The centrepiece of this collection of four stories is Nanna, the ninth of the 20-volume Les Rougon-Macquart series, which was to follow a family over many generations. Nanna had been earlier introduced as the daughter of an abusive drunk, forced to live on the streets and begin a life of prostitution. Here she discovers a unique talent for destroying men... When first published, the public was outraged by Nanna as they were by many of Zola's works.

Great Expectations is one of Dickens' later works and considered one of his best. It is notable for it's more naturalistic depiction of characters; here motivations and personal viewpoints form the heart of the narrative. The story follows the arc of a young orphan's life as he first tries to raise himself to a higher station in life and finally discovers the solution to some mysteries and comes to terms with himself.

Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes. Written between 1916 and 1917, Shaw uses farce and tragedy to illustrate how society in England and Continental Europe followed the lead of those not capable of properly leading. The action opens with a house party disconcerted over the question of marrying for money rather than love and quickly becomes an indictment of the generation that plunged Europe into the first world war and is now drifting toward destruction.

Orphaned early in life, Jane Eyre endures life with a cruel aunt, harsh boarding school and generous lashings of cruelty. From this grew Jane's strength of character and quest for freedom and equality. Jane eventually secures a job as a governess and falls in love with the owner of the manor, Edward Rochester. Despite her plainness, she captures his heart. But can they overcome differences in social status, age and experience? Will a secret he has come between them? Will she follow her convictions even if it meant losing her true love? Will love conquer all? Jane Eyre is a sensational love story Bronte style with truckloads of gutsy character building material to boot.

The writings of Charles Dickens were often critical of society and government. This satire, Little Dorrit was also an outlet for Dickens' opinion of prison, particularly debtor's prisons. There people (including Dickens' own) who failed to pay their debts were imprisoned, paradoxically unable to work, until the debt was repaid. The story of Little Dorrit (whose father is imprisoned for debt) tells of the courtship between herself and Arthur Clennam and demonstrates the grim effects of imprisonment on those within as well as those beyond but whose lives are inextricably intertwined.