Education

Oedipus, the banished king of Greek mythology who killed his father and married his mother, is the subject of Sophocles's Oedipus Trilogy, a series of three tragedies that tell a connected story. Despite their antiquity, these timeless works bring up questions that remain relevant in our society, and their exciting, colorful stories have a universal appeal that still captivates readers.

The Newbery Medal is awarded each year to the most distinguished contribution to children's literature published in the U.S. This CliffsNotes covers each of the 10 selections from the 1990s. From 1991's award winner Maniac Magee to 1999's Holes, this CliffsNotes provides background on the authors, summaries, character descriptions and character maps, plus class activities, and review exercises.

This novel is a partly autobiographical account of a boy's life along the Mississippi of the 19th century. Twain fills the story with mischief and hilarity, with the aim of entertaining children and reminding adults of their own childhood. This concise supplement to Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer helps you understand the overall structure of the work, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author. Author Biography: A Fullbright scho... more info>>

This concise supplement to Henry James's The Ambassadors helps students understand the overall structure of the work, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author.

During a trip to Europe, Christopher Newman, a wealthy American businessman, asks the charming Claire de Cintre to be his wife. To his dismay, he receives an icy reception from the heads of her family, who find Newman to be a vulgar example of the American privileged class. Combining elements of comedy, tragedy, romance and melodrama, this tale of thwarted desire vividly contrasts nineteenth-century American and European manners. This concise supplement to Henry James's The American helps studen... more info>>

This concise supplement to Bernard Malamud's The Assistant helps students understand the overall structure of the work, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author.

The Bear is one of the greatest hunting stories of all time, but is also one of the finest stories about the initiation of a young man into adulthood. Faulkner deals with sin, tainted wealth, duty to fellow human, and many other significant social issues.

This first-person narrative of a young woman with an existential mental problem struggling toward adulthood is often seen as Ms. Plath's autobiography. It is a delicate plunge into the mind of someone losing sanity.

Ms. Morrison's first book, The Bluest Eye, tells the painful story of a 1940s black woman who obsesses over her desire to become white. Her futile longing for the "bluest eyes" eventually drives her mad, as she accepts someone else's definition of beauty and loses herself in a hopeless struggle. Sula concerns the growth and destruction of a friendship between two black girls from a poor town.

These savage, poetic, and courageous tales of existence are told through the eyes of two different canines. Although on one level they are stories about four-legged animals, the lessons of life in domestic and wild circumstances speak to generations past, present, and to come. London's stories are American treasures of wilderness and the harsh realities of existence.

Perhaps the most famous text remaining in Middle English, this tells the stories told by a party of pilgrims journeying from London to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. Chaucer offers a tableau of life in 14th-century England.

A beautiful, difficult, and moving story about a shy and abused Southern black woman's struggle to create an identity, a feeling of self-worth, and love.

A multicultural perennial favorite by Robert Lipsyte, The Contender is a moral tale that emphasizes the importance of the fight rather than the prize, the quality of the struggle over the outcome. Hence, becoming a contender is what Alfred Brooks learns to do as he literally fights young boxers and figuratively braves the inner struggle of peer pressure.

Explore Arthur Miller's superior play about good and evil, self-identity and morality by looking into CliffsNotes on The Crucible. Boost your insight (and impress your teachers as a result!) by using this study guide to gain understanding about the play's central story, set during the Salem witch hunts in the 1600s. You'll also discover parallels to contemporary witch hunts--such as the McCarthy investigations of the 1950s--and the paranoia and fear that accompany them. And that's not all! Cliff... more info>>

The novel that made Ayn Rand famous, The Fountainhead is perceived as a modern classic. Taking place in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, it chronicles the efforts of architect Howard Roark to achieve success on his own terms. It is Rand's first book to carry forth her anti-communist ideals, that individuals should think and believe independently and not allow their lives or careers to be dominated in any way by the beliefs of others. And as Roark's designs create a rub against the acceptabl... more info>>

Steinbeck wrote this book to bring into the spotlight the plight of migrant workers. In The Grapes of Wrath a migrant family travels from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to California only to be exploited by the agricultural system. The ferocity of resulting attacks on Steinbeck and his politics point to the truth and power of the stories told in this novel.

A fascinating and tragic story of a man obsessed with the idea of success in America. Gatsby's singularity of purpose makes him a caricature of many American ideologies, all told in a spectacular, artful narrative.

One of the most important poems of all time, The Iliad is an epic that deals with a sliver of the Trojan War, its tenth year. From this poem we derive much of our understanding of the ancient world. It also sets a standard of literature that is ra

On one level, The Jungle is a gritty investigation into the meatpacking industry. On another, it is a serious book of the times, challenging the policies and beliefs of our political organizations at the beginning of the century. This is one of the first American social protest novels. This concise supplement to Sinclair's The Jungle helps students understand the overall structure of the novel, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author. ... more info>>

This play is a romantic comedy. But as the story of a young merchant who cannot repay a debt to vindictive money lender, it has a very dark obstacle in the character of Shylock, one of the most vivid and memorable characters in Shakespeare's works.

Based on medieval Arthurian legends, The Once and Future King is a twentieth-century version of young Arthur's quest for the sword Excalibur and his claim to the throne of England. Including many well-known and much-loved episodes with Merlyn, the sorcerer; Morgan La Fay, the witch; and knights jousting and hounds engaged in the hunt, White's novel adds to the lore surrounding the person of King Arthur. CliffsNotes brings you this easy-to-understand study guide that covers all four volumes of... more info>>

Oscar Wilde's classic tale of narcissism is rife with symbolism and classic themes. Beyond the critical approach, the story can simply be enjoyed on its own as a well-written tale of suspense and surprise.

Living in a turbulent time in Florence in the late 1400s and early 1500s, Machiavelli was a statesman who took a special interest in observing the distinct intelligence that made certain rulers successful. The Prince is one of the definitive statements of power and control and is based on what he saw, not what he felt or imagined. These concise supplement to Machiavelli's The Prince helps students understand the overall structure of the work, actions and motivations of the characters, and the... more info>>

Considered to be one of the three greatest philosophical tomes of all time, The Republic is Plato's account and interpretation of Socrates's ideas about life, meaning, and the just society. This text has provoked and shaped thought for thousands of years and is as applicable now as it ever was.

In this novel of betrayal and trials, Hester Prynne is found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet "A" wherever she goes. Her story is filled with the slow process of redemption and eventual love.