Department of English

English

The Awakening by Kate Chopin [New]

The Awakening (1899) is a novel by American author Kate Chopin; it marks early feminism as it was one of the earliest American novels to focus on women’s issues without condescension. The novel centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggle between what is socially acceptable of mothers in turn-of-the-century American South and her views on femininity and independence [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Becoming America: An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution

Featuring sixty-nine authors and full texts of their works, the selections in this open anthology represent the diverse voices in early American literature.

Includes: Reading and review questions

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath [New]

The Bell Jar (1963) is the only novel American writer and poet Sylvia Plath wrote in her lifetime. Published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, the novel is semi-autobiographical with the names of places and people changed. The book parallels Plath’s experiences with—presumably—clinical depression or bipolar II disorder as the protagonist descends into mental illness [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche [New]

Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future (1886) is a book by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The text expands the ideas of his previous work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. It was first published in German by C. G. Naumann of Liepzig at the author’s own expense and then translated into English by Helen Zimmern—an acquaintance of the author [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Big Sea by Langston Hughes [New]

The Big Sea (1940) is a novel by American poet Langston Hughes. It chronicles Hughes’s life as a young adult in Harlem and Paris in the 1920s. In Paris, he was a cook and waiter in nightclubs. In Harlem, he was a rising young poet at the center of the Harlem Renaissance [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Book of Small by Emily Carr [New]

The Book of Small (1942) is a novel by Canadian author and painter Emily Carr. It is an early childhood memoir consisting of thirty-six word sketches in which the author relates anecdotes about her life as a young girl living in Victoria, BC [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

British Literature I: Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century and Neoclassicism

Featuring over 50 authors and full texts of their works, this anthology follows the shift of monarchic to parliamentarian rule in Britain, and the heroic epic to the more egalitarian novel as genre.

Includes: Reading and review questions, key terms

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

British Literature II: Romantic Era to the Twentieth Century and Beyond

Featuring 37 authors and full texts of their works, the selections in this open anthology represent the literature developed within and developing through their respective eras.

Includes: Biographies for each author, reading and review questions

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

CanLit Guides

CanLit Guides is a flexible learning resource that helps students critically engage with Canadian literature while encouraging and promoting independent study. CanLit Guides provides first- and second-year university students with information, resources, and exercises addressing literary theory, Canadian literary history, and works of Canadian fiction, non-fiction, and drama. Please note that while free to read, most of the website is not licensed for reuse.

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe [New]

“The Cask of Amontillado” (1846) is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. Set in Italy in an unspecified year, the story is about a man, Montresor, luring his former friend Fortunato to a fatal immurement for reasons unclear to the audience [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels [New]

The Communist Manifesto (1848)—originally the Manifesto of the Communist Party—is a pamphlet by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Manifesto was commissioned by the Communist League and first published in London during the start of the 1848 Revolutions. It is now recognized as one of the world’s most influential political documents [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Compact Anthology of World Literature, Parts 1 – 3

The introductions in this anthology are meant to provide an overview of foundational literature and their historical background. There are three parts to this text split into three separate volumes, Part 1 focused on The Ancient World, Part 2 on the Middle Ages, and Part 3 on the Renaissance.

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Compact Anthology of World Literature II, Parts 4 – 6

The introductions in this anthology are meant to provide an overview of foundational literature and their historical background. There are three parts to this text split into three separate volumes, Part 4 focuses on the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century, Part 5 on the Long Nineteenth Century, and Part 6 on the Twentieth Century and Contemporary Literature.

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton; John Jay; and James Madison [New]

The Federalist Papers (published between October 1787 and May 1788) is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by statesmen and Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The articles were published under the collective pseudonym “Publius” to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Flint and Feather by E. Pauline Johnson [New]

Flint and Feather (1912) is the collected verse of poems by E. Pauline Johnson; it contains material from her books The White Wampum (1985) and Canadian Born (1903) as well as miscellaneous poems. First published by the Musson Books Company in Toronto, it remains one of the all-time best-selling volumes of Canadian poetry [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley [New]

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley. The novel follows Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who, using unorthodox scientific experiments, creates a sapient creature. At just 18 years old Shelley began writing the novel which was later published anonymously in London in 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821 [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Genre in a Changing World

This book collection of essays provides a wide-ranging sampler of current work.

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Note: This is an open access text which restricts remixing and adapting).

