Primary Sources
Books of the 20th Century
Ethan Frome
An anonymous article published on October 8, 1911 in the New York Times called Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome, "a cruel story. It is a compelling and haunting story. But it is a story which a bald telling, without the art which has thrown the crude material of the plot into due dramatic perspective and given it poetic atmosphere, could easily make absurd, or even revolting." The review tells about how the novel takes a potentially disastrous story line and manages to make it a tragic tale of forbidden love and sacrifices. The writer urges those who have not read the book to read it, and to tell the people reading the paper about Wharton's inherent skill in writing.
|
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made." -The Great Gatsby
A Farewell to Arms
“The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.” -A Farewell to Arms
Written by Ernest Hemingway in 1929, A Farewell to Arms is a tragic love story between an American ambulance officer and an English nurse among the fighting of the Second World War. The novel is one of many novels based on the Great World Wars, but it has remained a classic over the decades where the others have faded away. Hemingway paints a picture of love between Henry and Catherine is so strong that Henry deserts the army so they can be together, a story that young romantics will love. Henry's reflections on war and courage add a layer to the love story that appeals to male readers as well.
|
"a moving and beautiful book"
Cover of A Farewell to Arms.
|
Books of the 21st Century
“What if death is nothing but sound?” “Electrical noise.” “You hear it forever. Sound all around. How awful.” “Uniform, white.” -White Noise