Classic American Fiction
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Summary of The Minister's Black Veil
A summary of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, The Minister's Black Veil, which is subtitled A Parable. more...
Characters in The Minister's Black Veil
Learn more about the three central characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, The Minister's Black Veil. more...
Characters in Capital of the World
In Ernest Hemingway's story "The Capital of the World" Paco dreams of bullfighting. All the characters in the short story are bullfighters or those their audience. more...
Summary of The Capital of the World
Ernest Hemingway's story "The Capital of the World" is the story of a boy who dies before becoming disillusioned by life. more...
Characters in Hemingway's Short Story
The characters in Ernest Hemingway's short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" are complex characters whose motivations tremendous impact on the plot. more...
A summary of Ernest Hemingway's most highly acclaimed short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." more...
More Literature in A Long Fatal Love Chase
Louisa May Alcott pulls references and names from history, literature and mythology for her hastily organized novel, A Long Fatal Love Chase. more...
All feature articles in Classic American Fiction
Book Review – Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
By: Cheryn Tan
A heart-warming and compulsively readable novel, Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants transports readers to the weird and colourful life of American circus in the 1930s. more...
The Storm by Kate Chopin Study Guide
By: Jeris Swanhorst
Kate Chopin's 1898 short story tells of a passionate encounter between two old flames as they seek shelter from the raging elements. more...
By:
Jeffrey Willett
Of all his short stories, O. Henry's "The Last Leaf" is his simplest and most heartfelt tale of how even a failed artist may offset selfishness with the gift of love. more...
"Bartleby the Scrivener" and Silent Speech
By: Rebekah Richards
Bartleby's infamous "I would prefer not to" can be interpreted as blank, silent speech, which also expresses Melville's refusal to further explain his story. more...
The Lure of Blankness in Bartleby the Scrivener
By: Rebekah Richards
The lure of blankness exists in three paradigms in Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener": Bartleby, the narrator, and the reader/critic. more...
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody
By: Vickie Britton
In a romantic story reminiscent of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, despite many obstacles, a recluse and an invalid fall in love and make a happy marriage. more...
By: Eva Gordon
Theodore Dreiser uses money to illustrate Carrie's changing self-image. In this naturalistic novel, money and happiness come close, but never quite intersect. more...
All contributing articles in Classic American Fiction