ShmoopTube

Welcome to the first world problem pity parade. Strap in.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is about a young blacksmith boy (Pip) and his two dreams: becoming a gentleman and marrying the beautiful Est...

Do we need creative arts to survive, or is logic enough? And how can The House on Mango Street help us decide? Check out this video to find out.

Are humans civilized, or are we just savages waiting to come out? William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies tackles that question.

Their eyes may have been watching God, but we think we know who won that staring contest.

Having a fancy title has always been on our to-do list, but somehow being Lord of the Flies doesn't sound all that glamorous.

Ode on a Californian Shmoop.

Break out the tissues. Of Mice and Men isn't an easy one to stomach.

This video provides a summary of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. When George and Lennie find new work during the Great Depression, fights, frie...

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...

Yes, there are kites. Yes, there are runners. No, despite how much we love running and flying kites, this isn't a happy story by any stretch of the...

A great marriage begins with a blooming pear tree and ends with a hurricane, rabies, and a murder trial…or something like that.

Gee whiz! Running after kites sounds like so much fun! That's totally what this book is about, right? Nope. Hosseini's novel actually touches on su...

Trying to live up to expectations can be stressful. Watching someone else struggle with it, though? That's just fine.