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.

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos

Tags Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Romance, Action & Adventure

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Sexual Identity, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Humor, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Self Discovery, Globalization, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Science & Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Health, Religion & Spirituality

Publication year 2018

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Family, Guilt, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Race, Death, The Past, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags European History, Holocaust, World War II

Publication year 1941

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Gender Identity, War, Order & Chaos, Self Discovery

Tags British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Between the Acts (1941) is Virginia Woolf’s final novel. It was published posthumously, four months after the writer’s death. It is a modernist novel that takes place on one June day in 1939, on the eve of World War II. Set in the English countryside, the novel focuses on the residents of a village who are preparing for their annual pageant at a time of looming international tension and domestic unease. Since much of the... Read Between The Acts Summary

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Place, Community, Safety & Danger, Memory, Birth, Environment, Daughters & Sons, Mental Health, Fear, Mothers, Grief, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance, Nostalgia, Hope, Loneliness, Apathy

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

Bird Box is a 2014 post-apocalyptic, dystopian horror novel by Josh Malerman. The story follows a woman’s struggle to protect two children in a world where people are driven to violence by unseen monsters, touching on such themes as paranoia, raising children to deal with an uncertain future, and the dangers of exceptionalism. Bird Box won a Michigan Notable Book Award and was also nominated for the James Herbert Award as well as the Bram... Read Bird Box Summary

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate, Safety & Danger, Justice, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Fear, Conflict

Tags Western, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Horror & Suspense, World History, Classic Fiction

Blood Meridian, a 1985 historical fiction novel by Cormac McCarthy, is one of the most celebrated works of modern American literature. The novel was inspired by people and events of the mid-19th century in the borderlands of the United States and Mexico. McCarthy’s works have won many honors including the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Blood Meridian is often considered his greatest novel. This guide uses an eBook version of the 1992 First Vintage... Read Blood Meridian Summary

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science & Nature, Love & Sexuality, Health, Psychology, Humor

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Midlife, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Grief, Siblings, Conflict, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Memory, Regret, Death, Order & Chaos, Loyalty & Betrayal, Literature, Mothers, Marriage, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, The Past

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Western, American Literature, Historical Fiction

Published in 1960, Butcher’s Crossing is a revisionist Western novel by American author John Williams. The book follows a young Harvard dropout who ventures into the Kansas wilderness in the 1870s on a buffalo-hunting expedition, confronting the brutal realities of the American frontier and the destruction of the natural world. The novel explores themes that include The Deconstruction of the American Frontier Myth, Human Arrogance Versus Nature’s Indifference, and Disillusionment and the Loss of Idealism.Williams... Read Butcher's Crossing Summary

Publication year 1944

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil, Revenge, Conflict

Tags French Literature, Philosophy, Drama, Existentialism, Absurdism

Publication year 1942

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Community, Order & Chaos

Tags Business & Economics, Sociology, Politics & Government, Philosophy

Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy is a work of economics and political theory by Austrian born economist Joseph A. Schumpeter, originally published in 1942. Schumpeter argues that capitalism, where private, for-profit ownership controls a nation’s industry, will be eventually replaced by socialism, an economic system based on the public, state ownership of industry. However, he disagrees with German philosopher Karl Marx. Unlike Marx, Schumpeter does not believe the shift to socialism will come about due to... Read Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Romance

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil, Memory, Fear, Conflict

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Military & War, Trauma & Abuse, American Literature, World History, Humor

Catch-22 is a 1961 satirical novel by Joseph Heller, whose experiences in the US Air Force during World War II inspired the narrative. The novel is set during World War II and portrays the absurd experiences of a group of Army pilots stationed in Italy. In addition to being hailed as one of the most seminal novels of the 20th century, Catch-22 has become an idiomatic expression for a certain kind of conundrum, a paradoxical... Read Catch-22 Summary