General

Novel chapter summaries - Character profiles - Metaphor analysis - Theme analysis - Top ten quotes - Author biography.

Free downloadable electronic texts of hundreds of novels and short stories. Also includes author biographies, introductory notes, and web links.

Young fiction - post-1914

Interviews with authors and illustrators of fiction for children. Check out the blog for latest news.

Web links of authors from Jane Austen to Virginia Woolf.

Short stories

Illustrated guide to Victorian London and literature of the nineteenth century. Lots of links to other sites. Good on Death, Murder, Ghosts, and Cemeteries if you like to be frightened.

A collection of electronic texts of horror stories - from Ambrose Bierce, Charles Dickens, M.R.James, H.P.Lovecraft, and the master - Edgar Allan Poe.

Background to horror stories, activities for students, list of Vampire films, and notes on relation to the curriculum.

Pre-1914: Little Women

Unofficial Louisa May Allcott web site, with links to electronic versions of Little Women and all her other writings - plus pictures.

More on Allcott from a site which also offers help in writing poetry, reviews, newspaper articles, and even screenplays.

Pre-1914: the Brontës

Enormously rich web site, with full details of all the Brontës, electronic versions of the novels, articles, pictures, and links to other web sites.

Full details on all the Brontës, the novels, and their family background - plus free newsletter.

Pre-1914: the Dickens

Very rich site, containing full details of Dickens himself and all his writing, maps of London, a glossary, lots of pictures, how to read Dickens, plus enormous range of web links.

The house where Dickens lived in London - now a museum. There is a conducted descriptive tour of the house - plus some web links.

Pre-1914: Sherlock Holmes

Good fun site listing details of Sherlock Holmes, all the stories and novels in electronic format, reference books, puzzles and games, plus pictures, stage, screen, radio, and television versions. Hundreds of web links. Go here first.

Take an illustrated tour of Sherlock Holmes' house at 221B Baker Street - plus nice book jacket covers, and some old times radio programmes you can listen to on line.

Full online electronic versions of all the stories and novels. This site also features many other pre-1914 and post-1914 authors - so check it out. They even list sample essays on some authors.

Pre-1914: The Withered Arm

Background to Hardy's stories, map of Wessex, how to approach the story, characterisation, and possible essay topics. Also covers other Hardy stories.

An Australian online study course which covers the important elements of short stories. Rather advanced, but might contain some useful tips.

Post-1914: Tolkien

Biography of Tolkien, list of books by him and about him, ideas for students and teachers, a sample essay, plus 'Can I learn to speak or write Elvish?'

Memorable quotations - plus sound clips, pictures, and maps. Also, click through to home page and go to 'The Hobbit' for a quiz. A fan's site.

Post-1914: Animal Farm

Part of a history web site - gives background to Orwell and his life from a political point of view. Lots of web links and explanations of political issues.

Part of a history web site - gives background to Orwell and his life from a political point of view. Lots of web links and explanations of political issues.

Myth/Legend - Beowulf

A beginner's guide to studying the poem. Contains maps, a glossary, pictures, lots of web links, and even a note on Beowulf the movie.

Re-telling of the original poem in modern language. Web pages with pictures.

Graphic novel [comic book] version of the poem. Some cool pictures.

Folklore/Myth - multicultural

A selection of myths from around the world - plus how to write your own. Also includes folk tales and fairy tales.

More texts of myths, fairy tales, and folklore - plus plenty of extras on writing, stories, grammar, and links to other web sites.