Appearance Versus Reality

Can we ever fully trust our senses, or are they too unreliable to perceive the world as it is? In this collection, we gather texts that explore the idea of appearance versus reality, from classics such as Aristotle's On the Soul to contemporary bestsellers like Jia Tolentino's Trick Mirror.

Lincoln in the Bardo

by George Saunders

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Death, Community, Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, War, Fathers, Appearance & Reality

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grief & Death, American Civil War, Religion & Spirituality, US History, Race & Racism, American Literature, World History

The novel Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, published by Random House in 2017, offers a portrait of an American legend in mourning, surrounded by a poignant but funny cast of 166 characters. It is Saunders’s debut novel, though he has been a notable author of short story collections for decades. The novel won the prestigious Man Booker Prize and was a New York Times best seller.Set in 1862, Lincoln in the Bardo is... Read Lincoln in the Bardo Summary

Litany

by Billy Collins

Publication year 2002

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Literature, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Environment, Marriage

Tags Free Verse, Lyric Poem, Comedy & Satire, American Literature, Love & Sexuality

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Love's Labour's Lost

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1598

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Masculinity, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Comedy & Satire, British Literature, Dramatic Literature, Romance, Humor

Love’s Labour’s Lost is an early Shakespearean comedy, produced in the burgeoning theatrical culture of Elizabethan London. It tells the story of four Lords, led by the King of Navarre, who swear to dedicate three years to study and avoid women. However, they immediately fall in love with four ladies, led by the Princess of France. The play follows their attempts to woo the ladies, while a host of comedic characters in the subplot squabble... Read Love's Labour's Lost Summary

Love, Theoretically

by Ali Hazelwood

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Love, Regret, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Justice, Appearance & Reality, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Mothers, Education, Equality

Tags Romance, Education, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

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Machines Like Me

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Birth, Appearance & Reality, Community, Family, Friendship, Love, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Technology, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Magic Hour

by Kristin Hannah

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Grief, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Community

Tags Romance, Dramatic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Man of La Mancha

by Dale Wasserman

Publication year 1965

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Justice, Perseverance, Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Historical Fiction, Drama, Music, Humor, Historical Drama, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Romance, Classic Fiction

Man of La Mancha, by Dale Wasserman, Joe Darion, and Mitch Leigh, took the world of musical theater by storm when it premiered in 1965. This story of Miguel de Cervantes and his comic knight, Don Quixote, won five Tony Awards as well as the Drama Critics Circle Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Variety Drama Critics Award, and the Saturday Review Award. The original production ran for over 2,000 performances and remains popular... Read Man of La Mancha Summary

Manon Lescaut

by Abbe Prevost

Publication year 1731

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Appearance & Reality

Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature

Manon Lescaut, written by Abbé Antoine Francois Prévost and published in 1731, is perhaps best described as a novella. Originally just a small piece of Prévost’s seven-volume work, Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality, it quickly became very popular and is now Prévost’s most well-known work. Memoirs is a fictional autobiography of Monsieur de Renoncour, who introduces Manon Lescaut, which is in turn narrated by the protagonist of the story, the Chevalier Des... Read Manon Lescaut Summary

Masterminds

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Nature Versus Nurture, Appearance & Reality, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature, Education, Technology, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature

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Metaphysics

by Aristotle

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Space, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials

Tags Philosophy, Education, Education, Philosophy, World History, Classical Period, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Science & Nature

Aristotle’s Metaphysics, a foundational text in Western philosophy, is attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher and polymath Aristotle and is believed to have been compiled around 350 BCE. As a work of philosophy, the book, thought to be based on his lectures and subsequently recorded by his students, dwells in the genre of metaphysical inquiry, exploring topics such as existence, reality, and the nature of being. Aristotle, a student of Plato and a teacher to... Read Metaphysics Summary

Midnight At The Blackbird Cafe

by Heather Webber

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Regret, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Food, Daughters & Sons, Family, Grandparents, Mothers, Social Class, Community, Economics, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Southern Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy

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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

by John Berendt

Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality

Tags Creative Nonfiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Southern Literature, World History, Travel Literature, Classic Fiction

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt’s 1994 bestseller, is a combination of travelogue, true crime, autobiography, and Southern gothic. The nonfiction book chronicles Berendt’s experience living in Savannah, Georgia, during a sensational murder trial. Just as gripping as the drama is the author’s exploration into Savannah culture and the unusual array of people whom he meets during his eight years living there. It was an immediate success when first published, staying... Read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Summary

Mind of My Mind

by Octavia E. Butler

Publication year 1977

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Future, Appearance & Reality, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Gender & Feminism

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Miracles

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1947

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Space, Art, Beauty, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Christian, Philosophy

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Modern Fiction

by Virginia Woolf

Publication year 1925

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, The Past, Appearance & Reality

Tags Modernism, Education, Education, British Literature, Literary Criticism, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

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