The temptations of illicit passion are a theme in Ethan Frome. Wharton had been advised to take up writing more seriously to relieve her stress and tension, and many point to the possibility of autobiographical elements in the novel. Wharton delivers austere and penetrating impressions of rural working-class New England as the environment to explore Ethan Frome's marriage to an unsympathetic Zeena and the infatuation he develops for their maid.

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.

On a visit to Bath, seventeen year old Catherine Morland meets Henry and Eleanor Tilney who invite her to their father's estate, Northanger Abbey. Inspired by the Gothic novels that she enjoys, Catherine begins to imagine all sorts of dark and mysterious happenings at the abbey......

The opera, Tales of Hoffman tells of the three great loves of Hoffman - an automaton, a love forbidden, and a courtesan.

Regarded by many as one of the first European novels and a classic of its era. Published anonymously in March 1678, and set in the royal court of Henry II of France a century earlier, it tells the story of the unspoken and unrequited love between Mme de Cleves and the irresistible Duc de Nemours. It recreates that era with remarkable precision as a backdrop for a poignant study of the human heart.

Sienkiewicz received the 1905 Nobel Price in Literature for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer".

The novel follows the developing love between a Christian woman and a Roman Patrician in the time of Nero. The romantic story arc is set against the conflict of the moral systems of the long established Roman Empire and the developing Christianity. Sienkiewicz uses this setting to explore morality and power, and his observations remain relevant today.

The novel is based on extensive historical research and gives a good view of life in those times.

Narrative is a memoir written by the famous orator, statesman, and freed slave Frederick Douglass. Along with Uncle Tom's Cabin, it fuelled the abolitionist movement in nineteenth century United States. It is a fascinating account by a man who managed to teach himself to read by observation and eventually escape to freedom. Inspirational.