Theme

Classic books about family

Classic books about family show homes that are loving, chaotic, cold or cruel, and how each shapes the people raised in them. Some of the most loved scenes in literature are simply families sitting down to dinner.

What each book says about family

• Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen, 1813)Each Bennet daughter is helped or harmed by her parents’ choices.
• Frankenstein (Mary Shelley, 1818)The creature has no parent to guide it, while Victor’s own family pays for his choices.
• Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë, 1847)Jane longs for family, and finds one among her Rivers cousins.
• Little Women (Louisa May Alcott, 1868)The March home is warm because everyone helps everyone.
• A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens, 1843)The poor Cratchits are rich in love; Scrooge is rich and alone.
• Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë, 1847)Cruelty passes down the generations until the young couple breaks the pattern.

Lines to remember

• It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

  Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 1

• how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge

  Frankenstein, Chapter 4

• Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?

  Jane Eyre, Chapter 23

• Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents

  Little Women, Chapter 1

Frequently asked questions

Other themes

• Love
• Friendship
• Ambition
• Social class
• Growing up

Explore more

• Famous books in shortAll book summaries
• Famous book quotesExact quotes from classic novels
• Life lessons from famous booksWhat the classics teach
• Classic books to readA starter list
• Book themesBrowse classics by theme

Published 2026-10-27. Last checked 2026-10-27.