This lesson continues the reading of The Great Gatsby with Chapters 4-6. It features a discussion of connotations, character, and major themes. Links are provided to a Discovery Education video about characters in Gatsby (Registration...

This lesson focuses on Alice Walker and her short story "Everyday Use," which explores the generation gap between a mother and daughter and the relationship among a mother and her two daughters. Links are provided to the text of the...

This introduction to contemporary drama focuses on the elements or characteristics of drama and the theme of the American Dream. It features the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, which is set in the 1950s.

This online book presents an overview of American literature chronologically. Eras and movements are explained and biographies of significant authors are provided. This is a good way to understand the background and influences of...

Twenty-six half hour videos on literary analysis for high school students that feature authors, scholars, actors and noted critics. Topics include The Art of the Essay, Setting and Character in Short Fiction, Responding to Literature and...

Multiple themes are found in The Great Gatsby. This site looks at these themes and provides interesting insights about each.

The theme of love is discussed in this site along with a series of questions related to this topic.

This site lists and discusses the themes in Animal Farm by George Orwell. These include power through leadership and corruption, control over intellectually inferior, pride, lies and deceit, and more.

The Scarlet Letter is full of important themes that are discussed in detail in this informative site.

From the the concept of madness, to lies and deceit in Hamlet this site provides an interesting analysis of the various themes in the play.

Introduce yourself to Anglo-Saxon literature by reading "Beowulf" and exploring its plot, themes, and characters with the help of this study guide. Check out a helpful "family tree" of the epic poem's characters, study new vocabulary...

Before reading "Cyrano de Bergerac," check out a biography of author Edmond Rostand, an introduction to the play, pre-reading activities, and vocabulary lists. As you complete each act, participate in brainstorming activities and respond...

Article explains how to find the theme in a piece of literature by asking yourself a series of questions as you read. RL.9-10.1 Analyzing Theme. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2

The theme-basket concept of literature instruction combines several approaches known to work with marginalized readers, students with learning disabilities, and ELLs: 1) a thematic approach to teaching literature, 2) the use of...

This site provides biographical information on the author, as well as facts about the novel's context, plot, and major themes, this study guide is an excellent tool for anyone studying George Eliot's novel, "Middlemarch." Also includes...

This site presents a study guide to Oscar Wilde's play, "The Importance of Being Earnest." Content includes a biography of the author, background information about the play, a synopsis, occuring themes, some sample questions, and more....

Read about the 1958 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890-1960 CE), a writer who was honored for "his important achievement both in contemporary lyrical poetry and in the field of the great Russian...

Great study guide for Charles Dickens's novel, "Great Expectations." Before reading the book, check out an author biography, vocabulary, and pre-reading activities and questions. Also, use the guide's brainstorming activities to help you...

This site, from Ann Woodlief's Introduction to American Romanticism (or the American Renaissance) defines the Romantic movement in American literature and discusses its major themes.

This site offers a wealth of high-quality stories, articles, films, and photo essays from around the world that cover many themes and current topics. Many of them are accompanied by lesson plans.

This in-depth, insightful article from "Western Buddist Review" examines the theme of leaving home as it relates to several of Forster's works (e.g., "The Road to Colonus," "The Machine Stops," and "Howards End.")

This site contains definitions and analysis of American captivity narratives. Describes the conventions, rhetorical purposes, and themes of the captivity narrative genre. Lists example captivity narratives.

This lesson is an introduction to Contemporary Fantasy and Science Fiction including definitions, themes, characteristics, and some leading authors and movies.

This lesson is an introduction to a unit on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. It includes background infromation on the author and the text, a list of key terms, essential questions, and discusses the themes of the text...