Absalom, Absalom! is considered by many to be William Faulkner's masterpiece. Although the novel's complex and fragmented structure poses considerable difficulty to readers, the book's literary merits place it squarely in the ranks of America's finest novels.

The story concerns Thomas Sutpen, a poor man who finds wealth and then marries into a respectable family. His ambition and extreme need for control bring about his ruin and the ruin of his family. Sutpen's story is told by several narrators, allowing the reader to observe variations in the saga as it is recounted by different speakers. This unusual technique spotlights one of the novel's central questions: To what extent can people know the truth about the past?

Light in August, a novel set in the American South during Prohibition, contrasts stark tragedy with hopeful perseverance in the face of mortality. This work features some of Faulkner’s most memorable characters:

• Guileless, dauntless Lena Grove, in search of the father of her unborn child;
• Reverend Gail Hightower, plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen;
• And Joe Christmas, a desperate, enigmatic drifter consumed by his mixed ancestry.

“Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window.” —William Faulkner

The Optimist's Daughter is a profound exploration of familial bonds and self-discovery. The novel follows Laurel McKelva Hand, a young woman who returns to the South from Chicago when her father is on his deathbed in New Orleans.

After his passing, Laurel embarks on a journey back to her roots in a small Mississippi town. Accompanied by her father's naive and much younger wife, Fay, Laurel confronts the memories of her past.

In the solitude of her childhood home, she gains a deeper understanding of her parents and herself, making peace with her past to embrace her future.

"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy." So begins the tale of Ellen Foster, the brave and engaging heroine of Kay Gibbons's first novel, which won the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Institute of Arts and Letters. Wise, funny, affectionate, and true, Ellen Foster is, as Walker Percy called it, "The real thing. Which is to say, a lovely, sometimes heartwrenching novel. . . . [Ellen Foster] is as much a part of the backwoods South as a Faulkner character—and a good deal more endearing."

The Haunting of Hill House is a seminal work in the horror genre, considered one of the finest ghost stories of the 20th century. The novel follows the story of four main characters: Dr. John Montague, an investigator of the supernatural; Eleanor Vance, a shy young woman with a history of encounters with the paranormal; Theodora, a flamboyant and possibly telepathic artist; and Luke Sanderson, the young heir to the eerie Hill House.

Dr. Montague, seeking to find scientific evidence of the supernatural, rents Hill House for a summer and invites guests with past experiences of paranormal events. Eleanor and Theodora are among those who accept his invitation. Once there, the group starts to experience a range of strange occurrences, including unseen noises, ghostly apparitions, and mysterious writings on the walls. Eleanor, in particular, seems more attuned to these phenomena, which may be causing her to lose her grip on reality.

Shirley Jackson masterfully creates a sense of terror, not through overt horror, but by weaving the mysterious events of the house with the complex psyches of her characters. A finalist for the National Book Award and adapted into films, a TV series, and a play, The Haunting of Hill House remains an essential read for fans of the genre.

Carson McCullers’ prodigious first novel was published to instant acclaim when she was just twenty-three. Set in a small town in the middle of the deep South, it is the story of John Singer, a lonely deaf-mute, and a disparate group of people who are drawn towards his kind, sympathetic nature. The owner of the café where Singer eats every day, a young girl desperate to grow up, an angry drunkard, a frustrated black doctor: each pours their heart out to Singer, their silent confidant, and he in turn changes their disenchanted lives in ways they could never imagine.

Edgar Allan Poe remains the unsurpassed master of works of mystery and madness in this outstanding collection. Included are sixteen of his finest tales, such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, William Wilson, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, and Eleonora.

This collection also features a major selection of what Poe characterized as the passion of his life, his poems - including The Raven, Annabel Lee, Ulalume, Lenore, The Bells, and more, plus his glorious prose poem Silence - A Fable and his only full-length novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.

Such wonderful children. Such a beautiful mother. Such a lovely house. Such endless terror!

It wasn't that she didn't love her children. She did. But there was a fortune at stake—a fortune that would assure their later happiness if she could keep the children a secret from her dying father.

So she and her mother hid her darlings away in an unused attic. Just for a little while. But the brutal days swelled into agonizing years. Now Cathy, Chris, and the twins wait in their cramped and helpless world, stirred by adult dreams, adult desires, served a meager sustenance by an angry, superstitious grandmother who knows that the Devil works in dark and devious ways. Sometimes he sends children to do his work—children who—one by one—must be destroyed....

Way upstairs there are four secrets hidden. Blond, beautiful, innocent struggling to stay alive....

