Study guides: books, letter n

Name Of The Rose by Umberto Eco

Out of many books the legendary Umberto Eco has written, “The Name of the Rose” remains one of the most symbolic and fascinating. With just a couple of hundred pages and a weeklong plot, it will take the reader on a long investigative journey of solving a suicide (or possible murder?) under the circumstances of an important political disputation being prepared. Inspired by medieval...

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

Out of all the voices talking about slavery, Frederick Douglass is one of the most vivid ones. Having lived through it himself, he knows the exact price of freedom. Luckily for him, Frederick was born in the North of the States and “enjoyed” a milder form of slavery where he had access to means of self-education. Having taught himself to read and write, after fleeing to New York he...

Native Son by Richard Wright

Richard Wright wrote “Native Son” in 1940. It is a very strong, tragic and emotional novel about the position of African Americans in the society. It talks about the existential gap between the nation, it describes the wish for warmth and understanding, and it also deals with the inner monsters inside all of us. How many times do we try to find excuses for somebody’s...

Night by Elie Wiesel

“Night” is a written testimony of the Nazi German camps composed by Elie Wiesel in 1960. It’s a short read of hundred pages that will leave you thinking about the values of life for months and years after finishing the book. It’s hard to call it a memoir or a deposition of the Second World War victim, but there’s no doubt that it’s a work of art. There are...

No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre

One of the most famous existential works, “No Exit” by Jean-Paul Sartre is a source of inspiration for lots of modern writers and playwrights. The depiction of Hell as a very comfortable and hospitable place was something new for the audience of that time. But when the plot of the story starts to unwind, we understand the main idea that the author tries to tell us: the hell is inside...

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Jane Austen is one of the most famous figures in English romanticism of the first half of the 19th century. She is still considered to be the “first lady” of English literature. Her “novels of customs” are conquered for the third century by sincerity, subtle psychology and true English humor. “Northanger Abbey” is a literary parody on a gothic style and at the...

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“Notes from Underground” is the creation of Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is a memoir of an undefined man who goes through dark times. It’s not just a literary piece, it’s a chemical substance. It is a kind of book that changes the reader after the last page is over. The first part of the story is a monologue of a retired man. By reading through his confession the...

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry wrote “Number the Stars” in 1989. The book talks about a Jewish family who, just like many other Jews, found themselves entrapped in Copenhagen during the Second World War. The story is based on real events as the author undertook a couple of trips to Denmark for conducting research. The text is written as a child’s book that talks about sad events from the...