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.

Anil's Ghost

by Michael Ondaatje

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Politics & Government, Indigenous Identity, The Past, Colonialism

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

In Anil’s Ghost, Michael Ondaatje explores the trauma of the Sri Lankan civil war of the 1980s and 1990s. Anil Tissera, a forensic pathologist who works with human rights organizations, returns to her home country of Sri Lanka after an absence of 15 years. As part of an investigation into government-sponsored violence against citizens Anil and her team discover, at a sixth-century burial site, what appears to be a recently murdered body, which they name... Read Anil's Ghost Summary

Anima Rising

by Christopher Moore

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Animals, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Art, Beauty, Power & Greed

Tags Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Arts & Culture

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An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States

by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, War, Equality, Education, Race, The Past, Future, Community, Place, Colonialism

Tags US History, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Education, Military & War, Anthropology, Colonial America, Social Class, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, World History

... Read An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States Summary

Antelope Woman

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Indigenous Identity, Memory, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, The Past, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Beauty, Equality

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Historical Fiction

Antelope Woman is a novel by Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) author Louise Erdrich. First published in 1998 as The Antelope Wife, Erdrich revised and updated the text in 2012 and re-issued it, adding new content, storylines, and chapters. Like much of Erdrich’s other work, the novel is a multi-generational story of both Indigenous and white families set in and around traditional Ojibwe lands in North Dakota and Minnesota. Erdrich is known for her use of magical realism... Read Antelope Woman Summary

A Place of Greater Safety

by Hilary Mantel

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags World History

A Place of Greater Safety (1992) by Hilary Mantel is a historical novel of the French Revolution told largely from the perspective of three lawyers turned revolutionary leaders: Camille Desmoulins, Maximillien Robespierre, and Georges Danton. The novel examines the psychological states and personal ties between these three key historic figures as they contribute to the overthrow of the French monarchy in 1789 and seek to consolidate and hold onto power in the first French Republic... Read A Place of Greater Safety Summary

Arcadia

by Tom Stoppard

Publication year 1993

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, The Past, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Tragedy, Comedy & Satire, Science & Nature, British Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard was first performed on April 13, 1993, at the Royal National Theatre in London. In 2006, the Royal Institution of Great Britain named it one of the best science-related works ever written.The play, which contains elements of historical fiction, has dual plot lines—one historical and one modern—that share the same physical setting. In the 19th century, the play follows the young Thomasina, a mathematical genius far ahead of her time, and... Read Arcadia Summary

As A Man Thinketh

by James Allen

Publication year 1902

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Joy, Love, Mental Health, Future, The Past, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Literature, New Age, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Inspirational

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A Secular Age

by Charles Taylor

Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes The Past, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, Sociology, Arts & Culture, World History, Philosophy

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A Spool of Blue Thread

by Anne Tyler

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

A Spool of Blue Thread was published in 2015 and is the twentieth novel by American author Anne Tyler. The novel falls under the subgenre of Women’s Fiction. A Spool of Blue Thread received mixed reviews by critics upon publication but fared far better with the general public. After its commercial success, it was shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, as well as the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. Other works by Tyler include... Read A Spool of Blue Thread Summary

Astor

by Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe

Publication year 2023

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, The Past, Social Class, Community, Economics, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fame, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags US History, Politics & Government, Business & Economics

... Read Astor Summary

A Study in Drowning

by Ava Reid

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Femininity, Gender Identity, The Past, Environment, War, Literature

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fairy Tale & Folklore

... Read A Study in Drowning Summary

Atmosphere

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Joy, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Space, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction

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At Swim-Two-Birds

by Flann O'Brien

Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Social Class, Fate, The Past, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Trust & Doubt, Conflict

Tags Irish Literature, Humor, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Satirical Literature, Arts & Culture, Social Class, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

... Read At Swim-Two-Birds Summary

Austerlitz

by W.G. Sebald

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, The Past

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Trauma & Abuse, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Austerlitz is a historical novel by W. G. Sebald first published in 2001. Sebald was a German writer and academic who wrote mainly about the loss of memory and the Holocaust. Austerlitz, Sebald’s final novel, centers on an architectural historian, Jacques Austerlitz, who is tormented by his repressed past as a Jewish child evacuated from Czechoslovakia in 1939. The book was an international bestseller and won the 2001 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction... Read Austerlitz Summary