“The factory was like a living thing. It breathed, it pulsed, it grew.” Chapter 1: The Hiring Process The novel opens with an unnamed protagonist, a recent graduate […]
German literature
Amerika
“He was looking out of the window, and the sight of the people in the street made him feel even more lonely.” Chapter 1: The Stoker Karl Rossmann, […]
German literature
The Castle
“No one can really be called a stranger in the Castle; we are all the Castle’s people.” The Castle follows K., a land surveyor who arrives in a […]
German literature
The Metamorphosis
“When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.” Chapter 1 Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, […]
German literature
The Trial
“Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning.” Chapter 1: Arrest Josef K., a senior […]
Russian literature
A Dreary Story
“Life has no meaning, and death has no meaning either.” Chapter 1: The Professor’s Reflections Nikolai Stepanovich, an aging professor of medicine, reflects on his life as he […]
French literature
Things: A Story of the Sixties
“They had wanted happiness, and they had wanted things.” Chapter 1: The Illusion of Desire The novel opens with Jérôme and Sylvie, a young Parisian couple in their […]
French literature
Nausea
“Existence is not something which lets itself be thought of from a distance: it must invade you suddenly, master you, weigh heavily on your heart like a great […]
French literature
The Stranger (L’Étranger)
“Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.” Part One Meursault, a detached and indifferent French Algerian, receives news of his mother’s death and attends her funeral. […]
American literature
Less Than Zero
“People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles.” Chapter 1: Return to Los Angeles Clay, an 18-year-old college student, returns to Los Angeles for winter break. […]