DP - TedED Why Should You Read?
DP - TedED Why Should You Read?
U FIC GAR
One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) follows seven generations of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo, exploring their complex relationships, cycles of love, tragedy, and solitude. The novel traces the rise and fall of Macondo alongside the family's destiny, culminating in a prophetic doom that intertwines personal and historical fate, emphasizing themes of isolation, memory, and the passage of time.
Gabriel García Márquez was a Colombian writer and journalist, widely regarded as one of the most significant authors of the 20th century, known especially for popularizing magical realism through works like "One Hundred Years of Solitude," and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 for his richly imaginative storytelling that combines the fantastic with the realistic, reflecting the life and conflicts of Latin America.
Lord of the Flies (1954) is about a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island who try to govern themselves but descend into chaos and savagery. It explores the thin veneer of civilization and the darkness within human nature.
William Golding was a British novelist, playwright, and poet, best known for his allegorical novel Lord of the Flies and awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983.
U FIC BRA & Movie Trailer
Fahrenheit 451 (1953) is a dystopian novel set in a future society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found, following the journey of Guy Montag, a fireman who begins to question his role in this oppressive system. The novel critiques censorship and mass media's effect on society, reflecting Bradbury's concerns during the early Cold War period.
Ray Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter, renowned as one of the most celebrated 20th-century writers, best known for his imaginative works in fantasy, science fiction, horror, and social criticism, including the classic novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and The Martian Chronicles (1950), who profoundly influenced modern speculative fiction
Waiting for Godot (1953) is an existential play in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for a mysterious figure named Godot, questioning the purpose of their wait and their lives. Through its minimalist dialogue and bleak humor, the play explores themes of uncertainty, the passage of time, and the human condition.
Samuel Beckett was an Irish playwright, poet, and novelist, best known for his avant-garde, minimalist works like Waiting for Godot (1953) and Endgame (1957), which explore themes of existentialism, the absurdity of life, and the breakdown of language.
U FIC ORW, Ebook, Audiobook & Movie Trailer
1984 (1949) is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian future where the Party, led by Big Brother, exercises oppressive control over every aspect of life, including truth, history, and individual thought. The story follows Winston Smith, a low-ranking Party member who secretly rebels against the regime’s manipulation and surveillance but ultimately faces brutal consequences, highlighting themes of authoritarianism, censorship, and the loss of personal freedom.
George Orwell, born Eric Arthur Blair in 1903, was an English novelist, essayist, and critic best known for his dystopian novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, which explore themes of totalitarianism, political oppression, and social injustice through sharp political and literary critique.
The Master and Margarita (1940) is a satirical and fantastical novel that weaves together the story of the Devil visiting Soviet Moscow with a parallel narrative about Pontius Pilate. Blending dark humor, political critique, and supernatural elements, it explores themes of good and evil, freedom, and the power of art.
Mikhail Bulgakov was a Russian novelist and playwright, best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which combines fantasy, political satire, and philosophical themes to critique Soviet society and explore the nature of good and evil.
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To the Lighthouse (1927) portrays the Ramsay family’s visits to the Isle of Skye before and after World War I, capturing shifting relationships and the passage of time. Through its stream-of-consciousness style, the novel meditates on memory, perception, and the impermanence of life.
Virginia Woolf was an English modernist writer and essayist, celebrated for her innovative narrative techniques and works such as Mrs Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), which profoundly influenced 20th-century literature.
U FIC KAF & Ebook
The Trial (1925) is a dark and surreal novel about Josef K., a man who is unexpectedly arrested and subjected to an absurd, oppressive legal system, though he is never told what crime he is accused of.
Franz Kafka was a German-language writer born in Prague in 1883, known for his visionary and existential fiction featuring isolated protagonists facing surreal and oppressive bureaucratic systems; his major works include The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle, and his writing profoundly influenced 20th-century literature with the term "Kafkaesque" describing the absurdity and alienation in his stories.
U FIC JOY
Ulysses (1922) follows the experiences of Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and Molly Bloom over the course of a single day in Dublin, June 16, 1904. Through its groundbreaking use of stream-of-consciousness narrative and rich symbolism, the novel explores themes of identity, memory, and the search for meaning in everyday life.
James Joyce was an Irish modernist writer renowned for his innovative narrative techniques and complex explorations of consciousness, whose influential works include A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), Ulysses (1922), and Finnegans Wake (1939).
U FIC DOY & Ebook
The complete Sherlock Holmes (1887 and 1927) includes four novels and fifty-six short stories, following the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion, Dr. Watson, as they solve complex mysteries. Through logical reasoning, keen observation, and a range of unforgettable characters, the series explores crime, justice, and the battle between good and evil in Victorian England.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer, best known for creating the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, and for his work in historical fiction, science fiction, and spiritualism.
