CITIES OF GREAT LITERATURE

A Google Tour of Literary Settings

INTRODUCTION

In this tour, you will take a look at select international cities and some of the famous literary works that are set in those cities. For each city, you will answer questions about the ways that the literature relates to that particular city.

NEW YORK CITY, USA• The Catcher in the Rye• The Great Gatsby• The Age of Innocence• Breakfast at Tiffany’s

• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

• The Bell Jar• The Goldfinch

Activity:1. Is there a common theme that

runs through each of these books that are set in New York?

2. Why would an author choose to set their novel in a big city like NYC instead of a small town?

LONDON, ENGLAND• 1984• The Harry Potter

series• Little Women• Brave New World• Dracula

• A Tale of Two Cities• The Chronicles of

Narnia• Sherlock Holmes• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde• Oliver Twist

Activity:1. Why do you think that there

are so many famous works set in London?

2. What might be a reason that British authors are frequently taught in American schools?

CHICAGO, USA• The Time Traveler’s

Wife• Divergent• The Devil in the White

City

• Water For Elephants• The Jungle• The House on Mango

Street• Native Son

Activity:1. Would the dynamic of a novel set

in Chicago be the same as one set in New York? Why or why not?

2. Many of the books on this list are more modern than those from the other cities. Why might this be?

ROME, ITALY• Angels and Demons• The Count of Monte

Cristo• Julius Caesar

• Ben-Hur• Daisy Miller• I, Claudius

Activity:1. The majority is these novels were

written in Ancient Roman times. How is this reflected in the architecture of the modern city?

2. Why do you think that people today still think of Rome in terms of how it was in the past? What are some common stories you think about as being associated with Rome?

PARIS, FRANCE• Les Miserables• The Da Vinci Code• A Tale of Two Cities• The Sun Also Rises• The Three Musketeers

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame

• The Phantom of the Opera

Activity:1. Several of these stories have very

dark elements to them. What does this say about Paris as a city?

2. Do you think that there are any reasons why more European cities are represented in American schools than Asian cities?