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.

The Mountain in the Sea

by Ray Nayler

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Future, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Place, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature, Animals

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The Necklace

by Guy de Maupassant

Publication year 1884

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Perseverance

Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature, Education, Education, World History

Considered a master of the short story, French author Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) wrote over 300 stories, one of the most famous being “The Necklace.” De Maupassant focused his writing on daily life and the observation of human nature, a topic he approached with a strong sense of pessimism. “The Necklace,” published in 1884, illustrates his pessimistic outlook through its focus on irony, conflict, and the destructive power of materialism and greed. The story has... Read The Necklace Summary

The Night the Ghost Got In

by James Thurber

Publication year 1933

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fear, Appearance & Reality, War

Tags Science Fiction, Humor, Psychology, Military & War, Classic Fiction

“The Night the Ghost Got In” is a short story from the comedic semi-autobiographical memoir My Life and Hard Times published in 1933 by James Thurber. Thurber is best known for his short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” which has been twice adapted for film. This guide references the 1999 Harper Perennial Classics Reprint edition of My Life and Hard Times.“The Night the Ghost Got In” tells the first-person account of a young... Read The Night the Ghost Got In Summary

The Night Watchman

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Indigenous Identity

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, US History, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Politics & Government, American Literature, World History

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The Note

by Alafair Burke

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Nostalgia, Regret, Race, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane

by Neil Gaiman

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil, Memory

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Horror & Suspense, Religion & Spirituality

In The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013), a dark fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman, a young boy accidentally brings an evil entity from another reality into his world, and he needs the help of three mysterious women to try to get rid of the threat. A number-one New York Times bestseller, the novel won several honors, including the British Book Awards Book of the Year and the Locus Award for best fantasy... Read The Ocean at the End of the Lane Summary

The Open Window

by Saki

Publication year 1911

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Gender Identity, Social Class

Tags British Literature, Humor, Education, Education, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

“The Open Window” is a frequently anthologized short story by Hector Hugh Munro, or H. H. Munro, whose penname was Saki. This short story, like many of Saki’s works, satirizes Edwardian society. By utilizing a story within a story, or an embedded narrative, Saki uses satire to explore themes like the absurdity of etiquette, escapism, control, and appearance versus reality.Saki originally published “The Open Window” in the Westminster Gazette on November 18, 1911, and later... Read The Open Window Summary

The Oval Portrait

by Edgar Allan Poe

Publication year 1842

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Art, Fear, Love, Death, Appearance & Reality, Beauty

Tags Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction, Gothic Literature, Education, Education, Mystery & Crime Fiction, American Literature, World History, Fantasy

Edgar Allan Poe’s Gothic horror story “The Oval Portrait” is among his shortest narratives. As it recounts the story of the death of a painter’s young wife, it addresses the themes The Relationship Between Art and Life, The Dangers of Obsession, and The Nature of Romantic Relationships. “The Oval Portrait” is actually the 1845 revision of a longer story, “Life in Death,” which Poe wrote in 1842, shortly after his beloved young wife, Virginia, first... Read The Oval Portrait Summary

The Passing of Grandison

by Charles W. Chesnutt

Publication year 1899

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Race, Appearance & Reality

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction

“The Passing of Grandison” is a short story by Charles W. Chesnutt published in his 1899 collection The Wife of his Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line. This study guide refers to the free, open-access ebook published by Full Text Archive.Content Warning: The source text depicts slavery in the pre-Civil War South and contains outdated and offensive terms for Black Americans. This guide will obscure the author’s use of the n-word.The story takes... Read The Passing of Grandison Summary

The People Could Fly

by Virginia Hamilton

Publication year 1985

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Equality, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Perseverance, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Joy, Guilt, Revenge, Memory, Death, Animals, Environment, Appearance & Reality, Food, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Fate, Race, Language, Regret, Shame & Pride, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Teamwork

Tags Fairy Tale & Folklore, Symbolic Narrative, US History, African American Literature, Race & Racism

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The Peripheral

by William Gibson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Science & Technology, Environment, Future

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Climate Change

The Peripheral is a 2014 science-fiction novel by William Gibson. Gibson has been writing science fiction works since the 1970s and is considered one of the founding fathers of the cyberpunk genre. His debut novel, Neuromancer, is one of the genre’s foundational texts and is the only novel to win the Nebula, Hugo, and Philip K. Dick awards. Since then, Gibson has written several bestselling science-fiction trilogies. The Peripheral is the first novel of The... Read The Peripheral Summary

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux

Publication year 1910

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Art, Safety & Danger, Hate & Anger, Music, Love, Fear, Beauty, Nature Versus Nurture, Justice, Perseverance, Conflict, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Marriage, Good & Evil, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Gratitude

Tags Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is a Gothic mystery novel first published serially in 1910. The novel follows a “ghost” who haunts the Paris Opera and the mysterious incidents attributed to this figure. The characters and the narrator himself try to uncover the secret of this ghost, who is really a masked man infatuated opera singer, Christine Daaé. The novel has been adapted into several formats, most notably a 1925 silent film... Read The Phantom of the Opera Summary