| Literature
Selections: |
| Atwood
-- The Handmaid's Tale
This novel is set in a frightening America of
the near future where women--categorized in terms of
whether or not they are able to bear children--function
only in the strictly defined roles assigned to them
by men. |
| Austen -- Emma
Jane Austen enjoyed writing with satiric stabs
at manners and social classes. Emma Woodhouse's story
is a progression in self-deception, both entertaining
in a mild comic tone and a lesson for the moralist.
|
| Bernieres --
Corelli's Mandolin
This novel, set on the idyllic Greek island of Cephallonia,
follows the lives of its inhabitants from the peaceful
days before World War II through the Italian occupation
of the island into the present. |
| Bradley -- The
Mists of Avalon
The Mists of Avalon is a story of another
time and place. It's the legendary saga of King Arthur
and his companions at Camelot, their battles, love,
and devotion, told this time from the perspective of
the women involved. |
Bronte, Charlotte -- Jane Eyre
As an orphan who survives a difficult childhood
and adolescence, Jane must find a way to support herself.
When she becomes a governess employed by Mr. Rochester
at Thornfield, her life gets much more interesting. |
Bronte, Emily -- Wuthering Heights
Filled with mysteriously deep emotions and intense,
dark romance, this novel tells the story of the relationship
of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, which begins in
childhood and lasts beyond the grave. |
| Byatt -- Possession
Possession is an exhilarating novel of
wit and romance, an intellectual mystery, and a triumphant
love story. It is the tale of a pair of young scholars
researching the lives of two Victorian poets. |
Dickens
-- Great Expectations
Throughout his series of attempts to become a
gentleman and to rise from his humble beginnings, young
Philip (Pip) meets an array of fascinating characters,
ranging from the mysterious escaped convict Magwitch to
the eccentric Miss Havisham to the beautiful but cruel
Estella. |
Dickens -- A Tale of Two Cities
The two cities are London and Paris, and the time
is that of the French Revolution. The story involves the
intertwined lives of two men who strongly resemble each
other, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. This is a story
of sacrifice for the sake of principle. |
Dumas -- The Count
of Monte Cristo
This novel tells the thrilling jailbreak adventure
of Edmond Nantes, a dashing hero who plots revenge against
the enemies who betrayed him and sent him to spend the
rest of his days in jail. |
Forster
-- Howard’s End
E.M. Forster is known for his studies of class,
economic status, and nationality. His novels center on
the ways these aspects of life affect relationships between
people. One of Forster’s most frequently quoted
passages appears in this novel. It begins, “Only
connect…” Read the novel to discover the rest
of this passage and what it really means. |
Guterson
-- Snow Falling on Cedars
A 1954 murder trial in an island community off
the coast of Washington state broadens into an exploration
of war, race and the mysteries of human motivation |
Harris -- Blackberry Wine
Like our English 12 course, this novel by the writer of
Chocolat starts off in England and ends up in
Europe—France, in this case. Set in two different
time periods of a man’s life, his teen years and
his forties, this novel takes him back to the wrong roads
he chose and reveals how he found the right path for himself.
In the course of his journey, he renews his life and makes
it worth living. |
Heller -- Catch 22
Ironically, this novel about wartime fits into the comedy
genre. Centered on a paradox, it contains lots of surprising
twists and quirky characters. |
Herbert -- Dune
This classic science fiction work, set on a planet where
water is the most precious commodity, abounds with adventurous
conflicts. |
Hosseini -- The Kite Runner
In this novel set in Afghanistan, the political
story parallels the personal story, and in this case parallel
lines sometimes meet. A powerful and harrowing story,
this novel traces the maturation process of its young
narrator as it follows him from Afghanistan to the United
States. |
Hugo -- The Hunchback of Notre
Dame
Set primarily in the famous French cathedral,
Notre Dame, this novel features the unrequited love of
a misshapen but sympathetic lover for a beautiful gypsy
who, in turn, is in love with a handsome but shallow soldier.
