(B) Pan (Knut Hamsun, 1894) Grade: A
Although not much really happens in Pan, which is about a man who lives in solitude in the woods, the poetic prose is very involving. One of the book’s central themes is how man cannot be defined in his isolated state but defined by his interactions with others. When first introduced, the protagonist seems merely appreciative of nature and simple, but as the book progresses, the reader finds he is actually quite cruel and his actions have tragic consequences.