American literature

Moby-Dick

“Call me Ishmael.” — Herman Melville, Moby-Dick The novel begins with Ishmael, a wandering sailor, seeking adventure and signing onto the whaling ship Pequod in Nantucket. He befriends […]

English literature

Notes on a Scandal

“Sheba thought she was special. She thought she was different. She thought she could get away with it.” Part One The novel opens with Barbara Covett, a veteran […]

English literature

The Sea, The Sea

“The sea which is everywhere the same and everywhere different.” — Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea Part One: Arrival at Shruff End Charles Arrowby, a retired theater […]

English literature

Enduring Love

“The beginning is simple to mark.” — Ian McEwan, Enduring Love Chapter 1 The novel opens with a dramatic and tragic hot-air balloon accident. Joe Rose, a science […]