U 741.5 WEL, Ebook,
War and Peace (1886) intertwines the lives of several Russian aristocratic families against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, blending personal drama with sweeping historical events. Combining philosophical reflections, vivid battle scenes, and intimate portraits of love and loss, it explores the forces that shape human destiny.
Leo Tolstoy was a Russian novelist, moral philosopher, and social reformer, renowned for epic works such as War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877), which explore the complexities of human nature and society.
Crime and Punishment (1866) follows Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor former student in St. Petersburg who murders an old pawnbroker and her sister, driven by a belief that extraordinary people have the right to transgress moral laws. The novel explores Raskolnikov's psychological torment and moral dilemmas as he grapples with guilt, paranoia, and eventual confession, leading to his moral redemption during an eight-year prison sentence in Siberia.
Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist, philosopher, and journalist of the 19th century renowned for his psychological insight and exploration of existential themes in masterpieces which profoundly influenced literature and philosophy.
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Moby-Dick (1851) narrates the story of Ishmael, a sailor aboard the whaling ship Pequod, whose captain Ahab obsessively pursues the giant white sperm whale Moby Dick, which had previously maimed him. The novel blends adventure and philosophical exploration, addressing themes such as revenge, the nature of evil, and humanity's struggle against the forces of nature, and is regarded as one of the greatest American novels despite its initial mixed reception.
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the 19th century, best known for his masterpiece Moby-Dick, which explores complex themes of obsession, humanity, and nature.
U 811.3 POE Movie Trailer
The Raven (1845) is a narrative poem that tells of a grieving lover visited by a mysterious raven that ominously repeats the word "nevermore," symbolizing despair and lost love, and it quickly established Poe's reputation for gothic and melancholic poetry.
Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, and literary critic of the early 19th century, best known for his macabre and gothic tales and poems, including The Raven (1845), which helped pioneer the genres of horror and detective fiction.
U FIC CER
Don Quixote (1605) is a Spanish novel that follows Alonso Quijano, a nobleman who becomes obsessed with chivalric romances and decides to become a knight-errant named Don Quixote, embarking on adventures with his squire Sancho Panza, blending comic and profound reflections on reality and illusion. The novel is considered one of the founding works of Western literature and often cited as the first modern novel.
Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish novelist, playwright, and poet of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, best known for writing Don Quixote, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of fiction and a foundational text of modern Western literature.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (around 1595) is a play that intertwines several plots involving four young Athenian lovers, a group of amateur actors, and the magical fairy world of Oberon and Titania, featuring themes of love, magic, and transformation set mainly in a forest near Athens.
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and world literature, known for his plays such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth, as well as his sonnets.
MacBeth (1606) is a tragedy that tells the story of a Scottish general, Macbeth, whose unchecked ambition leads him to murder, guilt, and his eventual downfall. Through themes of power, fate, and moral corruption, the play explores the destructive consequences of ambition and the supernatural influences on human behavior.
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and world literature, known for his plays such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth, as well as his sonnets.
U 851 DAN
Dante (1321) is the first part of the Italian narrative poem Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri between about 1308 and 1321. It depicts Dante's allegorical journey through Hell, guided by the poet Virgil, where each circle punishes sins in a form of poetic justice, exploring themes of sin, punishment, and redemption. The poem, including Inferno, was completed around 1321, shortly before Dante's death, and is one of the greatest works of medieval and Western literature.
Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet of the late Middle Ages, best known for his epic poem The Divine Comedy, which is considered a masterpiece of world literature and a cornerstone of Italian language and culture.
U 883 HOM
The Odyssey (around 750 to 650 BCE) is an ancient Greek epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his adventurous ten-year journey home after the Trojan War, during which he encounters many mythical creatures and divine challenges. The poem is divided into 24 books and is one of the oldest surviving works of Western literature.
Homer is the ancient Greek poet traditionally credited with composing the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which are foundational works of Western literature and thought to have been written around the 8th century BCE.
The Epic of Gilgamesh (2100 BCE) is one of the oldest known literary works, follows the story of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, who befriends Enkidu, a wild man created by the gods to balance Gilgamesh’s power. Together they undertake heroic adventures, including slaying the monster Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, but after Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh embarks on a quest to discover the secret of eternal life, ultimately learning about human mortality and the limits of life itself.
The Epic of Gilgamesh has no single known author, as it is a composite work based on ancient Sumerian poems and myths; the most complete Akkadian version, composed around 1300-1000 BCE, is attributed to a Babylonian scribe named Sîn-lēqi-unninni who compiled and edited the epic from earlier sources.