Free summaries
American Literature — page 15
687 public-domain american literature books, summarised. Page 15 of 15.
The Melting-Pot
Israel Zangwill
In a tiny New York apartment, a young Russian-Jewish violinist dreams that the vast, chaotic tide of world immigration will dissolve ancient hatreds and forge a unified human race.
The Path, Vol. I.—1886-'7.: A Magazine Devoted to the Brotherhood of Humanity, Theosophy in America, and the Study of Occult Science, Philosophy, and Aryan Literature
Various
An exploration of ancient philosophies, esoteric traditions, and the untapped capacities of human consciousness offers a spiritual alternative to rigid dogmatism and materialist despair.
Understood Betsy
Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Sheltered, over-protected nine-year-old Elizabeth Ann is sent away to live with distant, practical relatives on a Vermont farm, where she unexpectedly discovers her own independence, practical capability, and quiet self-reliance.
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward (HTML edition)
Artemus Ward
A traveling showman wanders across a young, chaotic America, offering sharp-eyed observations dressed in deliberate misspellings, deadpan absurdities, and an unyielding refusal to take anyone’s solemnity at face value.
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume I. (of X.)
Unknown
A rustic farmhand dodges domestic chores for a afternoon by the river, while an urban household unravels over a dinner dispute with a newly hired maid.
Death comes for the archbishop
Willa Cather
A refined French priest rides into the vast, sun-baked wilderness of the American Southwest to build a diocese, forging a quiet legacy of faith and friendship against a backdrop of ancient cultures.
The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
A quietly lethal collection exposes the polite cruelties of high society, tracing how money, ego, and intellectual posturing dismantle human relationships.
Is Shakespeare Dead?: From My Autobiography
Mark Twain
A skeptical, funny, and deeply personal attack on the literary establishment asks how a man who left no books or letters could possibly have written the greatest plays in the English language.
Sixes and Sevens
O. Henry
A roving minstrel shoots his host’s rival, a cowboy mistakes a rat for his girl, and a Broadway rogue steals a Southern major’s identity.
Authors and Friends
Annie Fields
An intimate, unvarnished look at the private lives and quiet genius of New England’s classic literary circle.
Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven
Mark Twain
A dead sea captain races a comet through the cosmos, misses his destination, and discovers that the conventional human picture of the afterlife is completely wrong.
The Gray Angels
Nalbro Bartley
A penniless country girl with a soaring voice trades her small-town engagement for a grand-opera career, only to discover that fame without love is an empty triumph.
The Squatter and the Don: A Novel Descriptive of Contemporary Occurrences in California
María Amparo Ruiz de Burton
When a defeated Californio family tries to protect its ancestral land, an American squatter and his idealistic son force a confrontation between legal displacement and romantic duty.
New Hampshire, A Poem
Robert Frost
A quiet, stubborn pride runs through a landscape where beauty refuses to be packaged for sale and where human lives are shaped by hard soil, harsh winters, and sudden sparks of wonder.
Letters to His Children
Theodore Roosevelt
A dedicated father navigates the demands of the American presidency while sharing an unshakable, joyful bond with his growing children.