Sometimes, being clasped to the bosom of the family just leaves one gasping for air.

A recent article in The American Scholar considers ten great novels about families.

It's an apt topic for this time of year, when everyone is broke and out of sorts, and the TV is a blizzard of demagoguery, and we're often stuck indoors with the familial units.

Are all unhappy families still unhappy in their own way? What's your favorite family tale, for good or ill?