Class

The titles in the Social Class Collection explore the historical and contemporary implications of social class and class division in cultures around the world. Representing a diverse range of perspectives, cultures, and societies, the selections in this Collection span a broad range of genres and forms, including essays, biographies, and fiction.

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Grief

Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Fear

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Night She Disappeared is a young-adult thriller by American author April Henry. Published in 2012 by Henry Holt, The Night She Disappeared tells the story of Kayla Cutler, a high-school senior kidnapped while on a pizza delivery, and Gabie Klug, her coworker, who discovers that she was the perpetrator’s intended target. As Gabie races to uncover the truth before it’s too late, The Night She Disappeared tackles themes of class-based prejudice and the fallibility... Read The Night She Disappeared Summary


Publication year 1990

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Music, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies


Publication year 1836

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Satire, Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Russian Literature, History: World, Fantasy, Humor

This guide refers to the story as it appears in the 1965 Norton Library edition of The Overcoat & Other Tales of Good and Evil, translated by David Magarshack.Nikolai Gogol’s short story “The Nose,” written between 1835 and 1836, was originally published in The Contemporary, a literary journal owned by famed Russian Romantic poet Alexander Pushkin. A satire on bureaucratic life in the Tsarist capital of St. Petersburg, “The Nose” has since become an important... Read The Nose Summary


Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction


Publication year 1910

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class

Tags Classic Fiction, German Literature


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: Class, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Community, Relationships: Fathers, Natural World: Place, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Disability, Identity: Femininity

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature, Realistic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, Disability, Grief / Death, Class


Publication year 1911

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: Gender, Society: Class

Tags British Literature, Humor, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction

“The Open Window” is a frequently anthologized short story by Hector Hugh Munro, or H. H. Munro, whose penname was Saki. This short story, like many of Saki’s works, satirizes Edwardian society. By utilizing a story within a story, or an embedded narrative, Saki uses satire to explore themes like the absurdity of etiquette, escapism, control, and appearance versus reality.Saki originally published “The Open Window” in the Westminster Gazette on November 18, 1911, and later... Read The Open Window Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags History: World, History: U.S., Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Race / Racism, Crime / Legal


Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Barbara Haworth-Attard’s young adult novel Theories of Relativity follows the story of Dylan Wallace, a 16-year-old boy living on the streets of a large city in Canada. Through first-person, present-tense narration, Dylan navigates the dangers and risks of street life and deals with the hardships that accompany the lifestyle. This novel was originally published in Canada in 2003 by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. This study guide follows the First American Edition of the novel, published in... Read Theories of Relativity Summary


Publication year 1884

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation

Tags Anthropology, Anthropology, Gender / Feminism, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government


Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Education, Education, Science / Nature, Social Science, History: World, History: European, Politics / Government


Publication year 1996

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Urban Development, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Class, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government


Publication year 1951

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Class

Tags Politics / Government, Philosophy, History: World, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Hannah Arendt’s 1951 The Origins of Totalitarianism is an examination of the origins and ideologies of Nazism and Stalinism in the first half of the 20th century through an examination of antisemitism, imperialism, and totalitarianism. Arendt charts the emergence of the Nazi and Bolshevik totalitarian regimes and how those regimes operated as governments. Arendt asserts that imperialism, not nationalism, created the framework for the success of totalitarian movements, and she claims that totalitarian movements capitalized... Read The Origins of Totalitarianism Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Health / Medicine, History: World


Publication year 1842

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, Satire, Education, Education, History: World

Nikolai Gogol’s short story “The Overcoat” is one of the best-known and most anthologized examples of Russian fiction. Numerous authors have cited “The Overcoat” as influencing Russian surrealism, short fiction, and satire. In 1941, the Russian American author Vladimir Nabokov referred to “The Overcoat” as “the greatest short story ever written” (Nabokov, Vladimir. “The Art of Translation.” The New Republic, 4 Aug. 1941). Likewise, one of the most famous apocryphal sayings in Russian literature (attributed... Read The Overcoat Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Humor


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Race

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, French Literature, Race / Racism, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction

The Perfect Nanny is a thriller written by Franco-Moroccan journalist and author Leïla Slimani. Published in 2016, the novel is inspired by the 2012 murders of two white American children in New York City by their caretaker, a naturalized American citizen born in the Dominican Republic. Slimani resets the narrative in Paris, France, and the nanny she depicts is a native French woman and white. Slimani reframes the crime to explore themes of racism, classicism... Read The Perfect Nanny Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Race

Tags Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Self Help, Psychology, Race / Racism, Social Justice