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The fourth work of Trollope's «Chronicles of Barsetshire» series, this novel primarily follows the young curate Mark Robarts, newly arrived in Framley thanks to the living provided for by Lady Lufton. The ambitious if naive Robarts looks to advance his career by mingling with the higher class society around him, which leads to a test of his traditionally Victorian values as a gentleman. While Robarts is being compromised and even being brought to the edge of a social downfall, the love of his sister Lucy is challenged by the disapproving mother of Lord Lufton. Amidst this impressive description of English life in the 1800s, Trollope tells this story with consideration and his characteristically satiric humor, gaining for «Framley Parsonage» the general acknowledgement as his most popular work.

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"The Monk" is Matthew G. Lewis's 1796 novel which is the tale of a monk who is tempted by carnal desire and led down a ruinous path of ungodliness. Ambrosio, a pious, well-respected monk in Spain, is lustfully tempted by his pupil, Matilda, a woman who has disguised herself as a monk. Having satisfied himself with her, he is overcome with carnal desire for the innocent Antonia. With the help of Matilda, who is actually Satan in disguise, Ambrosio seduces Antonia, a seduction that would ultimately lead to his downfall. Recognized as one of the first novels of the gothic genre, «The Monk» is a classic tale of the tragic ruin that may befall one tempted by desire.

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Written from 1852 to 1856, this autobiographical novel was Tolstoy's first publication. The early life of Nikolai, the son of wealthy landowner in Russia, is fully explored, slowly revealing this young boy's inner mind, relationships, and social standing. As he describes his tutor, angelic mother, aloof father, worldly brother, and later his moralistic friend, Nikolai displays a mind given to dreaming and a personality as complex as it is conflicted. As he grows and moves from his country home to his grandmother's mansion in Moscow, Nikolai also struggles at intervals to find a sort of moral balance, which affects his love, his education, and the type of man he might become. Tolstoy demonstrates, even in this first literary attempt, his ability to utilize a host of minor characters to fully develop the internal life of his main character. «Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth» shows in its three parts not only the deliberate building of a protagonist but also a universal story about coming of age. This novel has proven itself to be a seminal work for an extraordinary novelist.

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Hailed as the world's first novel, «Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded» by Samuel Richardson is a gripping tale about a beautiful young maidservant in mid-1700's England. After her employer dies, the employer's son begins making advances toward her. The virtuous girl tries to stave off his advances, but Mr. B's desperation eventually causes him to kidnap her in a misguided attempt to try and make her understand how much he loves her. When he realizes that Pamela is truly a chaste and innocent girl, he begins to treat her in a new and more respectful manner. In return, Pamela forgives her oppressor and tries to show him how to lead a more virtuous life. «Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded» is a novel full of scandal and unease. During its original publication, it shocked audiences with its lurid plot, yet Richardson gathered a large and faithful following of readers. Also present in the novel are themes of virtuosity, morality, and class differences during the Georgian Era of England. In terms of gender biases, Richardson knew that men and women were held to much different standards in terms of ethics, and he used the shock value of Mr. B's actions to call awareness to the hypocritical social environment. Whether one is reading Richardson's «Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded» for pure pleasure or as an in-depth look at the public climate of 18th century England, it will most assuredly not be a disappointment.

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Widely acknowledged as one of Emile Zola's masterpieces, «L'Assommoir» is a novel immersed in the harsh poverty and relief-giving alcoholism of working-class Paris in the nineteenth century. At the heart of Zola's shockingly realistic descriptions is Gervaise, a mother abandoned by her lover who must learn to survive alone on what she can earn. When she marries the abstemious roof-worker Coupeau and manages to open her own laundry, life is for a while successful and happy. Unfortunately, Coupeau is seriously injured shortly after the birth of their daughter Anna, and his plunge into heavy drinking soon proves ruinous for the entire family. A contemporary commercial triumph, Zola's novel sparked discussion and criticism in both the social and literary realms, establishing the author's international reputation for a masterful use of the French language that devastatingly depicted the tragedy of realism.

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First published in 1791, Ann Radcliffe's «The Romance of the Forest,» is a classic Gothic novel, a suspenseful mystery that examines the tension between hedonism and morality. An instant success for the author, this novel would establish Radcliffe's as the preeminent author of romances of her era. While Radcliffe's work was similar in many respects to her Gothic predecessors her work differed fundamentally in its breadth of development of her characters. The story concerns Monsieur Pierre de la Motte and his wife, Madame Constance de la Motte, who having fallen into financial troubles and are fleeing Paris in order to escape their debts. While «The Romance of the Forest» is not generally regarded as in the same league as «The Italian» and «The Mysteries of Udolpho,» it was Radcliffe's first major literary success and would propel her career. Radcliffe's influence would be profound, helping greatly to establish literary validity for the Gothic genre.

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"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is Mark Twain's classic tale of Hank Morgan, a resident of 19th century Hartford Connecticut who is inexplicably transported to the early medieval England of King Arthur. A classic satire, «A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court» pokes fun at the romanticized notions of chivalry and the idealization of the middle ages. A delightful and enchanting tale, «A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court» shows Twain at his satirical best.

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First published in 1864, this fifth novel of the Chronicles of Barsetshire series primarily relates the story of Lily Dale, a young woman living in the dower house of the Allington estate with her mother and sister Bell. Although Lily is secretly loved by a junior clerk in a tax office, John Eames, she becomes enamored with Adolphus Crosbie, an ambitious and egocentric man from a more urban environment. When Crosbie's fickle behavior leaves Lily heartbroken, she must decide if she will accept the honest suit of Eames, or if she will opt for a protected, solitary life of spinsterhood. In addition to the struggle of Trollope's most well-liked heroine, the author includes a host of other characters who enhance the narrative and its masterful portrayal of the inner lives and complexity of men and women.

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Written in 1912 and set in and around London, «The Reef» is a story of complex morality and its intricately woven place in society. This narrative primarily follows George Darrow and Anna Leath, a young gentleman and a widowed lady who plan to marry. Both of them experience doubts about their union, with surprising outcomes. Darrow has a brief liaison with the delicate, generous Sophy Viner, a kind woman of the working class. She later meets Anna's stepson Owen Leath, who wishes to upset social conventions and marry her. When Anna's discovers the intimate history of Darrow and Sophy, she worries about her stepson's affections and feels concerned about the alliance she herself is about to create. Wharton's talent for balancing emotional turmoil and all the social manners of her time is blended into this philosophical work that explores the metaphorical reefs in the hearts of women.

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"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is considered by many to be the greatest of all American novels. This sequel to Twain's «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,» is a first person narrative told by its title character. The novel picks up where «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» leaves off. Huck Finn who is now wealthy with the discovery of treasure at the end of «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» finds himself in great danger from his abusive drunkard father who wishes to cash in on Huck's fortune. Fearing for his life Huck believes that he must run away from his home with the Widow Douglas and her Sister, Miss Watson. Huck fakes his own death and escapes to Jackson's Island. There he finds Miss Watson's escaped slave, Jim. Together they escape down the Mississippi River on a raft. «The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn» is a story told in the time of slavery with language that embodies the regional dialects that are common to Twain's work and the Mississippi River Valley in which Twain grew up. The novel is as much a biting and satirical commentary on slavery, religion, and civilized society as it is a light-hearted comedy and buddy travel story through Midwestern 19th century America.

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