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald [New]

The Great Gatsby (1925) is a novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel follows Nick Carraway, a young bond salesman, and his strange interactions and ensuing friendship with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby during the Long Island Jazz Age as Gatsby attempts to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad [New]

Heart of Darkness (1899) is a novella by Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad about a narrated voyage up the Congo River into the Congo Free State in the heart of Africa. Heart of Darkness tells the story of Charles Marlow, a sailor who takes on an assignment from a Belgian trading company as a ferry-boat captain to lead an expedition into Africa. The novel is widely regarded as a critique of European colonial rule in Africa, whilst also examining the themes of power dynamics and morality [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Ideologies of Lived Space in Literary Texts, Ancient and Modern

Inspired by the spatial turn in the humanities, this collection presents a number of essays on the ideological role of space in literary texts. The individual articles analyse ancient and modern literary texts from the angle of the most recent theoretical conceptualisations of space. The focus throughout is on how the experience of space is determined by dominant political, philosophical or religious ideologies and how, in turn, the description of spaces in literature is employed to express, broadcast or deconstruct this experience.

Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself by Harriet Ann Jacobs [New]

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by herself (1861) is an autobiography by Harriet Jacobs, a mother and fugitive slave, published under the pseudonym Linda Brent. The author documents her life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and for her children. Jacobs explores the struggles unique to female slaves, some of which include sexual abuse and their efforts to practice motherhood while also protecting their children who might be sold away [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

In Old Plantation Days by Paul Laurence Dunbar [New]

In Old Plantation Days (1903) by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a collection of short stories that focuses on the stereotypical portrayal of slaves. Dunbar received both criticism and anger for his stereotypical depictions of slaves as “obedient workers happy to spend their lives in service of their benevolent owner” [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith [New]

The Wealth of Nations (1776)—full title An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations—is Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith’s masterpiece. At the time of its publication, the book offered one of the world’s first collected descriptions of what builds nations’ wealth, and is still today a fundamental work in classical economics. Using the economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution as a point of reference, the book discusses broad topics such as the division of labour, productivity, and free markets [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Or Gustavus Vassa, the African by Olaudah Equiano [New]

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African (1789), is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano. The narrative employs a variety of styles, such as a slavery narrative, travel narrative, and spiritual narrative. The book details Equiano’s journey from gaining his own freedom from enslavement to becoming a successful business man through his study of the Bible [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

An Introduction to African and Afro-Diasporic Peoples and Influences in British Literature and Culture before the Industrial Revolution

An Introduction to African and Afro-Diasporic Peoples and Influences in British Literature and Culture before the Industrial Revolution corrects, expands, and celebrates the presence of the African Diaspora in the study of British literature.

Includes: Further reading

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells [New]

The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896) is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. The novel follows Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is then left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who experiments on animals to create human-like hybrid beings [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë [New]

Jane Eyre (1847) is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë, published under the pen name Currer Bell. The novel was the first of its kind to use first-person narrative to highlight the protagonist’s moral and spiritual development. Often credited for revolutionizing prose fiction, the book is also considered to be ahead of its time for how it explores topics like class, sexuality, religion, and feminism, and for Jane’s individualistic character [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Jane’s Career: A Story of Jamaica by Herbert G. de Lisser [New]

Jane: A Story of Jamaica (1913) is a novel by Jamaican author H. G. de Lisser and is the first West Indian novel to feature a Black protagonist. The story follows Jane, a young woman raised in the Jamaican countryside, as she prepares to leave home for the first time and move to Kingston to begin her career [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe [New]

A Journal of the Plague Year (1722)—full title A Journal of the Plague Year: Being Observations or Memorials, Of the most Remarkable Occurrences, As well Publick as Private, which happened in London During the last Great Visitation In 1665—is a book by English writer and journalist Daniel Defoe. The novel is an account of one man’s experiences during the Great Plague of London, when the bubonic plague struck the city of London in 1665 [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes [New]

Leviathan (1651)—full title Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil—is a book written by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. The book offers a criticisms regarding the structure of society and legitimate government. It is considered one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Life History and Travels of Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh, 1847 by George Copway [New]

The Life, History, and Travels of Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh (1847) is a published memoir by Native American author George Copway. The novel centers on his life and time as a missionary. Not only did the novel make him Canada’s first literary celebrity in the United States, but it is also recognized as the first book published by a Canadian First Nations writer [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Literature, the Humanities, and Humanity

