Classical Reverie

Literature Search

  • The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli 

    “It’s much safer to be feared than loved” (p.66). – Niccolo Machiavelli  Synopsis and Recommendation Written by Niccolo Machiavelli and published in 1432, The Prince is a political treatise that is considered one of the most famous, if not the most famous, book on politics ever written. Even if one has not heard of the…

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  • The World of Yesterday

    “But in the last resort, every shadow is also the child of light, and only those who have known the light and the dark, have seen war and peace, rise and fall, have truly lived their lives” – Stefan Zweig Synopsis and Recommendation Written by Stefan Zweig, “The World of Yesterday” is a memoir, not…

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  • A Room with a View

    “Does it not strike you as odd that she should play so wonderfully, play Beethoven with such passion, and live so quietly?” Synopsis and Recommendation A room with a view, a novel written by E.M Forester and adapted into a film directed by James Ivory, follows the romance of Lucy Honeychurch and George Emerson as…

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  • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

    “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.”  “Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little…

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  • The Anthem by Ayn Rand

    “I am. I think. I will.” “The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will seek them.” “I understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him.” “Many words have been granted me, and…

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  • The Importance of Being Earnest

    Synopsis and Recommendation Written by Oscar Wilde in 1940, “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a wonderful and light read, and with each passing read, a new discovery is made. This story portrays what happens when lies catch up with us, but with a comedic and romantic ending that slightly nullifies the emphasis on the…

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  • Lady Windermere’s Fan

    “I love you – love you as I have never loved any living thing. From the moment I met you, I loved you, loved you blindly, adoringly, madly!” – Lord Windermere from Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde Written by Oscar Wilde in 1893, Lady Windermere’s Fan explores the relationship between Lord and Lady Windermere…

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  • The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

    “How beautiful it is and how easily it can be broken.” – stage directions by Tennessee Williams (p. xxi)  Written by Tennessee Williams in 1944, The Glass Menagerie tells the story of the three people who comprise a small family in St. Louis, Missouri. Through the lens and memory of Tom Wingfield, the adult son,…

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  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” – John Proctor…

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  •   The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

    ““He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.” – Virginia from the Canterville Ghost Synopsis and Recommendation Written by Oscar Wilde in 1887, “The Canterville Ghost” is absolutely perfect for an autumn night in preparation for or on Halloween. Aligned with Wilde’s signature style of…

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