The Noble Nobels What makes some literature better, or more important, than others?

Graphic Novels as Literature Some think of comic books as child's entertainment.

Chicano Literature Learn about a people through their literary history

Bishop and Lowell Consider how their relationship possibly affected their work

Age of EnlightenmentHow does the Age of Enlightenment transform Western thought?

Modernism Learn how the fine arts expressed the ideas, attitudes, and anxieties of the modern age.

Shakespeare's Three Great Tragedies Discover the Shakespearian tragedy as defined by the plays Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear.

William Shakespeare Learn some biographical basics about this famous playwright.

Beowulf Learn more about this Anglo-Saxon epic poem and action story.

Brave New World; Clones, Evolution, and Biotechnology Explore some of the implications of cloning as Aldous Huxley did in his novel.

The history behind Animal Farm Learn about the historical events that parallel the characters and their activities in this novel.

Lord of the Flies; Nature vs. Nurture Determine whether innate characteristics or environmental conditions exert a stronger influence on the characters in this novel.

The Culture of India Learn how India has maintained its heritage in regards to religion, food, music, and society.

Greek Mythology Meet the gods and heroes of Greek myths.

Trickster folk tales from around the world Explore the trickster archetype in folk tales.

The world's largest dam The Three Gorges dam, a major element in John Hersey's novel, A Single Pebble, is now being completed in China.

Greek theater Look beyond the entertainment value of Greek theater for social commentary and civic responsibility.

Roman theater Find out what happens to theater when the Romans borrow and adapt Greek traditions.

Medieval theater Examine the theater of Medieval times to see how the church got into the act.

Elizabethan theater Research the origins of modern theater in the Renaissance.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table Look into the legend and sort out for yourself the facts and fictions (while reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight).

Alice in Wonderland: A Window on Victorian England Understand how satire transforms this children's book into a critical look at the Victorians (while you read Alice in Wonderland).

Fairy Tales from Around the World Discover the origin of these imaginary stories and see how they differ from one part of the world to the next.

Charlie Marlowe's Dark Heart Research Joseph Conrad's modern fiction and examine how his work resurfaces in the movie Apocalypse Now (while you read Heart of Darkness).

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Discover what the play reveals about Shakespeare's time.

Shakespeare's Macbeth Discover the truth about the author and his "great" Dane.

Who is Gabriel G�rcia M�rquez? Discover how the Colombian author mixes truth and fiction (before reading A Chronicle of a Death Foretold).

Queen Victoria Delve into the details of the life of this famous English Queen (before reading Great Expectations).

Shakespeare's Theater William Shakespeare - What you probably don't know.