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SoBrief
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A Little History of Literature
by John Sutherland • 2013
Myths, money, and modernism: how literature got from campfire tales to your e-reader.
3.82
2k+
A Little History of Literature Summary
A Little History of Literature 90%
Myths, money, and modernism: how literature got from campfire tales to your e-reader.
by John Sutherland 2013
3.82
2k+ ratings
The Iliad / The Odyssey
by Homer
We know nothing of Homer. So his epics became a mirror every civilization fills with itself.
4.07
84k+
The Iliad / The Odyssey Summary
The Iliad / The Odyssey 89%
We know nothing of Homer. So his epics became a mirror every civilization fills with itself.
by Homer
4.07
84k+ ratings
History of English literature
by Edward Albert • 1923
From Beowulf to Eliot: the full sweep of English literature, century by century.
3.90
257
History of English literature Summary
History of English literature 89%
From Beowulf to Eliot: the full sweep of English literature, century by century.
by Edward Albert 1923
3.90
257 ratings
The Anatomy of Influence
by Harold Bloom • 2011
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
3.93
477
The Anatomy of Influence Summary
The Anatomy of Influence 89%
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
by Harold Bloom 2011
3.93
477 ratings
Why Bob Dylan Matters
by Richard F. Thomas • 2017
A classicist reveals the ancient texts hidden inside Bob Dylan's most famous lyrics.
3.74
1k+
Why Bob Dylan Matters Summary
Why Bob Dylan Matters 88%
A classicist reveals the ancient texts hidden inside Bob Dylan's most famous lyrics.
by Richard F. Thomas 2017
3.74
1k+ ratings
Preface to Shakespeare
by Samuel Johnson • 1778
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
3.62
376
Preface to Shakespeare Summary
Preface to Shakespeare 88%
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
by Samuel Johnson 1778
3.62
376 ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 88%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
El infinito en un junco
by Irene Vallejo • 2019
Papyrus rots. Libraries burn. The improbable survival story of the books you still read.
4.24
27k+
El infinito en un junco Summary
El infinito en un junco 88%
Papyrus rots. Libraries burn. The improbable survival story of the books you still read.
by Irene Vallejo 2019
4.24
27k+ ratings
Shakespeare's Freedom
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2010
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
3.83
175
Shakespeare's Freedom Summary
Shakespeare's Freedom 88%
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2010
3.83
175 ratings
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom • 2000
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
3.61
4k+
How to Read and Why Summary
How to Read and Why 88%
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
by Harold Bloom 2000
3.61
4k+ ratings
The Translator's Invisibility
by Lawrence Venuti • 1994
The smoother a translation reads, the more it erases the foreign culture and the translator's labor.
3.79
272
The Translator's Invisibility Summary
The Translator's Invisibility 88%
The smoother a translation reads, the more it erases the foreign culture and the translator's labor.
by Lawrence Venuti 1994
3.79
272 ratings
Borges on Writing
by Jorge Luis Borges • 1973
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
4.07
1k+
Borges on Writing Summary
Borges on Writing 88%
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
by Jorge Luis Borges 1973
4.07
1k+ ratings
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro
by Vladimir Nabokov • 1981
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
4.26
2k+
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro Summary
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro 88%
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
by Vladimir Nabokov 1981
4.26
2k+ ratings
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist
by Orhan Pamuk • 2010
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
3.95
3k+
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist Summary
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist 88%
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
by Orhan Pamuk 2010
3.95
3k+ ratings
Poetics
by Aristotle
Plot is everything. Character is secondary. The ancient blueprint for a tragedy that devastates.
3.83
30k+
Poetics Summary
Poetics 87%
Plot is everything. Character is secondary. The ancient blueprint for a tragedy that devastates.
by Aristotle
3.83
30k+ ratings
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
by Curtis Smith • 2016
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
4.27
41
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Summary
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five 87%
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
by Curtis Smith 2016
4.27
41 ratings
Julio Cortázar
by Robert Brody • 1976
The novel that made the reader an accomplice: its mechanisms and meanings, fully decoded.
4.37
8k+
Julio Cortázar Summary
Julio Cortázar 87%
The novel that made the reader an accomplice: its mechanisms and meanings, fully decoded.
by Robert Brody 1976
4.37
8k+ ratings
Dialogism
by Michael Holquist • 1990
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
4.09
88
Dialogism Summary
Dialogism 87%
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
by Michael Holquist 1990
4.09
88 ratings
The Return of Ulysses
by Edith Hall • 2008
Every age rewrites the Odyssey, turning monsters into victims and heroes into questions.
3.75
53
The Return of Ulysses Summary
The Return of Ulysses 87%
Every age rewrites the Odyssey, turning monsters into victims and heroes into questions.
by Edith Hall 2008
3.75
53 ratings
Gabriel García Márquez
by Michael Wood • 1990
The craft behind the curse: how magical realism, circular time, and prophecy hold Macondo together.