Literature, the Humanities, and Humanity attempts to make the study of literature more than simply another school subject that students have to take. At a time when all subjects seem to be valued only for their testability, this book tries to show the value of reading and studying literature, even earlier literature. It shows students, some of whom will themselves become teachers, that literature actually has something to say to them. Furthermore, it shows that literature is meant to be enjoyed, that, as the Roman poet Horace (and his Renaissance disciple Sir Philip Sidney) said, the functions of literature are to teach and to delight. The book will also be useful to teachers who want to convey their passion for literature to their students. After an introductory chapter that offers advice on how to read (and teach) literature, the book consists of a series of chapters that examine individual literary works ranging from The Iliad to Charles Dickens’ Bleak House. These chapters can not substitute for reading the actual works. Rather they are intended to help students read those works. They are attempts to demystify the act of reading and to show that these works, whether they are nearly three thousand or less than two hundred years old, still have important things to say to contemporary readers (Description from resource).

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Little Women by Louisia May Alcott [New]

Little Women—originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869—is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. Loosely based on the lives of Alcott and her sisters, the novel follows the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they journey from childhood to womanhood [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes [New]

Meditations on First Philosophy (1641)—full titles Meditations on First Philosophy, in which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated—is a philosophical treatise by French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes. First published in Latin, the book is made up of six meditations written as if Descartes had meditated for six days; each meditation refers to the last one as “yesterday.” The author rejects all belief in things that are not absolutely certain and then attempts to establish what can be absolutely certain [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift [New]

Written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729, A Modest Proposal—full title A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick—is a satirical essay which mocks the heartless attitudes towards the poor. In order to improve their economic troubles, the essay suggests that the impoverished Irish sell their children as food to rich gentlemen and ladies [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf [New]

Mrs. Dalloway (1925) is a novel by English writer Virginia Woolf. The novel follows a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional high-society woman in post–WWI England, as she prepares for a party she will host in the evening, and the ensuing party. It is one of Woolf’s best-known novels [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe [New]

The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) is a Gothic romance novel by English author Ann Radcliffe. The narrative follows Emily St. Aubert, a young woman who suffers misadventures that include the death of her mother and father, supernatural terrors, and machinations of an Italian brigand [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave: Written by himself by Henry Bibb [New]

Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave (1849) is the autobiography of ex-slave and Abolitionist Henry Bibb. Born on a Kentucky plantation in 1815, Bibb first attempted to escape from bondage at the age of ten. He was recaptured and escaped several more times before he eventually settled in Detroit, Michigan, and joined the antislavery movement as a lecturer [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass [New]

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) is a memoir and treatise on abolition by American orator and ex-slave Frederick Douglass. Considered to be the most famous narrative written by a former slave, the text describes—in factual detail—the events of Douglass’s life. It was also one of the most influential works of literature to lend fuel to the American abolitionist movement in the the early 19th century [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell [New]

North and South (1854) is a social novel by English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. The novel follows Margaret Hale as she is forced to leave her home in the tranquil, rural south and settle with her parents in the fictional industrial town of Milton in the north of England. She witnesses the consequences of the Industrial Revolution and the first strikes between employers and workers [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill [New]

On Liberty (1859) is a philosophical essay by English philosopher John Stuart Mill. Using Mill’s ethical system of utilitarianism in application to society and state, he suggests standards for the relationship between authority and liberty. In addition, the author proposes three basic liberties of individuals, three legitimate objections to government intervention, and two maxims regarding the relationship of the individual to society [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Open Anthology of Early World Literature in English Translation

This webpage is a collection of free and open primary texts in digital formats for the study of early world literature in English translation. Multiple English translations are provided for comparison and study, as well as open secondary and supplemental resources.

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Project Gutenberg [New]

Large collection of eBooks in the Public Domain because the copyright has either expired or the copyright holder has given explicit permission for unlimited non-commercial worldwide use. Contains many classic works of literature.

Licence: May vary, but largely in the Public Domain or CC 0 (Zero)

Prose Fiction: An Introduction to the Semiotics of Narrative

This textbook outlines the principles and techniques of storytelling. It is intended as an introduction to the central concepts of narrative theory that will aid students in developing their competence not only in analyzing and interpreting short stories and novels, but also in writing them.

