The Past

In George Orwell's 1984 a character says, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." The past may be behind us, but its events—and how we remember them—have a profound effect on the present. In this collection explore texts that examine the complications and complexities of the past.

Horse

by Geraldine Brooks

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Animals, The Past

Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Race & Racism, American Civil War, Sports, World History, Arts & Culture

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How Does It Feel?

by Jeneane O'Riley

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Religion & Spirituality

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How I Learned to Drive

by Paula Vogel

Publication year 1997

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Music, Forgiveness, The Past

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

How I Learned to Drive, a play written by Paula Vogel, premiered Off-Broadway in 1997 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1998. It addresses pedophilia, victim blaming, and misogyny, as well as the complexities of love and family. Through non-chronological flashbacks, Li’l Bit, now in her forties, uses learning to drive as a metaphor for her learning about sex, and about life, from her aunt’s husband, Peck, with whom she has a sexual relationship. Each scene is designated... Read How I Learned to Drive Summary

How to Be Both

by Ali Smith

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Grief, Love, Memory, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Self Discovery, Social Class, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

How to be Both is a 2014 novel by Scottish author Ali Smith. The narrative explores common threads of grief, identity, and memory from the perspectives of recently bereaved 16-year-old English schoolgirl George and a character named Francescho, inspired by the real 15th-century Italian artist Francesco del Cossa. The book, exploring themes such as The Impact of Grief on Personality, Ambiguity as an Inescapable Feature of Life, and Everyday Resistance to Injustice, was a critical... Read How to Be Both Summary

How To Live Safely In a Science Fictional Universe

by Charles Yu

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Future, The Past, Family, Fathers

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (2010) is a science fiction novel by American writer Charles Yu. Yu wrote the novel after merging two separate story ideas—one about a father-son relationship and the other about a man who keeps waking up in different universes. The narrative views the emotional tension between the father and son through the lens of quantum mechanics and popular philosophy. The novel was a finalist for the John... Read How To Live Safely In a Science Fictional Universe Summary

Hum If You Don't Know the Words

by Bianca Marais

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Revenge, Race, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Friendship, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Arts & Culture, Historical Fiction, Race & Racism

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Hyperion

by Dan Simmons

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Colonialism, The Past, Future

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction

Hyperion (1989) is Dan Simmons’s first novel in his four-part science fiction series, Hyperion Cantos. Set several hundred years in the future, Hyperion follows seven people, who have been selected to make the final pilgrimage to the terrifying Shrike creature on the mysterious Outback world of Hyperion before the Ouster invasion. On the voyage to the planet, the pilgrims tell their stories about their connection to Hyperion. This frame-story structure is based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s... Read Hyperion Summary

I Capture the Castle

by Dodie Smith

Publication year 1948

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, The Past, Siblings, Fathers, Marriage, Love

Tags Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, World History

I Capture the Castle is a young adult novel published in 1948 by Dodie Smith. It follows the fictional journal of aspiring author Cassandra Mortmain as she writes about her family’s rise from poverty to wealth through their association with the Cotton brothers. The novel discusses themes of authorship, history, and the multiplicity of feminine identities. I Capture the Castle was adapted for film in 2003 by director Tim Fywell. This summary uses the St... Read I Capture the Castle Summary

I Know Who You Are

by Alice Feeney

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Fame, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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I'll Give You the Sun

by Jandy Nelson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Sexual Identity, The Past, Death, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Fate, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Coming of Age, Magical Realism, Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

I’ll Give You the Sun (2015) is an award-winning novel penned by Jandy Nelson about relationships, art, and destiny. It follows the story of twins Noah and Jude Sweetwine who once shared a close relationship but find themselves barely speaking to each other two years after their mother’s death.Jandy Nelson is an American author who writes young adult fiction. I’ll Give You the Sun is her second novel, which won numerous awards and honors, including... Read I'll Give You the Sun Summary

I'm Still Here

by Austin Channing Brown

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, The Past

Tags Race & Racism, Black Lives Matter, Biography, Social Justice, Religion & Spirituality

I’m Still Here is a nonfiction memoir published in 2018 by the American author Austin Channing Brown. Subtitled Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, the book chronicles Brown’s lifelong efforts to navigate White spaces as a Black Christian woman. Amid a surge of interest in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd protests, actress Reese Witherspoon selected I’m Still Here for her popular Hello Sunshine book club.This study guide refers to the 2018... Read I'm Still Here Summary