Literary Criticism

An important book of the 20th century because it is so horrifying and real, this is the diary of a young Jewish girl, which she wrote during the two years she was in hiding from Nazis in World War II. The account of an ordinary girl growing up in extraordinary times is timeless, filled with youth and suffering. more...

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In this novel of betrayal and trials, Hester Prynne is found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet 'A' wherever she goes. Her story is filled with the slow process of redemption and eventual love. more...

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The stories of this turn-of-the-century writer concern the disillusionment of modern man. To Kafka and to the people in his stories, life is often absurd and meaningless, with only a faint ray of fleeting hope. This concise supplement to Kafka's The Metamorphosis and other stories helps students understand the overall structure of the works, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author. more...

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A multicultural perennial favorite by Robert Lipsyte, The Contender is a moral tale that emphasizes the importance of the fight rather than the prize, the quality of the struggle over the outcome. Hence, becoming a contender is what Alfred Brooks learns to do as he literally fights young boxers and figuratively braves the inner struggle of peer pressure. more...

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All the Pretty Horses is the first novel in Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy. The young John Grady Cole and his two companions journey from Texas through Mexico as orphans of sorts, and through their struggles for their horses, with the law, and with a landowning Mexican family, they travel toward maturity. As the first in a series, it begins to reveal John Grady Cole's character and presents the loss of the West, for Cole ultimately loses love and takes his place as a lone figure, on a horse, on the American landscape. The book was adapted for the screen in 2000. more...

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