Publication year 1989
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Memory, Hate & Anger, Race
Tags Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Race & Racism, Poverty
Memory
In many ways, who we are is shaped by what we remember, yet our recollections aren't always a reliable account of the past. This collection gathers texts that explore the ideas, theories, and challenges conjured by memory.
Childhood
Childhood Memories
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Chronicles: Volume One
Cities of the Plain
Claire of the Sea Light
Clear Light of Day
Cold Comfort Farm
Cold Mountain
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
Comfort & Joy
Coming Up for Air
Concord Hymn
Contact
Counting Miracles
Coyote Lost and Found
Cranford
Crossed
Crossing the Mangrove
Crossing to Safety
Publication year 1989
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Memory, Hate & Anger, Race
Tags Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Race & Racism, Poverty
Publication year 1920
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Memory, Nostalgia
Tags Lyric Poem
Publication year 1981
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Truth & Lies, Death, Femininity, Justice, Revenge, Family, Memory
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a 1981 novella by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. Told in non-chronological order and in journalistic fashion by an unnamed narrator, it pieces together the events leading up to and after the murder of Santiago Nasar by Pedro and Pablo Vicario. Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a classic example of Márquez's use of magical realism in his writing. The novella has been adapted several times as a film... Read Chronicle of a Death Foretold Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Fame, Perseverance, Memory, Nostalgia, Coming of Age, Midlife, The Past, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Music
Tags Arts & Culture, Music
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Fate, Animals, Death, Place
Tags Western, Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Post-War Era, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Cities of the Plain is a 1998 novel by American author Cormac McCarthy. The novel is the final entry in a trilogy that began with All the Pretty Horses, followed by The Crossing. The protagonists from each of the previous novels return for Cities of the Plain. This guide uses an eBook version of the 1998 Knopf edition of the novel.Plot SummaryJohn Grady Cole (the protagonist of All the Pretty Horses) and Billy Parham (the... Read Cities of the Plain Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Family
Tags Afro-Caribbean Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism
Claire of the Sea Light is a 2013 work of historical fiction by Haitian-American novelist Edwidge Danticat. The novel portrays the lives of the various inhabitants of a small town in Haiti, relaying a series of related events from several different characters’ perspectives. This guide is based on the 2013 Random House e-book version of Claire of the Sea Light.Plot Summary The novel begins on Claire Limyè Lanmè Faustin’s seventh birthday. That morning, a fisherman... Read Claire of the Sea Light Summary
Publication year 1980
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, Gender Identity, Family, Siblings, Colonialism
Tags Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Relationships, Women`s Studies, Asian Literature, World History
Clear Light of Day (1980) is Anita Desai’s sixth and—according to the author—most autobiographical novel. This novel was the first of three of Desai’s books to be nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize. Like other books in her corpus, such as Cry, the Peacock (1963) and Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975), it deals with gender struggles in a modernizing India. Set against the backdrop of Indian Independence and Partition, it explores the lives... Read Clear Light of Day Summary
Publication year 1932
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Appearance & Reality, The Past, Love, Memory
Tags Humor, Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction
Cold Comfort Farm (September 1932) is the first book by British author Stella Gibbons. Upon publication, it became an instant success. The comic novel is a parody of rural romances that were popular in Britain at the time. The story was adapted for two BBC television shows in 1968 and 1981. It was also made into a film starring Kate Beckinsale in 1995. Cold Comfort Farm is classified under the category of Classic Humor Fiction... Read Cold Comfort Farm Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Perseverance, Love, The Past, War
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, American Civil War, Military & War, Literary Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Survival Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction
Cold Mountain (1997) is a novel by Charles Frazier. It tells the story of W.P. Inman, a deserter from the Confederate Army who attempts to return home to his romantic partner, Ada. The novel won the National Book Award and was adapted into an Academy Award–winning film of the same name. This guide refers to the 2011 Sceptre edition. Content Warning: The source text contains discussions of racism, violence, abuse of women and children, and... Read Cold Mountain Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Memory, Appearance & Reality, Music, The Past, Coming of Age, Mental Health
Tags Coming of Age, Japanese Literature, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Magical Realism
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is a 2014 novel by renowned Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. The novel tells the story of a man who attempts to overcome past emotional suffering to make his present life more rewarding. Through Tsukuru’s point of view, we see the ripple effects of rejection and the necessity of sometimes confronting the past to make sense of who we are in the present. After a group of friends... Read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Femininity, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Romance, Special Occasions
Publication year 1939
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Nostalgia, Social Class, The Past, War, Nation, Memory
Tags Historical Fiction, Satirical Literature, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
Coming Up For Air is an interwar novel written by British author George Orwell shortly before the outbreak of World War II. Originally published in 1939, the novel was written in Morocco while Orwell was recovering from injuries received while fighting in the Spanish Civil War. Set in the late 1930s, the novel follows a middle-aged insurance salesman named George Bowling as he struggles with anxieties about the coming war. Like Orwell’s more famous novels... Read Coming Up for Air Summary
Publication year 1836
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Courage
Tags Military & War, American Revolution
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Space, Hope, Memory, Femininity, Future, Fathers, Mothers, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology
Tags Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Grief, Love, Memory, Family
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Grief, Hope, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Place, Friendship, Self Discovery
Tags Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death
Publication year 1853
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Grief, Memory, Nostalgia, Gender Identity, Future
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Victorian Period, Gender & Feminism, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery, War, Art, Justice, Literature, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology
Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Arts & Culture, Love & Sexuality, Science & Nature, Social Justice
Publication year 1989
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Race, Colonialism, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Sexual Identity, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, French Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
Crossing the Mangrove (1995) by Maryse Condé was originally published in French as Traversée de la Mangrove. It was translated to English by her husband Richard Philcox. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel opens with a mystery—that of Francis Sancher’s murder. As characters gather to speak at Sancher’s wake, they reveal his impact on the village of Rivière au Sel (“Salty River”), as well as why he returned to the village of his ancestors. While... Read Crossing the Mangrove Summary
Publication year 1987
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Friendship
Tags American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Crossing to Safety is a 1987 semi-autobiographical novel by Wallace Stegner. Using a series of flashbacks in the mind of a writer, Larry Morgan, throughout a single day, the novel is a reflection on youth, idealism, and the often unarticulated but lifelong process of compromise one must endure while seeking a stable place in the world. Stegner’s novel explores these themes via Larry’s perspective on two academic couples: Larry and his wife, Sally Morgan, and Sidney... Read Crossing to Safety Summary