4.54
6k+
Gabriel García Márquez Summary
Gabriel García Márquez 87%
The craft behind the curse: how magical realism, circular time, and prophecy hold Macondo together.
by Michael Wood 1990
4.54
6k+ ratings
Why Read Moby-Dick?
by Nathaniel Philbrick • 2010
The whale is America: a historian on why Moby-Dick is the novel our present moment demands.
3.78
5k+
Why Read Moby-Dick? Summary
Why Read Moby-Dick? 87%
The whale is America: a historian on why Moby-Dick is the novel our present moment demands.
by Nathaniel Philbrick 2010
3.78
5k+ ratings
The Poetry of Pablo Neruda
by Pablo Neruda • 1951
How love, exile, and revolution forged a Nobel laureate whose poetry still crosses every border.
4.43
21k+
The Poetry of Pablo Neruda Summary
The Poetry of Pablo Neruda 87%
How love, exile, and revolution forged a Nobel laureate whose poetry still crosses every border.
by Pablo Neruda 1951
4.43
21k+ ratings
Custodians of Wonder
by Eliot Stein • 2024
Firsts get statues. Lasts get silence. A search for the final keepers of ancient traditions.
4.19
3k+
Custodians of Wonder Summary
Custodians of Wonder 87%
Firsts get statues. Lasts get silence. A search for the final keepers of ancient traditions.
by Eliot Stein 2024
4.19
3k+ ratings
The Lonely Voice
by Frank O'Connor • 1961
The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.
3.89
246
The Lonely Voice Summary
The Lonely Voice 87%
The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.
by Frank O'Connor 1961
3.89
246 ratings
The Strength to Dream
by Colin Wilson • 1962
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
3.93
123
The Strength to Dream Summary
The Strength to Dream 87%
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
by Colin Wilson 1962
3.93
123 ratings
The Well-Educated Mind
by Susan Wise Bauer • 2003
A classical education for play readers: what the best seats in the house still hide.
4.00
4k+
The Well-Educated Mind Summary
The Well-Educated Mind 87%
A classical education for play readers: what the best seats in the house still hide.
by Susan Wise Bauer 2003
4.00
4k+ ratings
The Gutenberg Parenthesis
by Jeff Jarvis • 2023
Before print, knowledge was conversation. Then books fenced it in. The fences are coming down.
3.83
218
The Gutenberg Parenthesis Summary
The Gutenberg Parenthesis 87%
Before print, knowledge was conversation. Then books fenced it in. The fences are coming down.
by Jeff Jarvis 2023
3.83
218 ratings
Conversations with Orhan Pamuk
by Orhan Pamuk • 2024
A fictional love affair, a real museum, and a Nobel laureate's lifelong argument with his city.
4.00
1
Conversations with Orhan Pamuk Summary
Conversations with Orhan Pamuk 87%
A fictional love affair, a real museum, and a Nobel laureate's lifelong argument with his city.
by Orhan Pamuk 2024
4.00
1 ratings
The Art of Intimacy
by Stacey D'Erasmo • 2013
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
3.93
248
The Art of Intimacy Summary
The Art of Intimacy 87%
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
by Stacey D'Erasmo 2013
3.93
248 ratings
Book Lust
by Nancy Pearl • 2003
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
3.77
4k+
Book Lust Summary
Book Lust 87%
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
by Nancy Pearl 2003
3.77
4k+ ratings
Nonconformity
by Nelson Algren • 1996
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
4.07
268
Nonconformity Summary
Nonconformity 87%
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
by Nelson Algren 1996
4.07
268 ratings
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
by Pierre Bayard • 2020
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
3.44
5k+
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read Summary
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read 87%
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
by Pierre Bayard 2020
3.44
5k+ ratings
Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible
by Linda Wagner-Martin • 2001
Nathan Price never narrates: inside the five-woman chorus that indicts a missionary's arrogance.
4.31
308
Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible Summary
Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible 87%
Nathan Price never narrates: inside the five-woman chorus that indicts a missionary's arrogance.
by Linda Wagner-Martin 2001
4.31
308 ratings
Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami
by David Karashima • 2020
Your Murakami was crafted by translators who cut, reshaped, and sometimes rewrote him; this is how.
3.71
477
Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami Summary
Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami 87%
Your Murakami was crafted by translators who cut, reshaped, and sometimes rewrote him; this is how.
by David Karashima 2020
3.71
477 ratings
The Shadow of a Great Rock
by Harold Bloom • 2011
The King James Bible as literature: irony, personality, a god more character than creator.
3.48
185
The Shadow of a Great Rock Summary
The Shadow of a Great Rock 87%
The King James Bible as literature: irony, personality, a god more character than creator.
by Harold Bloom 2011
3.48
185 ratings
The Closing of the American Mind
by Allan Bloom • 1988
A dogma that all truths are equal has hollowed the American mind, starting on campus.
