Mortality & Death

"Nothing can be said to be certain," wrote Ben Franklin, "except death and taxes." And yet, death is often ignored, dismissed, or delayed as an experience worth contemplating—until we are forced to reckon with it head-on. The books in this collection do their own reckoning.

The Iliad

by Homer, Transl. Robert Fagles

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Fate, Death, Literature

Tags Mythology, Narrative Poem, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Education, Education, Military & War, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

The Iliad is a classic ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, a name believed to refer to a tradition of epic hexameter verse rather than an individual composer. When, how, and by whom the poem was composed continues to be debated. Scholars generally believe the poem was composed and passed on orally, possibly over hundreds of years, before it was written down at some point during the mid-8th century BC (approximately when the Greek... Read The Iliad Summary

The Immoralist

by Andre Gide

Publication year 1902

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Colonialism, Sexual Identity, Masculinity

Tags LGBTQ+, Classic Fiction, Travel Literature, Gender & Feminism, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, French Literature, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read The Immoralist Summary

The Invalid's Story

by Mark Twain

Publication year 1874

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fear, Death, Grief, Friendship, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classic Fiction, Humor

Mark Twain’s short story “The Invalid’s Story,” published in his 1882 collection The Stolen White Elephant, Etc., is a tall tale involving a mix-up between a coffin and a box full of guns. Traveling on a train with what he believes to be the coffin, the first-person narrator mistakes the odor of pungent cheese for that of the decaying corpse. Disparaged by critics for its crudeness at its time of publication, the story deals with... Read The Invalid's Story Summary

The Invention of Morel

by Adolfo Bioy Casares

Publication year 1940

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Memory, Death, Science & Technology

Tags Latin American Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy, World History, Classic Fiction

The Invention of Morel (La invención de Morel) is a 1940 novella by Argentinian writer Adolfo Bioy Casares. A literary thought experiment in the manner of Bioy Casares’s close friend, Jorge Luis Borges, The Invention of Morel imagines an island on which a group of wealthy socialites unknowingly relive a single weeklong holiday over and over again. They are observed by the novella’s narrator, a political criminal who has come to the island to hide from the Venezuelan... Read The Invention of Morel Summary

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

by V. E. Schwab

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Gender Identity, Death

Tags Fantasy, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Religion & Spirituality, LGBTQ+, Age of Enlightenment, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Romance

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a historical fantasy novel by the American author V.E. Schwab published in 2020. It chronicles the story of Addie LaRue, an 18th-century Frenchwoman who gains eternal life through a bargain with a demonic entity. However, the deal comes at a great cost: Everybody who meets Addie immediately forgets her. A New York Times bestseller, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue received a 2020 Goodreads Choice Award nomination for... Read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Summary

The Japanese Lover

by Isabel Allende

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Memory, Race, Sexual Identity, Aging, Death, Social Class, Immigration, Art

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, World War II, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

The Japanese Lover is Isabel Allende’s 18th novel. Like most of Allende’s work, it falls under the genres of magical realism and historical fiction. The novel was originally published in 2015, the year after Allende was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In addition to the overarching focus on romance and love, the novel addresses issues relating to World War II (WWII), Japanese American incarceration during the 1940s, racism, homophobia, and the struggles of aging... Read The Japanese Lover Summary

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

by Katherine Anne Porter

Publication year 1929

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Memory, Death, Grief, Truth & Lies

Tags Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction

“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” is a short story written by American author Katherine Anne Porter and first published in 1930 as part of Porter’s short story collection Flowering Judas, and Other Stories. Set in the final moments of the title character’s life, the narrative explores her emotions and memories, as well as her struggle to cope with mortality. Written during the Modernist movement, which sought to break away from traditional literary forms and explore... Read The Jilting of Granny Weatherall Summary

The Lake

by Natasha Preston

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Nostalgia, Mental Health, Death, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse

... Read The Lake Summary

The Last Days of Socrates

by Plato

Publication year -1

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Death, Justice, Literature

Tags Philosophy, Ancient Greece, European History

The Last Days of Socrates by Plato is a collection of four texts—Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo—about the trial and execution of Socrates. (Alternate titles for collection include The Trial and Death of Socrates.) These texts, believed to have been composed between 399 and 395 BCE, are considered founding works of Western philosophy that investigate piety, justice, and the immortality of the soul via Socrates’s defense speeches at his trial and his conversations with his... Read The Last Days of Socrates Summary

The Last Graduate

by Naomi Novik

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Coming of Age, Death, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read The Last Graduate Summary