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.

One Day

by David Nicholls

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

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One Last Stop

by Casey McQuiston

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

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One L

by Scott Turow

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

One Thousand White Women

by Jim Fergus

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

One Today

by Richard Blanco

Publication year 2013

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Language, Hope, Future, The Past, Community, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags LGBTQ+, Politics & Government, Immigration & Refugeeism

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One Writer's Beginnings

by Eudora Welty

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

On the Shortness of Life

by Seneca

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

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Onyx Storm

by Rebecca Yarros

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

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Open City

by Teju Cole

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

Ophie's Ghosts

by Justina Ireland

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

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Original Sins

by Eve L. Ewing

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Education, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice

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Oryx and Crake

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Friendship

Tags Science & Nature, Technology, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Oryx and Crake is a dystopian science-fiction novel that deals with extreme genetic engineering. The plot does not unfold in a linear fashion, nor are the facts established from the outset. Rather, the novel moves back and forward in time, often on a chapter-by-chapter basis, and the reader gradually pieces together what has happened.The novel begins by establishing its central character, “Snowman,” who we find sitting near the sea. He is dishevelled and gaunt, and... Read Oryx and Crake Summary

Our Evenings

by Alan Hollinghurst

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, The Past, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Equality, Fame, Literature

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Over Sea, Under Stone

by Susan Cooper

Publication year 1965

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Place, Siblings, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction

Over Sea, Under Stone (1965) is the first installment in Susan Cooper’s renowned The Dark Is Rising series, which comprises five books published between 1965 and 1977. The novel follows three siblings, Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, as they uncover a long-lost Arthurian manuscript that leads them to a copy of the Holy Grail. Drawing on Anglo-Saxon folklore and mythology, the novel sets up the conflict between two supernatural forces, the Light and the Dark... Read Over Sea, Under Stone Summary

Paint the Wind

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Environment

Tags Animals, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Contemporary Literature

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