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.

Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Fate, Family, Memory, Community, Fear, Hope

Tags Poverty, Parenting, Indian Literature, Biography

A Long Way Home is a 2013 memoir by Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born author who was accidentally separated from his biological family at the age of five and adopted by an Australian couple. The memoir traces Saroo’s remarkable journey from India to Australia and back again 25 years later. The book inspired the 2016 film Lion and became a New York Times Best Seller after the film’s release. This guide refers to the 2015 edition published... Read A Long Way Home Summary

Publication year 1931

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fate, Appearance & Reality, Disability

Tags Disability

At around 1,000 words, “A Man Who Had No Eyes” by American author MacKinlay Kantor (born Benjamin MacKinlay Kantor) can be considered an example of flash fiction. The short story was first published in The Monitor in 1931. It is one of Kantor’s early works of fiction and is markedly different from his later works of historical fiction, which earned him literary fame. Kantor was best known for his prolific novels, many of which are... Read A Man Who Had No Eyes Summary

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Justice, Fate

Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Relationships, US History, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

American Pastoral (1997) by Philip Roth examines in detail one man’s quest for the American dream and the fragility of the entire enterprise. Roth, one of the most critically acclaimed novelists of the 20th century, focuses his narrative microscope through the eyes of Nathan Zuckerman, his literary alter ego from whose perspective he has written 10 other novels, including Zuckerman Unbound (1981), The Anatomy Lesson (1983), The Human Stain (2000), and The Plot Against America... Read American Pastoral Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Space

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Ancillary Justice, published in 2013, is author Ann Leckie’s first novel, although she previously published short fiction in various science fiction magazines. Leckie’s first installment of the dystopian Imperial Radch trilogy, followed by Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy, won numerous science fiction awards for best novel of the year and became the first book to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke awards. Ancillary Justice was also nominated for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award... Read Ancillary Justice Summary

Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Fate, Safety & Danger, Memory, The Past, Guilt, Conflict, Justice, Fear, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Femininity, Truth & Lies, Appearance & Reality, Apathy, Colonialism

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Modernism, Classic Fiction

Published in 1939, And Then There Were None is a mystery novel by Agatha Christie, best-selling novelist of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. With over 100 million copies sold, And Then There Were None is the world’s best-selling crime novel as well as one of the best-selling books of all time. It has had more adaptations than any other work by Agatha Christie, including television programs, films, radio broadcasts, and most... Read And Then There Were None Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Fate, Community

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Coming of Age, Poverty, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Children`s Literature, Biography

Author Laura Schroff’s 2012 New York Times bestseller An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny recounts a fateful meeting between two vastly different individuals: Maurice, a young boy living in poverty and a broken home, and Schroff, a successful ad executive enjoying a fast-paced career. In the memoir, the author posits that an invisible thread joins their lives. It is beyond her... Read An Invisible Thread Summary

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fate

Tags Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Mythology, Drama, Tragedy, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

Sophocles, one of the three great ancient Greek tragedians, premiered Antigone in Athens circa 441 BCE. The Classical Greek theater tradition to which this play belongs began in Athens in the sixth century B.C.E. with the performance of plays in dramatic competitions at yearly religious festivals. The forms of comedy and tragedy, first developed in plays such as Antigone, have lasting influence on theater today. This study guide uses the 2003 Oxford University Press edition... Read Antigone Summary

Publication year 1607

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Politics & Government, Fate, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Tragedy, Historical Drama, Romance, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

Book DetailsAntony and Cleopatra is a play by William Shakespeare that was first performed in 1607. The plot centers around the romantic affair between a Roman general, Mark Antony, and the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. It is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, portraying the downfall of Mark Antony and Cleopatra and their eventual deaths due to a conflict with Octavius Caesar, the future Emperor Augustus. Shakespeare had previously written the tragedy Julius Caesar in... Read Antony and Cleopatra Summary

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Animals, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Romance, New Adult

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Religion & Spirituality, Fate

Tags Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989) is the novelist’s seventh and best-selling novel to date. Through a series of flashbacks, it tells the story of an unusually small boy with a strange voice named Owen Meany who believes himself to be specially chosen by God. Narrated by John Wheelwright, Owen’s best friend, the narrative alternates between the past—which begins in 1950s New Hampshire and extends to the late 1960s—and the present, Toronto in... Read A Prayer for Owen Meany Summary

Publication year 1644

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Fate, Truth & Lies

Tags Philosophy, British Literature, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

As an epigram, Milton quotes Euripides, who wrote: “This is true liberty, when free-born men, having the advise the public, may speak free, which he who can, and will, deserves high praise; who neither can, nor will, may hold his peace; what can be juster in a state than this?” (337). Milton explains that addressing Parliament in the name of the “public good” (337) is no small feat and that any person in this position... Read Areopagitica Summary

Publication year 1903

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love, Fate

Tags Education, Education, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Classic Fiction, American Literature

“A Retrieved Reformation,” by prolific American short story writer O. Henry, was first published as “A Retrieved Reform” in The Cosmopolitan in 1903. The story is an example of Realism, a literary movement popular in the US and Europe in the years between the end of the American Civil War and the early 20th century. Realism explores the everyday lives of ordinary people, using detailed descriptions and colloquial dialogue. Events in “A Retrieved Reformation” are... Read A Retrieved Reformation Summary

Publication year 1902

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Joy, Love, Mental Health, Future, The Past, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Literature, New Age, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Inspirational

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Guilt, Memory, Revenge, Disability, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Climate, Place, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure