. He commits regicide to become king and then furthers his moral descent with a reign of murderous terror to stay in power, eventually plunging the country into civil war. In the end, he loses everything that gives meaning and purpose to his life, before losing his life itself.

animal farm

1945, A novel of satire by George Orwell. Animals take over a farm to escape human tyranny, but the pigs treat the other animals worse then the people did. A famous quotation from the book is "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

1984

1949, by George Orwell, book written by George Orwell, announced an insane world of dehumanization through terror in which the individual was systematically obliterated by an all-power elite.

snow in august

1997 Set in a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood in 1947, this poignant tale revolves around two of the most endearing characters in recent fiction: an 11-year-old Irish Catholic boy named Michael Devlin and Rabbi Judah Hirsch, a refugee from Prague. Pete Hamill Novel Michael Devlin Kate Devlin: Father Heaney: War veteran and priest Rabbi Hirsch: Sonny Montemarano Jimmy Kabinsky The Falcons Frankie McCarthy The Golem

beowulf

Anglo-Saxon epic poem dated to the 8th century which details Anglo-Saxon society through the adventures of the hero Beowulf.

little prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince, first published in 1943, is a novella and the most famous work of the French aristocrat, writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

alice in wonderland

Author Lewis Caroll. Girl falls asleep and dreams of a series of adventures; children's novel; fantasy

the bean trees

Barbara Kingsolver Tuscon, Arizona 1980s

the heart is a lonely hunter

Carson McCullers. Four lonely individuals, each obsessed with a vision of his/her place in the world, collect about a single deaf-mute (Mr. Singer) with whom they share their deepest secrets. A would-be composer, an itinerant drunk who wants to organize a union, a physician who wants to motivate African-Americans, and a creepy, obsessed café owner. Mr. Singer commits suicide, upon the death of a friend.

last of the mohicans

James Fenimore Cooper: (Romanticism) During the French and Indian War. Natty Bummpo.The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 (1826) is a historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper.

the color of water

James McBride/1960s-1970s/New York/Blacks/A memoir of James, who tells the first half of the book, and Ruth who tells the second. James is being discriminated, growing up, living in the poor neighborhoods and Ruth tell sof her story, her life and marriage.

johnny got his gun

Johnny Got His Gun is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo and published September 1939 by J. B. Lippincott.The novel won one of the early National Book Awards: the Most Original Book of 1939. Joe Bonham, a young soldier serving in World War I, awakens in a hospital bed after being caught in the blast of an exploding artillery shell. He gradually realizes that he has lost his arms, legs, and all of his face (including his eyes, ears, teeth, and tongue), but that his mind functions perfectly, leaving him a prisoner in his own body.

king lear

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all.1603-1606 characters:lear, cordelia, the fool, goneril, ragan,

dr. jekyll and mr. hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson (born in Edinburgh, Scotland). Queen Victoria was at throne during this time period. Starts with the story of the door, Hyde tramples young girl and pays the people. Utterson visits Lanyon and Jekyll to find out more information. Hyde murders Sir Danvers Carew and runs away. Utterson notices that the handwriting on Hyde's note is the same with writing on Jekyll's will. Jekyll becomes reclusive and Lanyon dies. Before he dies, he gives Utterson three letters, a will, his statement, and jekyll's statement. Utterson and Poole break into Jekyll's lab and find Hyde dead. Reads letters. VICTORIAN PERIOD: 1830-1901

the miracle worker

The Miracle Worker is a three-act play by William Gibson adapted from his 1957 Playhouse 90 teleplay of the same name. It is based on Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life.

red badge of courage

The Red Badge of Courageis a psychological study of a Civil War soldier. Crane had never been near a war when he wrote it, but later he was a reporter in the Spanish-American War. , Stephen Crane 1894-95 American Civil War novel about a deserter who wanted an honorable injury

romeo and juliet

William Shakespeare. 1594. Rennaissance Period. Petrachan Lover, Fate (negative), Light/ Dark imagery. FREE VERSE and Prose, , A tragic tale of forbidden love in which the families of Montague and Capulet are all "punish'd" in the end.

a farewell to arms

Written by Hemingway in 1929 telling the story of a love affair between an American ambulance driver and a British nurse in Italy during WWI.

