Order & Chaos

Like night and day or winter and summer, there is a rigid division between the states of order and chaos that seems immutable. Nevertheless, these opposing forces also depend on one another. In this study guide collection, we've put together texts that explore themes related to the diametrically opposed yet inextricably linked forces of order and chaos.

The Grand Inquisitor

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Publication year 1880

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil

Tags Classic Fiction, Prose, Narrative Poem, Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Russian Literature, World History, Philosophy

“The Grand Inquisitor” is an embedded narrative, or a story within a story, contained in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1880 novel The Brothers Karamazov. In the novel, “The Grand Inquisitor” is a prose poem composed by the character Ivan Karamazov. Its fictional author, who writes this poem in an increasing state of despair, recites this work to his younger brother, the novice monk Alyosha. “The Grand Inquisitor” imagines Jesus Christ coming to Seville at the time of... Read The Grand Inquisitor Summary

The Great Divorce

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Love, Grief, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Order & Chaos

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Christian, Religion & Spirituality, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, first published in serial form in 1945 and as a novel the following year, explores an unnamed narrator’s experiences in Heaven and Hell. Although Lewis is best known for his contribution to children’s literature in The Chronicles of Narnia series, he also wrote many works of adult fiction and nonfiction. Almost all of his published work is either explicitly or implicitly religious in nature; many of his nonfiction works are... Read The Great Divorce Summary

The Hare With Amber Eyes

by Edmund de Waal

Publication year 2010

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Family, Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Race, The Past, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Jewish Literature, World History

Edmund de Waal’s The Hare with Amber Eyes (2010) is a family memoir that traces the fate of a collection of Japanese netsuke across generations of the Ephrussi family. Blending personal narrative with cultural history, the author reconstructs the rise and fall of his Jewish ancestors against the backdrop of Western Europe’s turbulent modern history. The book is a meditation on the Jewish diaspora and the fragility of cultural assimilation, exploring how objects, particularly works... Read The Hare With Amber Eyes Summary

The Hour of the Star

by Clarice Lispector

Publication year 1977

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Femininity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Art, Fate, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Latin American Literature, Poverty, Gender & Feminism, Existentialism, World History, Classic Fiction

Clarice Lispector’s novel The Hour of the Star was originally published in Portuguese as A hora da estrela, by The Heirs in 1977. New Directions Paperbook published the original English translation of the novel in 1992. The novel is Lispector’s final publication during her life; her novel A Breath of Life was published posthumously. The Hour of the Star is set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and follows the first-person narrator, Rodrigo S. M., as... Read The Hour of the Star Summary

The House of the Spirits

by Isabel Allende

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Politics & Government, Family, Order & Chaos

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, World History, Fantasy

The House of the Spirits (1982) is Chilean writer Isabel Allende’s debut novel. The family saga follows the journey of the Trueba family across three generations. Set in an unnamed Latin American country (widely believed to be Chile), the family’s journey is interwoven with the sociopolitical history of their nation and the events that unfold over the span of half a century.Isabel Allende is one of the world’s most widely read Spanish-language authors. First published... Read The House of the Spirits Summary

The Human Web

by John Robert Mcneill, William H. Mcneill

Publication year 2003

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Climate, Environment, Food, Place, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science & Nature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government, World History, Sociology

... Read The Human Web Summary

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

by Victor Hugo

Publication year 1831

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Disability, Language, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature, French Literature, World History

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is an 1831 gothic novel by French author Victor Hugo, originally published under the title Notre-Dame de Paris. Set in 15th-century France, the novel concerns the intertwined stories of Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Archdeacon Claude Frollo. The story has been adapted many times for theater, television, and film, including an animated film by Disney released in 1996.This guide refers to the 2009 Oxford Classics edition of the novel, translated from French to... Read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Summary

Journey to the West: Volume I

by Wu Cheng'en, Transl. Anthony C. Yu

Publication year 1592

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil

Tags Mythology, Asian Literature, Classic Fiction, Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, World History, Fantasy

The Journey to the West: Volume I (1983), translated and edited by Anthony C. Yu, contains the first 25 chapters of a 100-chapter hero’s epic, an allegory designed to impart knowledge on how to behave and what values to extol. Originally published in the late 16th century during the late Ming Dynasty, this epic is “loosely based on the famous pilgrimage of Xuanzang…the monk who went from China to India in quest of Buddhist scriptures”... Read Journey to the West: Volume I Summary

The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark

by Ridley Pearson

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure, Magical Realism

First published in 2005, Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark is a fantasy-adventure for middle-grade readers by Ridley Pearson. Young Finn Whitman and his fellow Disney Hosts each night turn into holograms who visit the Magic Kingdom, where they must defeat a cadre of evil Disney characters trying to break out of the park and take over the world. Winner of the Sunshine State Young Readers Award, the book is the first of more than a... Read The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark Summary

The Kite Fighters

by Linda Sue Park

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Joy, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Siblings, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Nation, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Korean Literature, Agriculture

... Read The Kite Fighters Summary

The Last Man

by Mary Shelley

Publication year 1826

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Order & Chaos, Nature Versus Nurture, Death, Loneliness, Future

Tags Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Gothic Literature, Horror & Suspense, World History

... Read The Last Man Summary

The Library of Babel

by Jorge Luis Borges

Publication year 1941

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Literature, Hope, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Symbolic Narrative, Latin American Literature, Science Fiction, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

“The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges is a short story that explores the search for meaning in life, the concept of the infinite, the power of knowledge, and the difference between the human and the divine. Borges is generally categorized as a Postmodern, metafictional, and experimental writer who played with the concept of narrative structure to critique the construction of reality. This work is firmly situated within the speculative fiction genre, weaving together... Read The Library of Babel Summary

The Lies of Locke Lamora

by Scott Lynch

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Guilt, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Religion & Spirituality, Death, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Coming of Age, Language, Family, Teamwork, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, Nation

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction

The Lies of Locke Lamora, written by Scott Lynch and published in 2006, is the first entry in the Gentleman Bastards series. These novels mix caper stories and fantasy stories and include adventure, violence, dark humor, and intimate friendships. The Lies of Locke Lamora is an international best seller and was nominated for multiple awards. The other entries in the series are Red Seas Under Red Skies, The Republic of Thieves, and The Thorn of... Read The Lies of Locke Lamora Summary