3.76
6k+
The Closing of the American Mind Summary
The Closing of the American Mind 87%
A dogma that all truths are equal has hollowed the American mind, starting on campus.
by Allan Bloom 1988
3.76
6k+ ratings
How Fiction Works
by James Wood • 2008
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
3.99
8k+
How Fiction Works Summary
How Fiction Works 87%
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
by James Wood 2008
3.99
8k+ ratings
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
by Elisa Kriza • 2014
Solzhenitsyn became a Cold War saint. The nationalism and anti-Semitism in his work were never read.
4.5
2
Alexander Solzhenitsyn Summary
Alexander Solzhenitsyn 87%
Solzhenitsyn became a Cold War saint. The nationalism and anti-Semitism in his work were never read.
by Elisa Kriza 2014
4.5
2 ratings
On Writing
by Ernest Hemingway • 1984
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
4.02
5k+
On Writing Summary
On Writing 87%
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
by Ernest Hemingway 1984
4.02
5k+ ratings
Make Believe
by Mac Barnett • 2026
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
4.38
3k+
Make Believe Summary
Make Believe 87%
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
by Mac Barnett 2026
4.38
3k+ ratings
Orhan Pamuk, Secularism and Blasphemy
by Erdağ M. Göknar • 2012
Pamuk's novels defy Turkey's secular state, resurrecting the Islamic past the nation tried to bury.
4.13
16
Orhan Pamuk, Secularism and Blasphemy Summary
Orhan Pamuk, Secularism and Blasphemy 87%
Pamuk's novels defy Turkey's secular state, resurrecting the Islamic past the nation tried to bury.
by Erdağ M. Göknar 2012
4.13
16 ratings
The Limits of Interpretation
by Umberto Eco • 1990
When deconstruction declared all readings equal, Eco showed why the text itself disagrees.
4.13
552
The Limits of Interpretation Summary
The Limits of Interpretation 87%
When deconstruction declared all readings equal, Eco showed why the text itself disagrees.
by Umberto Eco 1990
4.13
552 ratings
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
by George Saunders • 2021
Seven Russian classics, read one line at a time, reveal the hidden machinery of great fiction.
4.53
26k+
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain Summary
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain 87%
Seven Russian classics, read one line at a time, reveal the hidden machinery of great fiction.
by George Saunders 2021
4.53
26k+ ratings
The Poet's Guide to Life
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 2005
Rilke's letters become a field guide: how to turn solitude and loss into a deeper life.
4.12
368
The Poet's Guide to Life Summary
The Poet's Guide to Life 87%
Rilke's letters become a field guide: how to turn solitude and loss into a deeper life.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 2005
4.12
368 ratings
Science Fiction
by David Seed • 2011
How space voyages, aliens, and time travel turned science fiction into the literature of ideas.
3.31
554
Science Fiction Summary
Science Fiction 86%
How space voyages, aliens, and time travel turned science fiction into the literature of ideas.
by David Seed 2011
3.31
554 ratings
Revolt Against the Modern World
by Julius Evola • 1934
Progress is backwards: history is the long descent from sacred kingship to the rule of the masses.
3.98
2k+
Revolt Against the Modern World Summary
Revolt Against the Modern World 86%
Progress is backwards: history is the long descent from sacred kingship to the rule of the masses.
by Julius Evola 1934
3.98
2k+ ratings
Ideas Have Consequences
by Richard M. Weaver • 1948
A 14th-century philosophical error unraveled the West. Fixing it demands harder medicine.
4.13
2k+
Ideas Have Consequences Summary
Ideas Have Consequences 86%
A 14th-century philosophical error unraveled the West. Fixing it demands harder medicine.
by Richard M. Weaver 1948
4.13
2k+ ratings
Hanul Ancuței
by Mihail Sadoveanu • 1928
A shepherd's wife follows omens and rumors across rural Moldova to find her missing husband.
3.01
6k+
Hanul Ancuței Summary
Hanul Ancuței 86%
A shepherd's wife follows omens and rumors across rural Moldova to find her missing husband.
by Mihail Sadoveanu 1928
3.01
6k+ ratings
The Great Conversation
by Mortimer J. Adler • 1952
What 2,500 years of argument can teach you that a lifetime of schooling never will.
4.17
705
The Great Conversation Summary
The Great Conversation 86%
What 2,500 years of argument can teach you that a lifetime of schooling never will.
by Mortimer J. Adler 1952
4.17
705 ratings
The New Orientalists
by Ian Almond • 2007
Postmodernism attacked Orientalism. Then, from Nietzsche to Žižek, it built a subtler one.
3.41
41
The New Orientalists Summary
The New Orientalists 86%
Postmodernism attacked Orientalism. Then, from Nietzsche to Žižek, it built a subtler one.
by Ian Almond 2007
3.41
41 ratings
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