World Literature Classics (Top 20)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the 20 works listed in the notes.

The Odyssey (Homer)

Epic poem about Odysseus' long journey home from the Trojan War; themes: heroism, loyalty, perseverance, fate vs. free will, hospitality.

Hamlet (William Shakespeare)

Tragic play about Prince Hamlet seeking revenge on his uncle Claudius; themes: revenge, madness, mortality, corruption, betrayal.

Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes)

Novel about a delusional nobleman who imagines himself a knight; themes: idealism vs. reality, identity, madness, power of literature.

Les Misérables (Victor Hugo)

Story of ex-convict Jean Valjean seeking redemption while pursued by Inspector Javert; themes: justice, mercy, love, poverty, redemption.

The Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri)

Allegorical journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven guided by Virgil and Beatrice; themes: sin and redemption, divine justice, spiritual growth.

One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel García Márquez)

Chronicles the rise and fall of the Buendía family across generations in Macondo; themes: solitude, history, magical realism, time, fate.

Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe)

Follows Okonkwo, a proud Igbo warrior, as colonialism arrives in Africa; themes: colonialism, tradition vs. change, masculinity, fate.

Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

Story of Raskolnikov who murders a pawnbroker and wrestles with guilt and morality; themes: guilt, redemption, morality, justice, psychological conflict.

War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)

Epic about five aristocratic families during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia; themes: war, peace, destiny, history, human nature.

The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

Three brothers confront their father's murder and grapple with moral, spiritual, and philosophical conflicts; themes: faith vs doubt, free will, justice, family, redemption.

The Tale of Genji (Murasaki Shikibu)

Romantic and political life of Prince Genji in Heian-era Japan; themes: love, impermanence, aesthetics, court life.

The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Jay Gatsby pursues Daisy Buchanan; themes: The American Dream, love, wealth, illusion vs. reality.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

Scout grows up in the racially divided American South during a trial where her father defends a Black man; themes: racism, justice, innocence, morality, coming-of-age.

1984 (George Orwell)

Dystopian tale of Winston Smith opposing a totalitarian regime that controls truth and memory; themes: surveillance, truth, freedom, totalitarianism, individual vs. society.

The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)

Teenage Holden Caulfield narrates his disillusionment with adult society; themes: alienation, innocence, identity, rebellion.

The Stranger (Albert Camus)

Meursault, a detached man, is tried for murder and confronts existential meaning; themes: absurdism, existentialism, fate, detachment.

Beloved (Toni Morrison)

A former slave, Sethe, haunted by her traumatic past and the ghost of her dead child; themes: slavery, memory, trauma, motherhood, identity.

Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)

A woman trapped in an unhappy marriage begins a passionate affair, leading to tragedy; themes: love, family, society, personal freedom.

The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

Follows Amir, a boy from Kabul, and his guilt over betraying his friend Hassan; themes: redemption, guilt, friendship, father-son relationships.

Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)

Victor Frankenstein creates a living creature, who seeks love but is rejected by society; themes: creation, responsibility, alienation, science vs. nature.