Includes: Summary, glossary

Licence: CC BY 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Public Domain Core Collection [New]

Includes fiction and non-fiction public domain works that have been adapted for post-secondary use through Pressbooks. This collection is a collaborative project between Ryerson and Brock universities.

Public Domain Core Collection Faculty Guide [New]

This guide has been created to assist instructors in using the Public Domain Core Collection of texts and to provide some suggestions and examples of open assignments that can be created using these texts [Description from resource].

Licence: CC BY 4.0

The Refugee: or the Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada by Benjamin Drew [New]

The Refugee: or the Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada (1856)—full title A North-Side View of Slavery. The Refugee: or the Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada. Related by Themselves, with an Account of the History and Condition of the Colored Population of Upper Canada—is a collection of over 100 testimonies of escaped slaves by white American abolitionist Benjamin Drew [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Roughing it in the Bush by Susanna Moodie [New]

Roughing It in the Bush (1852)—full title Roughing It in The Bush: or, Forest Life in Canada—is a novel by English-born writer Susanna Moodie who immigrated to Upper Canada, near modern-day Peterborough, Ontario during the 1830s. The idea of the novel was suggested to Moodie by her editor, who sought to create a “guide” for British subjects considering settling Canada [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Second Treatise of Government by John Locke [New]

Second Treatise (1689)—the second essay in Two Treatises of Government—is a work of political philosophy by English philosopher and physician John Locke. Using natural rights and contract theory as the basis, the essay outlines Locke’s ideas for a more civilized society [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Sketches of Southern Life by Frances Harper [New]

Sketches of Southern Life (1872) is a poetry anthology by American abolitionist and writer Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Using topics like family, education, religion, slavery, and Reconstruction, the anthology is a commentary on the concerns of African-Americans living in the South. Though it is not her most well-known work, Sketches of Southern Life is considered by historians of African-American literature to be one of Harper’s best works [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois [New]

The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches (1903) is a collection of essays by American and Ghanaian sociologist and writer W. E. B. Du Bois. The book contains several essays on race with Du Bois drawing on his own experiences as a Black man in America. Not only is it considered a pioneer work in the history of sociology and a cornerstone of African-American literature, but it also sees Du Bois credited with coining the term “double consciousness,” thus marking it as an influential work in the field of sociology [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson [New]

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) is a Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. The story follows Gabriel John Utterson—a legal practitioner from London—as he investigates strange occurrences between his friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston [New]

Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) is a classic Harlem Renaissance novel by American writer Zora Neale Hurston. The novel follows Janie Crawford as she recounts the story of her life as she journeys from a naive teenager to a woman in control of her destiny [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Underground Railroad by William Still [New]

The Underground Railroad (1872) is a book by African-American abolitionist and Father of the Underground Railroad, William Still. The book is a collection of testimonies from nearly 650 slaves who escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill [New]

Utilitarianism (1863) is a collection of essays by English philosopher and political economist John Stuart Mill. The book provides a comprehensive explanation of what utilitarianism is in order to present it as the best theory of ethics and to defend it against criticisms and misunderstandings [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Victorian Anthology [New]

This is a collection of poetry and extracts from various works of Victorian literature [Description from resource]. Collection includes works by Robert Louis Stevenson, Richard Marsh,  Florence Marryat, Christina Rossetti, Sheridan Le Fanu, Henry Salt,  Rudyard Kipling, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Bram Stoker.

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects by Mary Wollstonecraft [New]

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects (1792), is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. In it, porto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft critiques 18th century educational and political theorists who believed that women should not receive a rational education. She maintains that women are human beings deserving of the same fundamental rights as men, and that treating them as mere ornaments or property for men undercuts the moral foundation of society [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The White Witch of Rosehall by Herbert G. de Lisser [New]

The White Witch of Rosehall (1929) is a legendary story by Jamaican author H. G. de Lisser. It tells the story of a haunting in Montego Bay, Jamaica where, according to the legend, the spirit of Annie Palmer haunts the grounds of Rose Hall plantation house [Description from resource].

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650

This peer-reviewed World Literature I anthology includes introductory text and images before each series of readings. Sections of the text are divided by time period in three parts: the Ancient World, Middle Ages, and Renaissance, and then divided into chapters by location.

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Writing the Nation: A Concise Introduction to American Literature 1865 to Present

Writing the Nation: A Concise Guide to American Literature 1865 to Present is a text that surveys key literary movements and the American authors associated with the movement. Topics include late romanticism, realism, naturalism, modernism, and modern literature.

