Esther's Classic Literature Blog

It's the night before Halloween! And, literature is filled with scary creatures that appear everywhere on the Day of the Dead: ghosts vampires mummies werewolves monsters Do you know where the creatures came from? Have ... Read More

On October 30, 1811, Sense and Sensibility was published anonymously. Most readers only knew that the book was written "by a Lady." Of course, we now know that the author ... Read More

Washington Irving was America's first internationally recognized author. He wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," "The Devil and Tom Walker," "Rip Van Winkle," and many other works. Read a few ... Read More

What happened to Sylvia Plath? Why is The Bell Jar so famous (and controversial)? Sylvia Plath was a poet and writer, famous for the passionate intensity of her poetry, and ... Read More

The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a novella first published in 1886. This famous work is often studied in literature classrooms. In this work, Leo Tolstoy addresses some of the ... Read More

Geoffrey Chaucer wanders through literature, with his The Canterbury Tales, but where did he come from, and why is he such an important figure in literary history? Geoffrey Chaucer was born ... Read More

The Phantom Tollbooth is a modern fairy tale--famous for its wordplay and witty interplay. Instead of a wardrobe or a looking glass, young Milo travels to the Kingdom of Wisdom ... Read More

Have you ever bought a book so that it can sit on your shelf--unread? Not all readers buy books for the same reasons, and you may buy a book when ... Read More

A ghost story is a story with frightening or supernatural elements. A ghostly tale may feature hauntings of ghosts or spirits. Here are a few tales (and other works) that ... Read More

Waiting for Godot is a famous play by Samuel Beckett, an Irish novelist, poet, and dramatist. This absurdist drama was originally written in French, and translated to English in 1954. In ... Read More

Arthur Rimbaud was a French writer, known for Le Bateau Ivre (The Drunken Boat). He published his first poem at the age of 16, and stopped writing at the age ... Read More

Miguel Angel Asturias was born on October 19, 1899 in Guatemala City. He became a poet and novelist, who would become well-known for El Senor Presidente (1946). He received the ... Read More

The time on and around Halloween is the perfect time to read those scary classics. And, if you've never had the opportunity to read the greatest Halloween scares and terrors ... Read More

October is National Crime Prevention Month. Crime is the focus of some of the greatest works of literature. Crime and Punishment (1866) is a famous psychological drama, with a 3rd-person ... Read More

This year, the theme for Teen Read Week is: LOL @ Your Library . And, you don't have to be a teenager to participate in Teen Read Week... According to the ... Read More

The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a novella first published in 1886. This famous work is often studied in literature classrooms. In this work, Leo Tolstoy addresses some of the ... Read More

The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the United States was on October 12, 1792. Columbus Day was then recognized in 1892 upon the 400th anniversary of the Columbus ... Read More

The 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature goes to Doris Lessing, famous British novelist. She won the prize for what the Swedish Academy termed "skepticism, fire and visionary power." She is ... Read More

Are you ready for the Nobel Prize in Literature to be announced? We should know in just a few, short hours... Who do you think will win the Nobel Prize ... Read More

It's certainly turning chilly! And, the pumpkin patch down the road is open (and busy). What is your favorite work of literature about frost and pumpkins? Or, do you like ... Read More

"Phantom" is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. All look and likeness caught from earth, All accident of kin and birth, Had pass'd away. Read the complete poem. Then, tell us... What's ... Read More

October is National Book Month. This annual event encourages readers of all ages to enjoy books. So, what are you reading this month? Are you celebrating National Book Month by ... Read More

October is Diversity Awareness Month. But what does that mean? The goal of celebrating diversity is to raise awareness of cultural richness of African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, women, ... Read More

Halloween is coming! This month, we're reading The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James. "For dreadful--dreadfulness!" (as Henry James writes...) So, if you haven't read the work before (or ... Read More

A banned book is one that has been removed from the shelves of a library, bookstore, or classroom because of its controversial content. In some cases, banned books of the ... Read More

The Bell Jar is the only novel by Sylvia Plath, and it is famous not only because it offers shocking insight into her mind and art, but also because it ... Read More