Posted on: 15 Jul 2024
This article will provide a chapter-by-chapter summary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. A perennial favorite on the AP Lit Reading List, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein has spawned innumerable films, TV series, books, and even games. Sometimes credited as the first work of science fiction, it tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who figures out how […]
Posted on: 08 Jul 2024
This article will provide a chapter-by-chapter summary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. If you’ve read my other articles on Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, you’ll know that its themes and concerns are as relevant now as they were when it was published in 1925. Greed, love, and violence converge to make the “American Dream” seem like […]
Posted on: 08 Jul 2024
Let’s get one thing straight – Beloved is a masterpiece whose relevance today is perhaps greater than when it was published. Its story of formerly enslaved people finding their way through the world is as achingly beautiful as anything I’ve ever read. (If you need it, here’s a chapter-by-chapter summary.) That being said, there’s simply […]
Posted on: 01 Jul 2024
Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a masterpiece. It’s also a difficult read – past and present mingle together in confusing ways. This article will provide you with a detailed introduction to the characters of Beloved so that you can spend your time reading and appreciating Morrison’s devastating prose. If you’re looking for a chapter-by-chapter summary of […]
Posted on: 27 Jun 2024
This article will give a chapter-by-chapter summary of Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Reader, I won’t lie to you. Beloved is a tough book – both its content and its form challenge the reader to encounter anew one of the most shameful parts of American history. Beloved won the Pulitzer Prize in 1987 and Toni Morrison would […]
Posted on: 22 Jun 2024
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (1953) is a thrilling depiction of American religious paranoia. This article will provide a detailed list of the characters in The Crucible with descriptions. Once you’re familiar with the characters, you’ll be better able to read and understand Miller’s biting social commentary. All page numbers reference the 2015 edition of the […]
Posted on: 22 Jun 2024
If you’ve read my other posts on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, you know the basics of the plot – when accusations of witchcraft inflame Salem, Massachusetts, John Proctor refuses to confess and is hanged. His is the noble struggle of the rational individual against a superstitious theocracy. Miller was upfront with his intentions. In the […]
Posted on: 14 Jun 2024
For those of you who have read my other articles on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, you know how Act 4 is going to end. (Spoiler alert: John Proctor hangs.) Looking back, John’s fate seems unavoidable – he’s a good man whose uncompromising nature is inapt to a world that would trade honor for safety. At […]