Angela Carter was a storytelling sorceress, the literary godmother of Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Audrey Niffenegger, J. K. Rowling, Kelly Link, and other contemporary masters of supernatural fiction. In her masterpiece, The Bloody Chamber—which includes the story that is the basis of Neil Jordan’s 1984 movie The Company of Wolves—she spins subversively dark and sensual versions of familiar fairy tales and legends like “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Bluebeard,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” giving them exhilarating new life in a style steeped in the romantic trappings of the gothic tradition.

Interview with the Vampire is the captivating story of Louis, narrating his own profound and complex journey through both mortal and immortal life. He shares his transformation into a vampire by the enigmatic Lestat, and his reluctant acceptance of the vampiric lifestyle. Louis's narrative takes us through the vibrant streets of New Orleans, marking pivotal moments such as his encounter with the tragically lost young Claudia, whom he turns into a vampire, thus damning her to eternal childhood with an adult's mind and desires.

Together, Louis and Claudia form a powerful bond and attempt to create a semblance of normalcy in the lavish French Quarter. However, their shared loathing for Lestat propels them on a quest for others like themselves across the globe. Their journey leads them to Paris and the Theatre des Vampires, where they meet Armand, who introduces them to a community of vampires. But this new society brings its own challenges and perils.

The novel, which originated as a short story, blossomed into a richly detailed chronicle of a tormented soul's experiences, as well as the political and social upheavals spanning two continents. It introduces the iconic character of Lestat, a complex figure who elicits both fascination and aversion. At its core, Interview with the Vampire delves into timeless themes of immortality, transformation, loss, desire, and power.

The Complete Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe is a monumental collection that compiles the entirety of Poe's literary works. This volume shines a light on the myriad facets of Poe's brilliance, showcasing him as one of the most significant and pioneering figures in the annals of American literature.

Readers are invited to delve into the depths of human emotion and experience the genius that has captivated and influenced countless individuals through Poe's mesmerizing tales and verses.

As I Lay Dying is Faulkner's harrowing account of the Bundren family's odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Narrated in turn by each of the family members -- including Addie herself -- as well as others; the novel ranges in mood, from dark comedy to the deepest pathos.

Considered one of the most influential novels in American fiction in structure, style, and drama, As I Lay Dying is a true 20th-century classic.

This edition reproduces the corrected text of As I Lay Dying as established in 1985 by Noel Polk.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James, first serialized in Collier's Weekly magazine from January 27 to April 16, 1898, and later published in book form as part of The Two Magics by Macmillan in New York City and Heinemann in London. The novella tells the story of a very young woman's first job as a governess for two enigmatic children, Miles and Flora, at a desolate estate. The governess soon encounters half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows - silent, foul phantoms that increasingly come closer, threatening the innocence of her charges.

The governess realizes with horror that these fiendish creatures want the children, aiming to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, and own their souls. But the terror deepens when it becomes evident that Miles and Flora have no fear of the evil that stalks them, for they desire the presence of the walking dead just as fervently as the dead yearn for them.

Oscar Wilde's only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England.

Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world.

For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bront's only novel, is a tale of passion and revenge on the Yorkshire moors. At its heart lies the tumultuous relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, and how their unresolved passion eventually leads to their destruction, affecting those around them. First published in 1847, Bront's work was initially met with mixed reviews but has since become an undisputed classic of English literature.

This novel is known for its complex structure, reminiscent of Russian nesting dolls, and its innovative narrative that was controversial at the time of publication. The dark and tragic story, set in a stark and austere setting, explores themes of social class, love, and the impact of vengeance. The intense emotional depth of the story transforms a simple tale into one with the resonance of ancient tragedy.

Bront wrote under the pseudonym Ellis Bell and her work was posthumously edited by her sister Charlotte. The novel's title comes from the remote Yorkshire manor, Wuthering Heights, which forms the central focus of the story's tumultuous events.

Greenville County, South Carolina, is a wild, lush place that is home to the Boatwright family—a tight-knit clan of rough-hewn, hard-drinking men who shoot up each other's trucks, and indomitable women who get married young and age too quickly. At the heart of this story is Ruth Anne Boatwright, known simply as Bone, a bastard child who observes the world around her with a mercilessly keen perspective. When her stepfather Daddy Glen, cold as death, mean as a snake, becomes increasingly more vicious toward her, Bone finds herself caught in a family triangle that tests the loyalty of her mother, Anney—and leads to a final, harrowing encounter from which there can be no turning back.