In this Collection, explore thousands of years of European History through the lens of literature. Featuring selections ranging from ancient classics such as The History of the Peloponnesian War to contemporary fiction titles, this Collection traces the cultures, conflicts, and figures that shaped the European continent from the ancient empires to the modern day.
Publication year 1992
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Birth, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, British Literature, Climate Change, Depression / Suicide, Grief / Death, Health / Medicine, History: European, Immigration / Refugee, Love / Sexuality, Natural Disaster, Politics / Government, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy
The Children of Men is a dystopian 1992 science fiction novel by P.D. James set in 2021, years after the onset of a mass infertility epidemic. Unless scientists can discover a cure, there will be no more births and the human race will go extinct when the youngest generation dies. This scenario allows James to explore many themes, including existentialism, the meaning of a good life, and the corrupting nature of power.The novel switches between... Read The Children of Men Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: The Past
Tags Psychology, Health / Medicine, History: European, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Military / War, History: World, Psychology, Self Help, Biography
Publication year 2003
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Disability, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags History: World, Military / War, WWII / World War II, History: European, Politics / Government
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: War
Tags Ancient Rome, Politics / Government, History: World, Military / War, History: European, Classical Period, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1955
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags Holocaust, Play: Drama, WWII / World War II, Grief / Death, History: European, Military / War, Love / Sexuality
Publication year 1947
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: War, Relationships: Family
Tags History: European, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: World, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Education, Education, Military / War, Classic Fiction, Biography
Written between 1942 and 1944, The Diary of Anne Frank, aka The Diary of a Young Girl, is a collection of journal entries by Anne Frank, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl, while in hiding with her family for two years in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. When Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, her diary was given to her father, Otto Frank, the only known survivor of the family. The diary was first published... Read The Diary of a Young Girl Summary
Publication year 1660
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt
Tags History: European, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Reformation, British Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction, Biography
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class, Society: War
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture, Class, History: European, Military / War, Gender / Feminism, British Literature, History: World, Romance
Publication year 1531
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Italian Literature, History: European
In 1516, at the height of the Italian Renaissance, Niccolò Machiavelli pens his Discourses on Livy while in exile from his native city of Florence. The Discourses are Machiavelli’s commentaries on the republic of ancient Rome—how it is founded, maintained, and protected—and how Roman wisdom in the art of statecraft can be used by all republics.The Roman Republic is an early democracy that lasts from 509 BCE to 49 BCE. Roman scholar Titus Livius—“Livy”—first recorded... Read The Discourses Summary
Publication year 1996
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Christian literature, Religion / Spirituality, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, British Literature, Education, Education, History: European, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags WWII / World War II, Holocaust, History: European, Military / War, History: World, Biography
Publication year 1852
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags History: European, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Sociology, German Literature, Business / Economics, History: World, French Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1992
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Politics / Government, Philosophy, Business / Economics, History: World, History: European, Sociology, Philosophy
The End of History and the Last Man by political scientist Francis Fukuyama is a widely read and controversial book on political philosophy published in 1992. In it, Fukuyama argues that the end of the Cold War in 1991 established Western liberal democracy as the final and most successful form of government, thus marking the conclusion of “mankind’s ideological evolution.” Since its original release, the book has been updated in 2006 and 2019 with reassertions... Read The End of History and the Last Man Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Tags Holocaust, WWII / World War II, History: European, Military / War, History: World, Biography
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: European, British Literature, History: World
Publication year 2014
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags History: European, Children's Literature, Russian Literature, Military / War, History: World, Biography
First published in 2014, Candance Fleming’s The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia is a young-adult nonfiction book detailing the last generation of Romanovs to rule Russia from 1894 to 1917, and the fall of Russia’s autocracy through the Russian Revolution. The Family Romanov won both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction. In The Family Romanov, Fleming combines her nonfiction... Read The Family Romanov Summary
Publication year 1887
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Drama, Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Play: Tragedy, Gender / Feminism, History: European, Mental Illness, Relationships, Scandinavian Literature, Naturalism, History: World
Publication year 2018
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Crime / Legal, History: European, Science / Nature, Animals, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World
The Feather Thief by American author, screenwriter, and journalist Kirk Wallace Johnson is about the 2009 heist of the British Natural History Museum at Tring. It retraces the background of the 20-year-old American thief, professional flautist, and master fly-tier, Edwin Rist, who stole 299 rare bird skins from the museum. Johnson first heard about the heist while fly-fishing on a river in New Mexico. Living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after years of aid work... Read The Feather Thief Summary
Publication year 1999
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Society: Politics & Government
Tags History: World, Military / War, WWI / World War I, History: European, Politics / Government
Publication year 2019
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Crime / Legal, History: European, Gender / Feminism