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.
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Environment, Memory, Fate, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Objects & Materials, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Beauty, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, Science & Nature, World History, Magical Realism
Publication year 1995
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Nostalgia, Aging, Midlife, Future, The Past, Environment, Place, Self Discovery, Economics, Globalization, Nation
Tags British Literature, World History, Travel Literature, Humor, Biography
Publication year 2025
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Fear, Guilt, Mental Health, The Past, Mothers, Self Discovery
Tags Memoir & Autobiography
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Apathy, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Friendship, Community
Tags Coming of Age, Children`s Literature
Publication year 2010
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Memory, The Past
Tags Narrative Poem, Education
Publication year 401
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Grief, Guilt, Regret, Aging, Death, Future, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Community, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Classical Period, Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece
Oedipus at Colonus is an ancient Athenian tragedy composed by Sophocles in (it is widely believed) the last year of his life, approximately 406 BC. His grandson, who was named Sophocles after him, first produced the play in 401 BC at the Festival of Dionysus, also known as the Great Dionysia. Along with Oedipus Rex and Antigone, it is one of three surviving tragedies by Sophocles, known as the Theban plays, that retell episodes from... Read Oedipus at Colonus Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Shame & Pride, Death, The Past, Animals, Grandparents, Social Class
Publication year 1990
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Language, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Climate, Environment, Plants, Place, Friendship, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Literature, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Narrative Poem, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Postmodernism
Omeros (1990) by Derek Walcott is an epic poem that reimagines The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer on the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Walcott explores themes of post-colonial identity and trauma while linking life on the island to Homer’s legendary characters, such as Achilles, Helen, and Hector. Omeros has been celebrated as a foundational work of post-colonial fiction and has won numerous awards. This guide refers to the 1992 Farrar, Straus... Read Omeros Summary
Publication year 1976
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Grief, The Past, Language
Tags Lyric Poem, American Literature, Arts & Culture, LGBTQ+, Classic Fiction, Biography
Throughout her life, Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) suffered many losses. Her father died before her first birthday and her mother entered a mental institution when Bishop was only five, leaving her to the guardianship of maternal and paternal grandparents. Later, Bishop’s lover committed suicide in Brazil, prompting Bishop’s return to the US. “One Art” (1976) alludes to several of these prominent losses, though the poem objectively approaches loss. “One Art” defines loss as a special form... Read One Art Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Grief, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Marriage, Fate
Tags Romance, Drama, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Future, The Past, Sexual Identity, Trust & Doubt, Gender Identity
Tags Romance, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Humor, Magical Realism, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1977
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Education, The Past, Perseverance, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Justice
Tags Education, Crime & Law
One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School is Scott Turow’s debut memoir, first published in 1977. The book is autobiographical and follows Scott’s first full year at Harvard Law School, where he experiences an intense learning curve and tumultuous emotions as he toils to keep pace with his classmates. The book gained attention for expressing the pitfalls of the Socratic method and is credited for popularizing the term... Read One L Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Love, Forgiveness, Future, The Past
Tags Romance, Southern Literature, Dramatic Literature, Trauma & Abuse
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Race, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, The Past, Family, Colonialism, Politics & Government
Tags Western, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure
One Thousand White Women (1998) is a work of historical fiction by American author Jim Fergus. A work of revisionist Western fiction, the book was Fergus’s debut novel and received the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association’s Fiction of the Year Award. Fergus drew on his experience as a journalist and his interest in the American West to write the story. Presented as the discovered journal of May Dodd, the novel recounts her experience as a... Read One Thousand White Women Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Language, Hope, Future, The Past, Community, Politics & Government, Equality
Tags LGBTQ+, Politics & Government, Immigration & Refugeeism
Publication year 1983
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Literature, The Past, Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery, Art
Tags Southern Literature, Relationships
Eudora Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings is a memoir comprised of three essays, each exploring a different aspect of what makes a writer. Adapted from a series of lectures Welty delivered at Harvard University, the book explores “Listening,” “Learning to See,” and “Finding a Voice.” Each section presents both the author’s personal memories and philosophy of writing: Art is rooted in attention to the world, in an openness to memory, and in a voice shaped by... Read One Writer's Beginnings Summary
Publication year 49
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes The Past, Future, Death, Nature Versus Nurture
Tags Classical Period, Philosophy, Ancient Rome, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Sexual Identity, Death, Future, The Past, Fathers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, War, Good & Evil, Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Race, Self Discovery, Memory, The Past, Friendship, Colonialism, Immigration
Tags American Literature, Psychological Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Race & Racism, 9/11, Modern Classic Fiction
Teju Cole’s first full-length novel, Open City was published in 2011 to widespread acclaim, winning the PEN/Hemingway Award, The New York City Book Award, and the Rosenthal Foundation Award. Open City made many lists of the best books of the year, including at the New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Times, and NPR. Cole was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Nigerian parents and spent most of his childhood in Lagos, Nigeria before returning... Read Open City Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Femininity, Race, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Family, Social Class, Economics, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, African American Literature