Edgar Allan Poe’s writings provide insights into “the darkness” of human psychology, often playing on themes related to violence, death, and mystery. 

Underlying Hamlet’s hesitation to avenge his father is an inability to reconcile nature, on the one hand, and faculties of reason, on the other. 

William Howells’ The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885) is a successful application of literary realism with respect to the complex, dynamic, and relatable characters. 

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (1851) is a fantastical story that interweaves biblical allegory, worldview philosophy, and a sense of American diversity in one major epic sailing adventure.

Sara Orne Jewett, in The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896), depicts the intricate community and landscape in the fishing town of Dunnet, Maine.