The "Native Tongues" of this book are the distinctive voices through which great writers from five proud nations of the Western world have highlighted their ideals, aspirations, belief systems, emphases, and nuances to form the collective identity their people have shared and passed on over the centuries. Author Francis Goskowski explores how the characters and their interactions are depicted in five classic novels, one each from the United States, France, Great Britain, Russia, and Germany. The portrayals illustrate the differences in the ways the foundational principles of the West are understood and applied within these five national traditions. Taken together, these contributions blend in an organic whole integral to the Western patrimony. (About the Author) Francis Goskowski taught English and served as an administrator at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 1975 to 2009. In 2011, Strategic Books published his first book, Three Essays and Three Revolutions, focusing on the lasting influence that the writings by Martin Luther, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Karl Marx have had on today's understanding of religion, politics, and economics in liberal societies. Native Tongues explores the lasting influences five classic novels have had in defining the identity of five Western nations.