This early 18th-century satire novel was supposed to parody the popular genre of travel literature. It juxtaposes physical and moral strength, the power of knowledge and differences of societies and state structures. English surgeon Lemuel Gulliver leaves England again and again for travels to far-off lands. The countries and societies he visits are fictional and, […]

This classic adventure novel focusing on the relationship between man and nature, religion and free will explores the limits of knowledge and sanity. The story is told from the perspective of Ishmael, a poor young fellow from New York, who takes up a job on a whaler boat. His captain, called Ahab, is obsessed with […]

This drama is a fictional depiction of the night leading up to Martin Luther King’s assassination. After King’s speech I’ve Been to the Mountaintop in Memphis, he returns to his hotel, the Lorraine Motel. There, he encounters a maid called Camae. And although initially flirtatious, she soon reveals her true intentions. Sent down to earth […]

In this award-winning biography about the fight for justice, Lee Lawrence tells a story sadly no less relevant today than 30 years ago. When Lee was 11 years old, he witnessed his mother being shot by a police officer, resulting in her paralysis. This event shaped the political climate at the time, acting as the […]

A poem from the Romantic period that explores the effects of industrialisation, social injustice, poverty and responsibility. It portrays London in 1794 through the eyes of the speaker, who walks the streets and describes the sight: crying chimney-sweepers, governmental oppression and the restriction of freedom. The poem, which is in the public domain, is useful […]

An epistolary Gothic novel, which describes the most popular vampire hunt, also exploring the fields of mental health, religion and the occult, love and seduction, as well as the relationship between life and death and what might be in-between. Transylvania in the late 1800s: Count Dracula wishes to buy a house near London and asks […]

This comedy-drama explores racial prejudice, friendship and the complex relationship between a 72-year-old Jewish woman and her black chauffeur. Daisy Werthan is a retired school teacher and doesn’t want to accept she needs help when she crashes her car into her neighbour’s yard. Her son hires Hoke Colburn as her new driver. And although opposed […]

This prequel to the successful “The Hunger Games” trilogy or the movie adaptation by the same name tells the story of Coriolanus Snow’s rise to power – a story of friendship, betrayal, manipulation and oppression. For those who have read “The Hunger Games”, you might recognize the name Snow as a villain rather than a protagonist. But like all […]

This play continues the story of Elliot, who returns to Philadelphia as a veteran after serving in Iraq. He suffers from PTSD and feels adrift, not knowing where to find meaning in his life. His job at Subway keeps him afloat financially, but when his adoptive mother passes away, his mental health crumbles. Meanwhile, Elliot’s […]

This dystopian comedy movie explores the power of media, commercialism and simulated reality. Truman has the all-American life: A loving wife, kids, a house complete with a picket fence… Then he starts noticing the occasional oddity. Whether it be his wife sounding like an infomercial or the people around him doing everything in their power […]

This Gothic novel explores the duality of human nature, crime and prosecution and the importance of the Victorian standard of reputation. When a new villain terrorises London’s citizens and causes a great stir, lawyer Utterson faces a great riddle which keeps him awake at night. He discovers a connection between the violent misdeeds of the […]

Beloved is a Postmodern historical fiction novel about slavery, motherhood and community. 1873, it is the time just after the Civil War and the former slave Sethe lives with her 18-year old daughter Denver in 124, a haunted house on the edge of Cincinnati. The novel explores the lives of the two after they escaped from […]

Robinson Crusoe is the unreliable narrator of this travelogue from Restauration and Enlightenment referred to as the first English novel. The protagonist decides to go to sea against his father’s will and becoming quite a successful merchant in the colonies abroad. One day, he is shipwrecked and finds himself on a lonely island where he […]

This classic gothic crime story about murder and vindication, guilt, and insanity starts in medias res: The unnamed, unreliable narrator describes in retrospect that he was haunted by the idea of murdering his old landlord. After committing the murder, he cleverly hid the body underneath the floorboards, praising himself for committing the almost perfect crime […]

In this poem, the speaker contrasts the ideals of the American Dream, such as liberty, freedom, and equality, with the realities of the time. For minorities, the poor, the lower classes, the immigrants, the African- and Native Americans the Dream is nonexistent. Even though the voice seems disillusioned, it also addresses the hope that the […]

This distopian coming of age novel starts off the trilogy His Dark Materials, an exploration of innocence in a parallel universe ruled by a strict religious authority. At times also known as The Golden Compass, this fantastic novel follows young Lyra, a girl abandoned by her parents and instead of being brought up at prestigious Jordan College […]

This short spoken word poem by Helen Mort praises wild places and outlines, how the speaker (a poet) adapts to them. “The Wild in Me” describes the inspiring and stimulating powers of nature that a poet finds in it and which help him or her to express oneself and being creative. In the video performance, […]

This spoken word poem by Darryll Suliaman Amoako aka ‘Suli Breaks’ deconstructs idealised notions of the ‘American Dream’ and addresses those people striving for success or the ‘pursuit of happiness’ at any cost. Reflecting upon the danger of spending to much time on unsatisfactory jobs and losing oneself the ‘rat race’ from ‘rags to riches’, […]