the awakening

Written by Kate Chopin in 1899. The Awakening portrays a married woman who defies social convention first by falling in love with another man, and then by committing suicide when she finds that his views on women are as oppressive as her husband's. The novel reflects the changing role of women during the early 1900s.

a brave new world

Written in 1932, Aldous Huxley, an work by Aldous Huxley blends science and fiction sperm and ova removed to breed people, classes result disses totalitarianism.

jane eyre

a Gothic novel written by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. The story is about who an impoverished young woman as she struggles to maintain her autonomy in the face of oppression, prejudice, and love; novel, bildungsroman (coming of age), social portest novel

Hamlet

addresses the issue of revenge. Hamlet struggles to decide on the appropriate way to avenge the death of his father., William Shakespeare

Night

eli weisel, Night is a work by Elie Wiesel about his experience with his father in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in 1944-1945, at the height of the Holocaust and toward the end of the Second World War

the odessey

homer, epic poems written by Homer. The Iliad is about the Trojan War and the Odessey is about Odeyssus's adventures home after the Greeks defeated the Trojans.

the lliad

homer, is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.

to kill a mockingbird

written by Harper Lee is a Southern gothic novel. It was published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice. The plot and characters are loosely based on the Harper Lee's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old. The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality.

canterbury tales

A narrative piece of literature written by Chaucer. This narrative involves the concept of bawdy behavior, making fun of the hypocrisy of Christians during the Medieval time period, as well as the understanding of the tragedies of human existence.

my antonia

A novel by Willa Cather. My Antonia is the story of a bohemian girl whose family came from the Old Country two settle on the open prairies of Nebraska. While she lives on her farm and tills the soil, she is a child of the prairie, but when Antonia goes to the city, she faces heartbreak, disillusionment, and social ostracism. Only after her return to the land, which is her heritage, does she find peace and meaning in life. 1918

dracula

A novel written by Bram Stoker about the character of the vampire Count Dracula. The novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham van Helsing.

scarlet letter

AUTHOR: NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE Setting:17th century Puritan times; Boston colony Plot: Hester Prynne is in love with Reverend Dimmesdale and commits adultery with him. They have a child and name her Pearl. Hester is convicted of adultery and punished by a jail sentence and having to wear a scarlet A on her breast. Roger Chillingworth is Hester's husband and he is still in love with Hester, so he plays mindgames with Dimmesdale to make him feel guilty about his sin.

the adventures of huckleberry finn

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Jim, Tom Sawyer, Huck, The King, The Duke, PapWidow Douglas, Buck, Mary Jane Wilks, Judge Thatcher. Story about life on the river with a runaway slave and people they meet and experiences they endure., Mark Twain

flowers of algernon

Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960.[2] The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year's Nebula Award for Best Novel (with Babel-17).[3]

death of a salesman

Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances

death of a salesman

Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances, and has been revived on Broadway four times,[1] winning three Tony Awards for Best Revival. 1949

wuthering heights

Emily Bronte, (1847). Heathcliff, an adopted son, seeks revenge on the family after the father's death. His love, Catherine, dies, and he speaks to her as a ghost. Other char: Edgar (Catherine's husband)

the great gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 book. The plot was a sensitive and satiric story of the pursuit of success and the collapse of the American dream. Being one of the writers of the Lost Generation, Fitzgerald was bitter because of the effects of the war.

antigone

Main character of the play by Sophocles; She is that daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, and is given the death sentence for disobeying her uncle Creon (king of Thebes) for wanting to give her dishonored brother a proper burial. She kills herself before they can kill her.

the adventures of tom sawyer

Mark Twain---Two boys growing up in Missouri have a variety of adventures, thwart a murderer, and find gold. , 1876

house on mango street

Sandra Cisneros (Written in 1984), takes place in 1980's, inner city Chicago

othello

Shakespeare Tragic Play Story of a soldier Othello and his love Desdemona. Othello is tricked by Iago to think Desdemona is in love with Cassio. Othello murders his wife and attempts to kill Cassio before killing himself.

a midsummers night dream

Shakespeare, -Theuses will marry Hippolyta in 4 days -Hermia loves Lysander but her father wants her to marry Demitrius -Helena loves Demitrus but he loves Hermia -KIng Oberon wants a changeling boy from Titania -Love and idleness is used on many characters -In the end Hermia marries Lysander and Helena marries Demitruis.

