The House of Mirth
The central theme of "The House of Mirth" is essentially "the struggle between who we are and what society tells us we should be". Thus, it is considered by many to be as relevant today as it was in 1905. If its sole subject had been the excesses and lives of the rich and famous, by themselves, it is doubtful it would have remained popular for as long as it has. "The House of Mirth" continues to attract readers over a century after its first publication, possibly due to its timeless theme. That the life and death of Lily Bart matters to modern readers suggests that Wharton succeeded in her purpose: to critique "a society so relentlessly materialistic and self-serving that it casually destroys what is most beautiful and blameless within it."
Treehouse of Horror III
In a parody of "Night of the Living Dead", Bart finds a book of black magic in Springfield Elementary Library when he is asked to write a book report for class. That night, when Lisa reminisces about the family's dead cat, Snowball I, Bart suggests that he could use a spell from the book to resurrect Snowball. At the Springfield pet cemetery with Lisa, Bart utters an incantation, but accidentally reanimates corpses from the nearby human cemetery instead. The zombies terrorize Springfield, turning many people into zombies.