From Robinson Crusoe to the anti-slavery activism of Olaudah Equiano and the letters of Ignatius Sancho: explore a range of writing produced during an age of travel, trade and colonial conquest, in which Britain vastly expanded its...

Explore the Georgian period in its social, political, and historical contexts, with overviews of popular politics, the rise of consumerism, and entertainment.

From the development of Old and Middle English to the innovations of William Caxton and the printing press: explore language and voice in the medieval period.

Kaffir Boy is an autobiographical story about a young boy's escape from his life in apartheid South Africa. This site involves a plot summary, character analysis, and a discussion of themes.

From the radicalism of the Romantic poets to the violent suppression of protests, the 18th and 19th centuries were peppered with incidents of political upheaval. Read how power and politics feature centrally in some of the period's great...

A nine-part learning module with links to images, websites, and videos that demonstrate the theme of a hero's journey in literature.

This site provides a study guide to Dickens' novel, "Tale of Two Cities." Content includes a biography of the author, a synopsis of the story, reoccuring themes, a look at the novel's imagery and symbolism, and some sample questions....

Full-text version of the novel, including links to illustrations. Reproduced from the 1895 edition.

Read this entire novel here, and look at the illustrations that accompany it, including several portraits of William Dean Howells (1837-1920 CE).

A fully searchable site for AP/French literature majors, le Magazine Litteraire offers detailed critiques of recently published literature; articles by famous thinkers and academics about writers, philosophers or literary themes; a forum...

From the staging of disability to the influence of Machiavelli, explore the history plays of Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers.

The Victorian Web provides information from social and political history and a detailed biography to essays about characterization, themes and more, this site offers an excellent variety of resources related to Victorian author Rudyard...

This site provides links to nine essays written by students at Middlebury College for a Spring 1996 course on Dostoevsky. The topics range from "Dostoevsky and Social Issues" to "Dostoevsky and the Theme of Children."

From circuses and 'freak shows' to broadsides and novels, from pleasure gardens and music halls to chapbooks and penny dreadfuls, Georgian and Victorian Britain offered the public a rich range of affordable entertainments. Read more...

Mischievous fairies, monstrous apparitions, and scheming witches: examine how Shakespeare and Renaissance writers played with the magical and supernatural.

Prose and verse, wordplay, neologisms, and rhetoric: discover how Shakespeare and Renaissance writers developed innovative and experimental uses of language.

Investigate how Shakespeare and Renaissance writers explore miscommunication, dishonesty, trickery, and the nature of theatre.

A murdered king, a homeless ruler, a man who sells his soul to the Devil: discover how Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers represented power and powerlessness.

Discover close readings, critical interpretations, and personal responses to Shakespeare's sonnets, the poetry of John Donne, and more.

Exploration and trade, crime and punishment, clothing and social structure: explore key aspects of Elizabethan life, culture, and society.

From courtship rituals to cross-dressing to love poetry, examine the ways in which Shakespeare and Renaissance writers explored identity, sexuality, and gender roles.

A detailed biography on the works of African American writer and 1993 Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Toni Morrison. Contains information on the themes and subject matters of her most famous books while also giving some information on...

The Victorian period heralded a new wave of poetry that was influenced by its Romantic predecessors yet distinctly different. Read articles on how the Victorian poets approached composition, form and language, and what inspired their...

From Wordsworth's Westminster Bridge to Blake's Chimney Sweepers; from Dickens's pickpockets to Jack the Ripper; and from Wells's War of the Worlds to Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes; discover the diverse ways in which writers in this...