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20th-Century American Literature Videos
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When you think about it, chess could be a metaphor for just about anything, really.
Is Marvin K. Mooney supposed to be Richard M. Nixon? And if so... which character was supposed to represent Pat Nixon? Was it Bartholomew Cubbins?...
We wish the Tralfamadorians were as fun as they sound. But unfortunately, they're your garden variety kidnap-humans-and-torture-them type of alien.
The Catcher in the Rye tells the story of Holden Caulfield’s Worst Weekend Ever, and this video tells the story of that story. From losing the fe...
If you're looking for this one at the library, we suggest looking between The Color Red and The Color Blue.
The Salem Witch Trials in the 17th century. The Red Scare in the 1950s. Little to no evidence that witches/communists were anywhere close to taking...
The broken-hearted Abigail takes her revenge. You might never want to break-up with someone again after this video, so make sure the next person is...
In The Giver, society is completely conformist. Neutrality rules the day, and no emotion is good emotion. Lois Lowry's novel challenges the value o...
Ever wish you could remember everything that you ever studied? How about everything that everyone has ever studied? Yeah, pretty sure our brains ju...
Why was Jay Gatsby so great? Was it his ability to get away with bootlegging, his enduring love for Daisy, or his ability to throw epic parties tha...
This video summarizes F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby goes from a rich party guy in love with a married woman to dead. W...
Can you imagine some little guy who's constantly up in your business, criticizing your every move, and always trying to make you feel bad about you...
Three words: The Hunger Games. Wait, one more word: "scapegoat." Wait—oh, just watch the video already.
Indecision may or may not be this man's biggest problem. All he can do is go left or right. It's not that big of a deal...or is it?
Robert Frost was a huge risk-taker. Instead of taking the more traveled path, he took the slightly overgrown one. Phew! Slow down, Rob; we can't ke...
This video discusses the important ladies of The Sun Also Rises…make that the one important lady. Brett is the only major female character in the...
Their eyes may have been watching God, but we think we know who won that staring contest.
A great marriage begins with a blooming pear tree and ends with a hurricane, rabies, and a murder trial…or something like that.
Is Boo Radley the quintessential creep? Or, is he just isolated and misunderstood, hiding himself away to avoid people's judgment? You decide. He just doesn't belong heeeeeereeeeeee...
In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout is really, really not interested in learning about the so-called requirements of her gender. Even though she realizes that she can't escape that whole growing-up thing, she still resists her march toward adulthood—and, by extension, ladyhood.
Lies, loser husbands, and loads of debauchery—wait...isn't this supposed to be about a streetcar?
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is an American classic. Hope you're not expecting any exciting shower scenes though. It's not that kind of book.
If you think A Farewell to Arms is about some dude saying goodbye to his arms, you might want to check out this video. Plus, it's got a talking iceberg. Who doesn't want to see that?
This video summarizes Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, as told by Scout, the daughter of Atticus, a civil rights attorney in the Deep South. There’s a trial, a school play, and even a couple of deaths—but absolutely no mockingbirds are killed.
"Accidental racist?" Yup. Like the song. We're talking about the"oh, I didn't even know I thought that way" type of accident, not the "I totally didn't know that was your last Reese's cup" type of accident.
How did the Grinch steal Christmas, anyway? Watch this video to find out! We just don't recommend using him as a role model.