Includes: Key terms, glossary

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë [New]

Wuthering Heights (1847) is a novel by English author Emily Brontë; it was initially published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. The story follows the interactions between two land-owning families living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent relationships with the Earnshaw’s adopted son, Heathcliff [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman [New]

“The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892) is a short story by American author Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The story is a collection of journal entries written by an unnamed woman whose physician husband has spirited her away to an old summer mansion in an attempt to cure her of “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency.” It is regarded as an important work in early American feminist literature for its conversations on women’s mental and physical health in the nineteenth century [Description from resource].

Includes: audiobook

Licence: CC 0 (Public Domain)

Writing

Bad Ideas About Writing

This collection aims to identify bad ideas about writing and suggest better ones.

Licence: CC BY 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Brehe’s Grammar Anatomy

This book provides an in-depth look at beginner grammar terms and concepts, providing clear examples with limited technical jargon.

Includes: Exercises, glossary

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

College ESL Writers: Applied Grammar and Composing Strategies for Success

This book is designed as a comprehensive grammar and writing text for high intermediate and advanced level non-native speakers of English.

Includes: Integrated examples, exercises, suggested writing topics, grading rubrics

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Elements of Creative Writing [New]

This free and open access textbook introduces new writers to some basic elements of the craft of creative writing in the genres of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The authors—Rachel Morgan, Jeremy Schraffenberger, and Grant Tracey—are editors of the North American Review, the oldest and one of the most well-regarded literary magazines in the United States. They’ve selected nearly all of the readings and examples (more than 60) from writing that has appeared in NAR pages over the years. Because they had a hand in publishing these pieces originally, their perspective as editors permeates this book. As such, they hope that even seasoned writers might gain insight into the aesthetics of the magazine as they analyze and discuss some reasons this work is so remarkable—and therefore teachable [Description from resource].

Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0

English Composition: Connect, Collaborate, Communicate

This textbook has been designed for students to learn the foundational concepts for a first year composition course.

Includes: Suggested assignments, videos and readings

Licence: CC BY 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Howdy or Hello?: Technical and Business Communications

Technical writing courses introduce you to some of the most important aspects of writing in the worlds of science, technology, and business—in other words, the kind of writing that scientists, nurses, doctors, computer specialists, government officials, engineers, and other professionals do as a part of their regular work. The skills learned in technical writing courses can be useful in other fields as well, including education and social sciences.

Includes: Quick reference for APA and MLA citations

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

How Arguments Work – A Guide to Writing and Analyzing Texts in College

This book takes students through the techniques they will need to respond to readings and make sophisticated arguments in any college class. This is a practical guide to argumentation with strategies and templates for the kinds of assignments students will commonly encounter. It covers rhetorical concepts in everyday language and explores how arguments can build trust and move readers.

Includes: Audio version of text, annotated sample essays

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals

This is textbook is designed for use in co-requisite course pairings of developmental writing and introductory technical writing, or indeed in other lower-division college writing courses that focus on building study skills alongside effective workplace and academic writing skills.

Includes: Activities

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Naming the Unnameable: An Approach to Poetry for New Generations

Informed by a writing philosophy that values both spontaneity and discipline, this book offers practical advice and strategies for developing a writing process that is centered on play.

Includes: Key terms, recommended accompanying resources

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

The Simple Math of Writing Well: Writing for the 21st Century

This text addresses the importance of writing well in the Google age.

Includes: Exercises with answer keys

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Successful College Composition, 3rd ed.

This textbook and accompanying instructor manual provides an overview of writing skills for an introductory writing course. A modularized version is available for D2L.

Includes: Exercises, key takeaways, instructor manual

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Writing and Literature: Composition as Inquiry, Learning, Thinking, and Communication

This textbook teaches the various writing styles appropriate for analyzing, addressing, and critiquing various genres. The text and its pairing of helpful visual aids throughout emphasizes the importance of critical reading and analysis in producing a successful composition.

Includes: Glossary, assignment ideas

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Writing Unleashed: Content and Structure

This book is designed for use as a textbook in first-year college composition programs.

Includes: Questions to consider

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

Writing Fabulous Features

This book teaches the art and craft of feature writing to help readers learning to write non-fiction with flair.

Includes: Feature examples, interviews with journalists

Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0

Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library

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