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A Journal of the Plague Year (1722)—full title A Journal of the Plague Year: Being Observations or Memorials, Of the most Remarkable Occurrences, As well Publick as Private, which happened in London During the last Great Visitation In 1665—is a book by English writer and journalist Daniel Defoe. The novel is an...→

Written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729, A Modest Proposal—full title A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick—is a satirical essay which mocks the heartless attitudes towards the...→

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects (1792), is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. In it, porto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft critiques 18th century educational and political theorists who believed that women should not receive a rational education. She maintains that women are human...→

The Wealth of Nations (1776)—full title An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations—is Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith's masterpiece. At the time of its publication, the book offered one of the world's first collected descriptions of what builds nations' wealth, and is still today a...→

Written by Sophocles circa 441 BC, Antigone is an Athenian tragedy. Of the three Theban plays, Antigone is the third in order of the events depicted in the plays, but was the first to be written. The reading order of the Theban plays is: Oedipus Rex, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and ending with Antigone.→

Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future (1886) is a book by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The text expands the ideas of his previous work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. It was first published in German by C. G. Naumann of Liepzig at the author's own expense and...→

Flint and Feather (1912) is the collected verse of poems by E. Pauline Johnson; it contains material from her books The White Wampum (1985) and Canadian Born (1903) as well as miscellaneous poems. First published by the Musson Books Company in Toronto, it remains one of the all-time best-selling volumes of...→

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley. The novel follows Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who, using unorthodox scientific experiments, creates a sapient creature. At just 18 years old Shelley began writing the novel which was later published anonymously in London in...→

Heart of Darkness (1899) is a novella by Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad about a narrated voyage up the Congo River into the Congo Free State in the heart of Africa. Heart of Darkness tells the story of Charles Marlow, a sailor who takes on an assignment from a Belgian trading...→

In Old Plantation Days (1903) by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a collection of short stories that focuses on the stereotypical portrayal of slaves. Dunbar received both criticism and anger for his stereotypical depictions of slaves as "obedient workers happy to spend their lives in service of their benevolent owner."→

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by herself (1861) is an autobiography by Harriet Jacobs, a mother and fugitive slave, published under the pseudonym Linda Brent. The author documents her life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and for her children. Jacobs explores the struggles unique...→

Jane Eyre (1847) is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë, published under the pen name Currer Bell. The novel was the first of its kind to use first-person narrative to highlight the protagonist's moral and spiritual development. Often credited for revolutionizing prose fiction, the book is also considered to be ahead of...→

Jane: A Story of Jamaica (1913) is a novel by Jamaican author H. G. de Lisser and is the first West Indian novel to feature a Black protagonist. The story follows Jane, a young woman raised in the Jamaican countryside, as she prepares to leave home for the first time...→

Leviathan (1651)—full title Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil—is a book written by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. The book offers a criticisms regarding the structure of society and legitimate government. It is considered one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory.→

Little Women—originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869—is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. Loosely based on the lives of Alcott and her sisters, the novel follows the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they journey from childhood to womanhood.→

Meditations on First Philosophy (1641)—full titles Meditations on First Philosophy, in which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated—is a philosophical treatise by French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes. First published in Latin, the book is made up of six meditations written as if Descartes...→

Mrs. Dalloway (1925) is a novel by English writer Virginia Woolf. The novel follows a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional high-society woman in post–WWI England, as she prepares for a party she will host in the evening, and the ensuing party. It is one of Woolf's best-known...→

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Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave (1849) is the autobiography of ex-slave and Abolitionist Henry Bibb. Born on a Kentucky plantation in 1815, Bibb first attempted to escape from bondage at the age of ten. He was recaptured and escaped several more times before...→

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) is a memoir and treatise on abolition by American orator and ex-slave Frederick Douglass. Considered to be the most famous narrative written by a former slave, the text describes—in factual detail—the events of Douglass's life. It was also one of the most...→

