Fate

We can call it destiny; we can call it providence; we can even call it the will of the gods. Whatever words we use, the idea that the events in our lives are beyond our control is powerful — which explains why so many authors, past and present, have used the ever-relevant idea of fate to communicate rich lessons about humanity.

Rappaccini's Daughter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Publication year 1844

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fate, Safety & Danger, Loneliness, Love

Tags Historical Fiction, Gothic Literature, Love & Sexuality, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Fantasy, Romance, Classic Fiction

“Rappaccini’s Daughter” (1844) is a Gothic short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) first published in The United States Magazines and Democratic Review. In 1846, it was republished in a collection of stories and sketches, Mosses from an Old Manse. Hawthorne was a leader of the Dark Romantic or Gothic movement in American literature. His close friends included fellow Massachusetts writers Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson.The work is prefaced by Hawthorne, who claims to... Read Rappaccini's Daughter Summary

Rebel Witch

by Kristen Ciccarelli

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance

... Read Rebel Witch Summary

Reckless

by Lauren Roberts

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Love, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Children`s Literature, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

... Read Reckless Summary

Red Mars

by Kim Stanley Robinson

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Perseverance, Loneliness, Nostalgia, Future, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Red Mars, a 1992 science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson, is the first book in the Mars trilogy about settling and terraforming the planet Mars. Red Mars follows the first 100 people who land on Mars and begin the complex process of terraforming the planet. In 1993, Red Mars won the Nebula Award and the British Science Fiction Association Award. This guide uses the 2009 HarperVoyager edition.Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions... Read Red Mars Summary

Red Scarf Girl

by Ji-li Jiang

Publication year 1997

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Fate

Tags World History, Asian Literature, Chinese Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Biography

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution (1997) by Ji-li Jiang covers two and a half years in the author’s life, from the spring of 1966 when she was 12 years old to the fall of 1968 when she was 14 (although the Cultural Revolution continued until Mao Ze-dong’s death in 1976). The memoir is also Jiang’s coming-of-age story, as it focuses on a key time in her adolescent development. This study guide... Read Red Scarf Girl Summary

Remain

by Nicholas Sparks, M. Night Shyamalan

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Love, Memory, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, New Age, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Fantasy

... Read Remain Summary

Rendezvous with Rama

by Arthur C. Clarke

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Fear, Hope, Memory, Masculinity, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Published in 1973, Rendezvous With Rama is a science fiction adventure novel by British author Arthur C. Clarke. In his time, Clarke was known as one of the “Big Three” writers of science fiction alongside American authors Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. Clarke’s expertise in space flight prompted him to develop the novel and screenplay for his best-known work, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Rendezvous With Rama won major speculative fiction awards, including the... Read Rendezvous with Rama Summary

Richard III

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1597

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Fate, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Drama, British Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare written between 1592 and 1594. It is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays and his second longest. The play depicts the rise of King Richard III of England, also known as Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Shakespeare portrays Richard as a Machiavellian tyrant who uses lies and violence to unjustly seize the throne during a politically turbulent period of England’s history known as the Wars of the Roses... Read Richard III Summary

Riders to the Sea

by John Millington Synge

Publication year 1904

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Grief, Fate, Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Death, Environment, Mothers, Siblings, Nation

Tags Tragedy, Irish Literature

Riders to the Sea (1904) is a one-act Irish play by John Millington Synge, originally performed in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The play portrays the events of one day in the cottage of a low-income family living on Inishmaan, one of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland, as they cope with the loss of male relatives to the rough waters between the islands and mainland Ireland. This short play incorporates themes... Read Riders to the Sea Summary

Romeo and Juliet

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1595

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fate

Tags Classic Fiction, Elizabethan Era, British Literature, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy by the English playwright William Shakespeare. It is among Shakespeare’s best-known plays and, like its author, has been highly influential in shaping the course of English-language literature. First performed before 1597 (the date of its earliest known printing), it has been popular ever since. Like most of Shakespeare’s plays, it employs a combination of blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) and prose, with occasional deviations in form; for example, Shakespeare... Read Romeo and Juliet Summary

Romiette and Julio

by Sharon M. Draper

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Justice, Fate, Self Discovery, Friendship, Race, Love, Hate & Anger, Hope

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Romiette and Julio Summary

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

by Tom Stoppard

Publication year 1966

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fate, Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos

Tags Comedy & Satire, Tragedy, British Literature, Absurdism, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a three-act play by the English playwright Tom Stoppard. It is an existentialist, absurdist satire featuring characters and events from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. First performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1966, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead enjoyed critical success, winning The New York Drama Critics’ Circle’s Award for Best Play and four Tony Awards in 1968. Since then, the play has been adapted into several radio plays and a... Read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Summary

Runaway: Stories

by Alice Munro

Publication year 2004

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Nostalgia, Loneliness, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Guilt, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Canadian Literature, Literary Fiction, Relationships

... Read Runaway: Stories Summary

Seven Against Thebes

by Aeschylus

Publication year 467

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes War, Fate, Family, Siblings, Justice, Hate & Anger

Tags Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Tragedy, Classical Period, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

Seven Against Thebes is a tragedy composed by Aeschylus and performed for the first time at the City Dionysia festival in 467 BCE. It was the final play of a connected trilogy based on the myths of Oedipus and his family, but the first two plays—Laius and Oedipus—are now lost, as is the satyr play Sphinx that would have been performed following the trilogy. This set of plays won first prize the year it was... Read Seven Against Thebes Summary

Seveneves

by Neal Stephenson

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Order & Chaos, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Teamwork, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Survival Fiction

Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves (2015) is a work of speculative fiction that blends hard science fiction with political and social commentary. Known for his meticulous research and technical expertise, Stephenson crafts a narrative that begins with the sudden destruction of the moon and follows humanity’s desperate attempts to survive the ensuing Hard Rain: a millennia-long bombardment of debris that renders Earth’s surface uninhabitable. Divided into three parts spanning thousands of years, Seveneves traces both the immediate... Read Seveneves Summary

Sexing the Cherry

by Jeanette Winterson

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Revenge, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Language, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Space, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, LGBTQ+, Postmodernism

Jeanette Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry (1989) is a work of historiographic metafiction that blends fantasy elements with the historical backdrop of 17th-century England. The novel is primarily told through the alternating perspectives of the Dog-Woman, a powerful giantess, and her adopted son, Jordan. Rescued from the Thames as an infant, Jordan grows up to become an explorer, embarking on both literal sea voyages and fantastical journeys of the mind in search of an elusive dancer... Read Sexing the Cherry Summary

Shadow Divers

by Robert Kurson

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, World War II, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Military & War, Science & Nature, Biography

Shadow Divers: The True Story of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II (2004) by Robert Kurson is a celebrated nonfiction adventure book. Kurson, an adventure journalist whose stories have been featured in Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine, is known for his immersive and entertaining style. His first book-length work, Shadow Divers was a New York Times Best Seller and won the... Read Shadow Divers Summary