The Scarlet Letter is a novel written by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1850.The story takes place in the Puritan Boston of the mid 17th century and revolves around a woman named Hester Prynne,who conceived a child out of wedlock and was forced to wear a scarlet letter \'A\' (Adulreress) which condemns her to alife of struggle and humiliation. 

The novel deals with the social and moral themes typical of the time and geographical setting.Puritanism was a way of life in rhose days especially in Massachusettsand many women and men faced trials and punishrnenr for their "sins" and "misconducrs".The story centres on Hester and her daughter and how she deals with her morherhood as a social outcast,but the author rakes every chance he gets to comment on morality,human nature,legality and guilt. 

Tbe Scarlet Letter was received well by critics,with the obligatory outcry from religious leaders for the risqué subject matter of the story, but nevertheless enjoyed a resounding commercial success amongst readers.Ir was one of the first mass-produced books in America,rapidly becoming a symbol of the renaissance of American literature in the 19th century.

 

Nathaniel Hawthorne\'s work has endured the test of time for the human appeal of his stories and the deep psychological complexity of his characters. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray was written by lrish author Osear Wilde (1854-1900).The novel was first published in 1890 in the July issue of Lippincotts Monthly Magazíne, and later in a longer and revised book form in 1891. 

Basil Hallward is an artist looking for inspiration when he meets Dorian Gray,and impressed by his beauty he decides to make me young man the subject of a full portrait.A friendship rapidly blossoms and through Basil,Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton,an hedonistic aristoerat living only for sensual fulfillment.Young Dorian is swayed by mis philosophy and begins to live the life of a libertine in the eonstant seareh for pleasure. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray eaused outrage in British reviewers and readers alike for its alleged immorality and indeeeney,and sparked in Osear Wilde a furious defenee of the ereative proeess and the importanee of freedom in artistic expression.

 

Nevertheless,me book suffered so me eensorship in its first release,bur later was revised and expanded by the author ro fix this issue. 

Pride and Prejudice is the second published novel of English writer Jane Austen (1775-1817).Originally entitled First Impressions,the first draft of the novel was completed between 1796 and 1797,and later revised and expanded between 1811 and 1812.Ir was renamed Pride and Prejudice and published in 1813,by Thomas Egerton. 

 

The novel tells me srory of how the arrival of two rich and eligible achelors,Mr.Bingley and Mr.Darcy,affects the lives of the five married Bennet sisters,especially Jane and Elizabeth,the main roragonists . 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on 22 May 1859 in Edinburgh,Scotland.He went to a private school at 9 years old,thanks to the support of a rich un de after a poor childhood caused by his father\'s alcoholismo He started studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1876 and during that period ofhis life he also began writing fiction.By 1879 he managed to publish sorne of his stories in various literary magazines of the Scottish capital. 

After serving as a doctor for sorne merchant ships in voyages to Greenland and Africa,he studied ophthalmology in Vienna and later established in London,where he opened a private practice.He continued writing specially while waiting for his patients. 

His most famous literary creation,the detective Sherlock Holmes, saw the public light for the first time in 1886 thanks to the novel A Study in Scarlet.From that moment on,Arthur Conan Doyle would write many stories for the fictitious detective and his inseparable partner,Dr.John Watson.The author also explored many other themes,characters and literary styles,but his fame was earned mainly for the thrilling adventures of Holmes and Watson. 

 

He died in 1930,in his East Sussex house,after a long and prolific literary career. 

The work of American writer H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) is vast and varied.His short stories represent the majority of his bibliography and cover every dark theme imaginable,with his characteristic and bombastic sryle.Lovecraft\'s approach to horror was ahead of its time and still resonates with modern readers because it was based in thernes that transcended the human race,in situations that made man insignificant in the cosmic scale of things. 

He was deeply influenced by the gothic horror of Edgar Allan Poe and the mysticism of Arthur Machen,but later expanded on those themes with the perils of superstition and scientific progress,the morbid obsession of forbidden knowledge,the unavoidable fate of death and destruction,and the existence of cosmic deities and monsters that once ruled the Earth,and will eventually rule again after the destruction or enslavement of the human race. 

This mixture of ingredients and the language he used to express his ideas rnade Lovecraft\'s style a success among lovers of the macabre and me mysterious. 

The Metamorphosis is arguably Franz Kafka\'s most recognized literary work. Published in Germany in 1915 as Die Verwandlung,this dark short novel or novella,has made its way as one of the most important works of literary fiction of the 20th Century. 

Gregor Samsa,a traveling salesman living with his family in Prague-part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time,wakes up one day to find himself transformed, without rhyme or reason,into an indescribable creature.Understandably,Gregor Samsa\'s life changes abruptly and dramatically and the novel focuses in how this change affects the mind of the protagonist and the ones around him. 

This situation is very taxing on Gregor and his family,but is handled by the author and the characters very naturally,very stoically,as if there\'s nothing to do about it but to move on and make the best of it.This way of handling life and the impossible situations it brings is very particular of Kafka and his narrative.

 

He often explored the mundanity through tragedy and insurmountable odds-many times to the point of absurdity as a way of exposing human nature and commenting on society and the surrounding world. 

A Tale of Two Cities was written by English author Charles Dickens (1812-1870) in 1859,and published in 31 weekly instalments in the literary periodical All the Year Round that same year.The book stands out not only for being one of Dickens\' most accomplished and famous works,but also because it was one of the few historical fiction novels he ever wrote. 

The French Revolution was already a not so distant memory by the novel\'s publication,but rhe consequences and new world order that carne with it was still deeply ingrained in Dickens\' time. 

As the majority of the author\'s work the novel transcended literary form and has been adapted to various media forms from silent films to television series and radio serials proving to many generations the appeal of Dickens and his stories. 

White Fang is the main character and ti de of the novel published in 1906 by the American writer Jack London (1876-1916),originally published as a series in Outing magazine. 1he story takes place during the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century,in the Yukon Territory in Canada. 

Narrated almost entirely from the viewpoint of White Fang (a dog¬wolf crossbred) the story focuses on his journey from cub to maturiry,his adventures and his relationships with humans and animals alike.The author makes the most of this unusual approach in storytelling,by digging deep into complex themes,such as human cruelry,redemption,survival and violence. 

White Fang reached worldwide recognition after its publication, especially with young readers,probably due to the geographical setting and the wild nature of the titular character.

The stories are not directly related, but both deal with similar themes and situations,cementing the place of Jack London in American literature for posterity. 

The novel has been adapted into several forms of media,including film and television,furthering the reach of White Fang\'s story and immortalising in new and exciting ways the ideals of Jack London and his animal world. 

F.Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was an American writer and one of me most important voices of American literature in the 20th century.He is mainly known for his novels, the most famous among them being Tbe Great Gatsby (1925),but he also wrote several notable short stories.

Due to his social circle and his literary themes and style, Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost Generation",a group of young . 

Titers that carne of age during World War.