North and South (1854) is a social novel by English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. The novel follows Margaret Hale as she is forced to leave her home in the tranquil, rural south and settle with her parents in the fictional industrial town of Milton in the north of England. She witnesses the consequences of the...→

Written by Sophocles and first performed around 429 BC, Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus, or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy. Originally, to the ancient Greeks, the title was simply Oedipus, as it is referred to by Aristotle in Poetics. Of the three Theban...→

Written shortly before Sophocles's death in 406 BC and produced by his grandson (also called Sophocles) at the Festival of Dionysus in 401 BC, Oedipus at Colonus (also known as Oedipus Coloneus) is one of the three Theban plays. Of the three Theban plays, Oedipus at Colonus is the second in order of the...→

On Liberty (1859) is a philosophical essay by English philosopher John Stuart Mill. Using Mill's ethical system of utilitarianism in application to society and state, he suggests standards for the relationship between authority and liberty. In addition, the author proposes three basic liberties of individuals, three legitimate objections to government intervention, and two...→

Oroonoko (1688)—full title Oroonoko: or, The Royal Slave—is a short work of prose fiction by English poet and writer Aphra Behn. This text is a first-person account of Oroonoko's life and his ensuing journey after the African prince is tricked into slavery and sold to European colonists in Surinam.→

This poetry anthology contains poems from Claude Mckay's Songs of Jamaica (1912), Constab Ballads (1912), Spring in New Hampshire and Other Poems (1920), and Harlem Shadows (1922).→

Poetics (circa 335 BC) by Aristotle is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory and the first surviving philosophical essay to focus on literary theory. Aristotle divides the art of poetry into three genres: verse drama (to include comedy, tragedy, and the satyr play); lyric poetry; and epic. These genres all...→

Republic (circa 375 BC) is a Socratic dialogue by Plato. The text explores topics like justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. It is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory—both intellectually and historically—in the world, thus marking it as Plato's...→

Roughing It in the Bush (1852)—full title Roughing It in The Bush: or, Forest Life in Canada—is a novel by English-born writer Susanna Moodie who immigrated to Upper Canada, near modern-day Peterborough, Ontario during the 1830s. The idea of the novel was suggested to Moodie by her editor, who sought to...→

Second Treatise (1689)—the second essay in Two Treatises of Government—is a work of political philosophy by English philosopher and physician John Locke. Using natural rights and contract theory as the basis, the essay outlines Locke's ideas for a more civilized society.→

Sketches of Southern Life (1872) is a poetry anthology by American abolitionist and writer Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Using topics like family, education, religion, slavery, and Reconstruction, the anthology is a commentary on the concerns of African-Americans living in the South. Though it is not her most well-known work, Sketches of...→

The Awakening (1899) is a novel by American author Kate Chopin; it marks early feminism as it was one of the earliest American novels to focus on women's issues without condescension. The novel centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggle between what is socially acceptable of mothers in turn-of-the-century American South...→

The Bell Jar (1963) is the only novel American writer and poet Sylvia Plath wrote in her lifetime. Published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, the novel is semi-autobiographical with the names of places and people changed. The book parallels Plath's experiences with—presumably—clinical depression or bipolar II disorder as the protagonist descends into...→

The Big Sea (1940) is a novel by American poet Langston Hughes. It chronicles Hughes's life as a young adult in Harlem and Paris in the 1920s. In Paris, he was a cook and waiter in nightclubs. In Harlem, he was a rising young poet at the center of the Harlem...→

The Book of Small (1942) is a novel by Canadian author and painter Emily Carr. It is an early childhood memoir consisting of thirty-six word sketches in which the author relates anecdotes about her life as a young girl living in Victoria, BC.→

"The Cask of Amontillado" (1846) is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. Set in Italy in an unspecified year, the story is about a man, Montresor, luring his former friend Fortunato to a fatal immurement for reasons unclear to the audience.→

