Classics

Classics book summaries help you approach the great novels of the past with confidence. On Thornbook you’ll find accessible overviews of plot, themes, and characters, ideal for students, teachers, and curious readers who want deeper understanding.

Emma by Jane Austen book cover

Emma

Summary Emma follows Emma Woodhouse, clever, wealthy, and convinced she understands everyone’s heart better than they understand their own. Living

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen book cover

Sense and Sensibility

Summary Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters after their father’s death leaves them financially vulnerable and socially displaced. Elinor,

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky book cover

The Idiot

Summary The Idiot follows Prince Lev Myshkin, a gentle, honest man returning to Russia after years of treatment for illness.

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky book cover

Notes from Underground

Summary Notes from Underground is told by an unnamed narrator—an isolated, bitter former civil servant who writes from a psychological

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky book cover

The Brothers Karamazov

Summary The Brothers Karamazov centers on the destructive Karamazov family, led by the corrupt and impulsive father, Fyodor Pavlovich. His

Shirley book cover

Shirley

Summary This Shirley summary follows two very different women—Caroline Helstone, quiet and uncertain about her future, and Shirley Keeldar, confident,

Vilette book cover

Villette

Summary This Villette summary follows Lucy Snowe, a quiet, intelligent young woman who leaves England to start over in the

Mathilda book cover

Mathilda

Summary This Mathilda summary follows a young woman shaped by emotional loneliness, loss, and a deep hunger for love. At

The last man book cover

The Last Man

Summary This The Last Man summary follows Lionel Verney, a rough outsider who rises into England’s political and social elite.

Jane Eyre book cover

Jane Eyre

Summary This Jane Eyre summary follows Jane, an orphan who grows up facing cruelty, loneliness, and strict discipline. Even so,

Frankenstein book cover

Frankenstein

Summary This Frankenstein summary follows Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but obsessive young scientist who becomes consumed by the dream of

Crime and Punishment book cover

Crime and Punishment

Summary Crime and Punishment follows Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor former law student in St. Petersburg who becomes consumed by a

The Great Gatsby

Summary “The Great Gatsby” follows Nick Carraway, a young bond salesman who moves to Long Island and becomes entangled in

Pride and Prejudice Cover

Pride and Prejudice

Summary For those interested in a Pride and Prejudice book summary, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth Bennet, a

To Kill a Mockingbird Cover

To Kill a Mockingbird

Summary Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the small, fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930s.

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