The unnamed narrator, an adult female writer, thinks back to her childhood spent in French Indochina. Specifically, she reflects on how, at 18, her face changed in a way that made her appear suddenly
Lit Guide
The Break
by Katherena Vermette
An unnamed narrator (later revealed to be Rain) describes “the Break,” a piece of land adjacent to her daughter Stella’s house in a rough neighborhood in Winnipeg’s North End. Rain has always loved th
Poetry Guide
As kingfishers catch fire
by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote "As kingfishers catch fire" in 1877, the year that he was ordained as a Catholic priest. This innovative sonnet expresses Hopkins's joy in his faith through his joy in the
Literature, Explained Better
A more helpful approach
Our guides use color and the interactivity of the web to make it easier to learn and teach literature.
Every title you need
Far beyond just the classics, LitCharts covers over 2000 texts read and studied worldwide, from Judy Blume to Nietzsche.
For every reader
Our approach makes literature accessible to everyone, from students at every level to teachers and book club readers.
More than
50 million
students, teachers,
parents, and readers use LitCharts.
2064
Literature guides
1004
Poetry guides
136
Terms & devices guides
All 41
Shakespeare translations
Upgrade to LitCharts
Get LitCharts
Join over 350,000 LitCharts readers who have upgraded
to get unlimited access to our premium content and tools.