Features

Everything StoryBites does. All free.

A taste of the world’s best short stories, built to be understood and remembered. No paywall, no account, no dark patterns.

Study faster

Active recall, not passive reading. Everything here is built to make a story stick.

10-minute analyses Every story, distilled into one flowing breakdown: hook, what happens, characters, themes, symbols, key quotes and the ending explained. Try it → Flashcards + Learn mode Auto-built decks for characters, themes, symbols and devices. Flip and self-grade, or hit Learn mode to re-quiz what you miss until it sticks. Try it → Quizzes A quick quiz on every analysis, scored instantly with explanations. It remembers your best score so you can beat it. Try it → Streaks & progress A study streak and a private dashboard of everything you have studied, kept on your device. No account. Try it → Character & theme maps A visual map of who connects to whom and the themes binding them, drawn from each story at a glance. Try it →

Reference and cite

The things you need when an essay is due at midnight.

Literary terms glossary Plain-English definitions of 40+ terms and devices, each with a real example and the stories that use it. Try it → Cite this page One-click MLA, APA and Chicago citations on every analysis. Copy and paste straight into your bibliography. Try it → Search everything Find any story, author, theme, character or term as you type. Searches the whole library, not just titles. Try it → Shareable quote cards Turn any classic line into a beautiful, branded image to download or share. Three styles, one click. Try it → Discussion & essay prompts Ready-made seminar questions and essay topics on every analysis, drawn from its themes, symbols and conflicts. Try it →

The library

A growing collection, organized so you can wander or aim.

Collections Browse by movement, era, nation, genre and theme. Faceted, so you can narrow to exactly what you are studying. Try it → Authors Every writer, with a portrait and their full body of work in one place. Try it → Big Books The assigned novels and plays, distilled chapter by chapter: Gatsby, Frankenstein, the Shakespeare tragedies and more. Try it →

The memorial archive

The heart of the site.

Karen Bernardo, preserved The complete literary analyses of Karen Bernardo, recovered from the web after her site went dark, kept in full and credited to her. Try it →

In the works

More free study tools landing soon:

Printable study guidesAudio read-aloudCompare two texts side by sideTeacher worksheets