I'm glad that my reply could help. The forum has started coming back to life again but it did have a very silent spell for some time.

From the works you have mentioned; I have read The old man and the sea by Hemingway and his writing really makes one question what "good" literary writing actually is. Whatever you have been taught about how writers should write, he disobeyed primarily every rule and still produced masterpieces. For whom the bell tolls is on my reading lists for the year so I hope to get to it soon but I'm sure it's a very fascinating read.

Toni Morrison has always been in a league of her own. I have read Jazz and if you chose it prepare for drama! Lots of it! The book has excellent pacing and plot but the most interesting thing was the narrative style. Also you will need at least a basic understanding of the social situation and the class and race conflicts in the united states during the early 20th century and also know about the American civil war and overall living conditions and societal expectations during the mid 19th century. The historical context-though not central to the plot-gives a lot of depth and meaning to the characters' motivations.

I had never even heard of Mourning Becomes Electra or its writer Eugene O'Neill. Definitely seems interesting.

Now the crucible is a must read. It is set during the Salem witch trials. It surprisingly also included the unjust rulings of men being accused as witches which is often ignored in popular culture. In any case it is very fascinating to read how communities try and safeguard traditions and values and how institutions like the courts can rule unjustly simply so that cultural unrest does not happen. It is also interesting because it downright turns into a court room drama with the accused all accusing one another and no one's testimony being of much worth. It does have some disturbing themes so fair warning with that.