A villainous priest presides over it all in this romantic,
action-packed, but highly descriptive novel. |
Kingsolver -- The
Poisonwood Bible
This dense and intricate family chronicle follows
a Baptist missionary family into the Congo, circa 1959,
where their faith in Jesus, democracy, and what we call
civilization is severely challenged. |
Martell -- Life of
Pi
This novel tells a remarkable story of the experiences
of a young man who is trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger
in the middle of the ocean after their ship sinks. Not
for the squeamish, this story examines nature, finding
it to be “red in tooth and claw.” At the same
time, this is a very spiritual book that explores Islam,
Christianity, and Hinduism. |
| Marquez
-- One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the
story of the rise and fall, birth and death of a mythical
town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía
family. |
McEwan -- Atonement
Although slow in starting, once it gets going this novel
about a mysterious incident that ruins lives is quite
exciting. Mystery, romance, war, and guilt make for an
interesting mix. |
Mistry -- A Fine
Balance
Set in India 1975, this gripping novel has much to teach
about the culture and politics of India and Pakistan.
It follows four endearing characters through as many twists
and turns as any Dickens novel. |
O'Brien -- The
Things They Carried
Neither a novel nor a short story collection, The Things
They Carried is an arc of fictional episodes, taking
place in the childhoods of its characters, in the jungles
of Vietnam, and back home in America two decades later.
It depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry
Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa
and Tim O'Brien. |
Orwell -- 1984
Written in 1948, this dystopian novel predicts many
things about a totalitarian future for the world. Read
it to see how accurately Orwell predicted not only the
future in 1984, but also in our time. |
Patchett
-- Bel Canto
Just as the accompanist kisses the soprano, a group
of 18 terrorists bursts into the elegant birthday party
for the Japanese industrialist at the embassy in the unnamed
South American country. While the terorists hold the partygoers
hostage for months, the lines of demarcation between the
groups blur and things become very interesting. |
Shakespeare -- The
Tempest
Once the Duke of Milan, but now banished to a deserted
island by his brother who replaced him as Duke, the magician
Prospero holds sway over the island and its creatures,
among them the sprite Ariel and the monster Caliban. The
plot thickens when the ship carrying Antonio and the king
of Naples, both of whom were instrumental in the plot
to depose Prospero, wrecks on the coast of the island.
Many conflicts ensue on the way to a happy ending. |
Smith --
The Number One Ladies' Dectective Agency
This book begins the enjoyable series of mysteries
featuring the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, who used
her inheritance to start the first woman's detective agency
in Botswana. Precious is a unique heroine, the like of
which you have not met before in a book. |
Stevenson -- Treasure Island
If you enjoy pirate stories, this is the original.
One day when he is working at his parents’ seaside
inn, young Jim Hawkins encounters Black Dog, and the pirate
adventure begins! Follow Jim and Long John Silver as they
vie for the buried treasure. |
Swift -- Gulliver’s Travels
A travel novel, a children’s book, and a
satire, this entertaining narrative takes our hero, Lemuel
Gulliver, to many strange and unusual lands. He meets,
among others, the Lilliputians (the little people), the
Brobdinagians (the giants), the Laputans (mad scientists),
the Yahoos (ape-like humans), and the Houyhnhnms (the
rational horses). The Norton Anthology says of this work,
“Almost unique in world literature, it is simple
enough for a child, complex enough to carry an adult beyond
his depth.” |
Tan -- The Joy Luck
Club
This novel describes the lives of four Asian women
who fled China in the 1940s and their contentious relationships
with their four very Americanized daughters. It is a moving
testament of the differences in generation and culture.
|
Tolkein -- The
Lord of the Rings
Tolkien creates and sustains a credible alternate
reality with exquisite detail - even including maps and
complete languages for multiple races. Written as an exercise
in creating a modern-day fairy tale, it is easily transcends
the genre into a truly stunning epic. |
Vonnegut -- Slaughterhouse
Five
The main character, Billy Pilgrim, moves between parallel
universes—World War II Dresden during the bombing
and a zoo on the planet Tralfamadore in this most unusual
war novel. |
Wangerian -- Book
of the Dun Cow
Lovers of medieval fantasies will enjoy this story
of a conflict between animals. Not in any way a story
for children, this epic battle takes place between the
forces of good and evil. The struggle is mighty. |
White -- The Once
and Future King
In this retelling of the King Arthur story, T.H.
White updates the style, but he retains many of the magical
or fantastical elements and adds some of his own. |
Wilde --
The Picture of Dorian Gray
In this fascinating book, a handsome young man
looks at a painting of him and wishes that he, like the
painting, would never get old and wrinkled. Guess what
happens! |