count of monte cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel by French author Alexandre Dumas (père). Complete in 1844, it is one of the author's most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers. Like many of his novels, it is expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.[1]

the glass menagerie

Tennessee Williams premiere: 1944 characters:Amanda, Tom, Laura, Mr. Wingfield; a Gentleman Caller plot: Tom Wingfield's recollections of his mother and sister after he has left his family title: Laura's collection of tiny glass animals

taming of the shrew

The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592.The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments—the "taming"—until she becomes a compliant and obedient bride. The subplot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's more desirable sister, Bianca.

time machine

The Time Machine is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895 and later adapted into two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations.

great expectations

charles dickens , Tells the story of Pip, an English orphan who rises to wealth, deserts his true friends, and becomes humbled by his own arrogance. It also introduces one of the more colorful characters in literature: Miss Havasham.

tale of two cities

charles dickens, This book takes place in France and England during the French Revolution. One of the main characters is Madame Defarge. This novel shows the contrast between innocence and evil taking place in two cities. The author of this book also wrote David Copperfield and Oliver Twist

oliver twist

charles dickens, addressed problems of poverty, the cruelty of the workhouse, abandoned children in industrial cities

grapes of wrath

john steinbeck, , (1939) The story follows the fortunes of a poor family as they travel from the Dust Bowl region to California, this book is based on the great depression written by John Steinbeck

the pearl

john steinbeck, , CHARACTERS Juana, Kino, Coyotito, Juan Tomás, Apolonia, The doctor, The priest, The dealers, The trackers PLOT Kino, Juana, and their infant son, Coyotito, live in a modest brush house by the sea. One morning, calamity strikes when a scorpion stings Coyotito. Hoping to protect their son, Kino and Juana rush him to the doctor in town. When they arrive at the doctor's gate, they are turned away because they are poor natives who cannot pay enough. Then they find a pearl and it is the biggest pearl ever. They are now rich, but now everyone wants to steal it. Kino though, wont give away the pearl. Now he is in trouble and they wont sell it. Now they are being tracked by trackers and they are running for their lives. Final part, Coyotito dies.

of mice and men

john steinbeck,1937 , A parable about what it means to be human. Steinbeck's story of George and Lennie's ambition of owning their own ranch, and the obstacles that stand in the way of that ambition, reveal the nature of dreams, dignity, loneliness, and sacrifice. Ultimately, Lennie, the mentally handicapped giant who makes George's dream of owning his own ranch worthwhile, ironically becomes the greatest obstacle to achieving that dream.

david copperfield

novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a novel in 1850. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial form a year earlier. Many elements within the novel follow events in Dickens' own life, and it is probably the most autobiographical of all of his novels.[2] In the preface to the 1867 Charles Dickens edition, he wrote, "... like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield."

catcher in the rye

novel written in 1951 by J.D. Salinger. Themes include teenage confusion, alienation, language and rebellion. The main character is a boy named Holden Caulfield. It takes place in Agerstown, PA. Reflects the colloquial language of teenagers at the time, including "flit", "phony" and "that killed me". Holden Caufield's life problems lead him to realize the importance of life itself.

moby dick

published by melville in 1851; portrayed ahab, story of courage and the strength of the individual but also tragedy of pride and revenge

the tempest

shakespear, set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place, using illusion and skillful manipulation. He conjures up a storm, the eponymous tempest, to lure to the island his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit Alonso, King of Naples. The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610-11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone.

oedipus

sophocles r- mythical Greek king of Thebes - killed his father & married his mother → brought disaster on his city/family, (Greek mythology) a tragic king of Thebes who unknowingly killed his father Laius and married his mother Jocasta

i know why the caged bird sings

the 1969 autobiography about the early years of black writer and poet Maya Angelou. It is a coming of age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. Title comes from Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poem "Sympathy"

lord of the flies

william golding, 1954, schoolboys on a deserted island without adults. power struggles, abuses, friendships, respect, control, author: William Golding, grew up in Cornwall in the midst of WWI and was alive during WWII Ralph: protagonist Jack: antagonist protagonist vs. nature protagonist vs. antagonist symbolism conch: bible Simon: jesus protagonist vs. self democracy vs. dictatorship island: civilization Piggy

julius caesar

william shakespear, , Made dictator for life in 45 BCE, after conquering Gaul, assassinated in 44 BCE by the Senate because they were afraid of his power