The Communist Manifesto (1848)—originally the Manifesto of the Communist Party—is a pamphlet by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Manifesto was commissioned by the Communist League and first published in London during the start of the 1848 Revolutions. It is now recognized as one of the world's most influential political...→

The Federalist Papers (published between October 1787 and May 1788) is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by statesmen and Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The articles were published under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution.→

The Future of the American Negro (1899) is a novel by American educator Booker T. Washington. The novel presented his opinions on the history of enslaved and freed African-American people, as well as his ideas regarding using education as a means to advance themselves.→

The Great Gatsby (1925) is a novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel follows Nick Carraway, a young bond salesman, and his strange interactions and ensuing friendship with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby during the Long Island Jazz Age as Gatsby attempts to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.→

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African (1789), is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano. The narrative employs a variety of styles, such as a slavery narrative, travel narrative, and spiritual narrative. The book details Equiano's journey from gaining his own freedom from enslavement...→

The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896) is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. The novel follows Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is then left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who experiments on animals to create...→

The Life, History, and Travels of Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh (1847) is a published memoir by Native American author George Copway. The novel centers on his life and time as a missionary. Not only did the novel make him Canada's first literary celebrity in the United States, but it is also recognized as...→

The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) is a Gothic romance novel by English author Ann Radcliffe. The narrative follows Emily St. Aubert, a young woman who suffers misadventures that include the death of her mother and father, supernatural terrors, and machinations of an Italian brigand.→

The Nicomachean Ethics (circa 322 BC) is an ethical treatise by Aristotle. In the text, Aristotle offers a defence of the idea of eudaimonism (human flourishing or happiness) which is achieved as a result of human choice in search of excellence and the good life.→

The Odyssey (originally composed in the 8th or 7th century BCE; published in English in 1614) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems by Homer. The story follows the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. The poem is divided into 24...→

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) is a philosophical novel by Irish playwright Oscar Wilde; it is his only novel. The story centre's on Dorian Gray, the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton,...→

The Prince (1532) is a political treatise by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. The text is an instruction guide for new princes and royals.→

The Refugee: or the Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada (1856)—full title A North-Side View of Slavery. The Refugee: or the Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada. Related by Themselves, with an Account of the History and Condition of the Colored Population of Upper Canada—is a collection of over 100 testimonies...→

The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches (1903) is a collection of essays by American and Ghanaian sociologist and writer W. E. B. Du Bois. The book contains several essays on race with Du Bois drawing on his own experiences as a Black man in America. Not only is it...→

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) is a Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. The story follows Gabriel John Utterson—a legal practitioner from London—as he investigates strange occurrences between his friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.→

The Underground Railroad (1872) is a book by African-American abolitionist and Father of the Underground Railroad, William Still. The book is a collection of testimonies from nearly 650 slaves who escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad.→

The White Witch of Rosehall (1929) is a legendary story by Jamaican author H. G. de Lisser. It tells the story of a haunting in Montego Bay, Jamaica where, according to the legend, the spirit of Annie Palmer haunts the grounds of Rose Hall plantation house.→

"The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892) is a short story by American author Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The story is a collection of journal entries written by an unnamed woman whose physician husband has spirited her away to an old summer mansion in an attempt to cure her of "temporary nervous depression—a slight...→

Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) is a classic Harlem Renaissance novel by American writer Zora Neale Hurston. The novel follows Janie Crawford as she recounts the story of her life as she journeys from a naive teenager to a woman in control of her destiny.→

Utilitarianism (1863) is a collection of essays by English philosopher and political economist John Stuart Mill. The book provides a comprehensive explanation of what utilitarianism is in order to present it as the best theory of ethics and to defend it against criticisms and misunderstandings.→

Wuthering Heights (1847) is a novel by English author Emily Brontë; it was initially published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. The story follows the interactions between two land-owning families living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent relationships with the Earnshaw's adopted son, Heathcliff.→