Fate

We can call it destiny; we can call it providence; we can even call it the will of the gods. Whatever words we use, the idea that the events in our lives are beyond our control is powerful — which explains why so many authors, past and present, have used the ever-relevant idea of fate to communicate rich lessons about humanity.

Publication year 1641

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Age of Enlightenment, Religion / Spirituality, Education, Education, French Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Meditations on First Philosophy is a philosophical treatise by René Descartes. Originally published in Latin in 1641, the text would go on to influence European and global philosophical traditions. In this work, Descartes argues for the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. Two of its major contributions to philosophy are mind/body dualism and the famous phrase “I think, therefore, I am.” The book comprises six meditations wherein Descartes seeks to doubt all... Read Meditations on First Philosophy Summary


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Southern Literature

Message in a Bottle (1998) is the second novel by Nicholas Sparks, the follow-up to his incredibly popular romance, The Notebook. It was inspired by Sparks’s father’s experience after the sudden and unexpected death of Sparks’s mother. They’d been married for 27 years when an accident on a horse led her to develop a cerebral hemorrhage. It was a fluke, a random accident, just like the one that claims Catherine’s life and that of her... Read Message In A Bottle Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Self Discovery

Tags Realistic Fiction, Animals, Children's Literature


Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Technology, Class


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Race / Racism, Education, Education, African American Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

In writing Mother to Mother, Sindiwe Magona drew inspiration from a real event: the murder of a white American named Amy Biehl by young black men in 1990s South Africa. The crime caused shockwaves around the world, not least because Biehl herself had come to South Africa to combat apartheid—the system of segregation and discrimination that relegated black South Africans, as well as other people of color, to second-class citizenship.On the face of it, then... Read Mother to Mother Summary


Publication year 1935

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Play: Drama, Play: Historical, Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Religion / Spirituality, Christian literature, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Murder in the Cathedral is a verse drama by T.S. Eliot that portrays the final days of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was assassinated and martyred in 1170. Written in 1935 for the Canterbury Festival, the play explores themes of faith, power, martyrdom, and the conflict between church and state. Many stage performances of the play have been produced, and Murder in the Cathedral has also been adapted for television, film, and opera... Read Murder in the Cathedral Summary


Publication year 1816

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Lyric Poem, Science / Nature, Romanticism / Romantic Period


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags British Literature, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Classic Fiction

Book Details & Major ThemesNever Let Me Go is a 2005 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro set in a dystopian version of Great Britain in the 1990s in which cloning technology allows for the mass proliferation of organ donation. Medical problems like cancer are cured because organs are harvested from clones through a state-sanctioned program. The cloned “donors” have their organs taken one at a time until they die. The novel is narrated by Kathy H... Read Never Let Me Go Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Romance, New Adult, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Love / Sexuality


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies


Publication year 1280

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Mythology, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Njal’s Saga is a late medieval Icelandic family saga authored around 1280 but set around the year 1000. It combines legend and history—many of its protagonists were historical figures, and other historical sources corroborate some of the major events the saga mentions. However, the author also embellishes characters and events as he describes them in the saga.The saga recounts intermarriage, friendships, and tragic blood feuds between multiple Icelandic families who trace their ancestry back to... Read Njals Saga Summary


Publication year 1996

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community

Tags Sociology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

No Matter How Loud I Shout is a work of nonfiction written by Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes and published in 1996. This work comprises the author’s ethnographical observations and participations in the Los Angeles juvenile justice system for the year of 1994. Humes asserts that the names of juveniles have been changed in accordance with state laws regarding confidentiality; however, everything else is true, and reported in the allegedly unbiased style of 1990s investigative journalism... Read No Matter How Loud I Shout Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Religion / Spirituality, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Norse Mythology is a 2017 collection of short stories by British author Neil Gaiman. The stories are retellings of tales from ancient Norse mythology, presented mostly in retrospect by an unnamed narrator. Through frequent addresses to the audience, the narration evokes the oral tradition of storytelling.In the beginning, there was nothing but darkness and fire until the creation of the nine worlds. Odin and his brothers create other beings; Odin, the all-father breathes life into... Read Norse Mythology Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Fate, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Objects, Natural World: Place, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Science / Nature, History: World, Magical Realism


Publication year 60

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Play: Tragedy, Mythology, Education, Education, Classical Period, Drama / Tragedy, Fantasy, Classic Fiction


Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Play: Tragedy, Mythology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Ancient Greece, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, Fantasy

Sophocles’s play Oedipus Rex, first performed in the early-to-mid 400s BCE, is one of the most famous and influential tragedies left to us from the ancient Greek tradition. Based on the myth of Oedipus, whose cursed fate was to marry his mother and kill his father, the play explores themes of destiny, free will, and literal and metaphoric vision and blindness. This guide uses the 1984 Penguin edition of The Three Theban Plays, translated by... Read Oedipus Rex Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fate, Society: Nation, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Fear

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Arts / Culture, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, History: U.S., Mental Illness, History: World


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Psychological Fiction, Natural Disaster, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Indian Literature, Arts / Culture

Published in 2010, novelist and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s One Amazing Thing tells the story of nine people from diverse backgrounds who become trapped inside the visa office of the Indian Consulate after a major earthquake hits. As they wait for help to arrive, each person takes a turn telling a story from their own life, often revealing feelings or tales previously unshared. Told in third-person perspective from the point of view of each character... Read One Amazing Thing Summary


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Romance, Play: Drama, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy