Order & Chaos

Like night and day or winter and summer, there is a rigid division between the states of order and chaos that seems immutable. Nevertheless, these opposing forces also depend on one another. In this study guide collection, we've put together texts that explore themes related to the diametrically opposed yet inextricably linked forces of order and chaos.

Red Sorghum

by Mo Yan

Publication year 1986

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Memory, Femininity, The Past, Grandparents, Colonialism, Nation, War, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos

Tags Historical Fiction, Chinese Literature, Magical Realism

Mo Yan’s Red Sorghum (1987) is a historical family saga and a landmark novel of China’s “root-seeking” literary movement of the 1980s. First published as a series of five novellas in 1986, the novel is set in the author’s home province of Shandong. Mo Yan drew heavily from the region’s folklore and his own family’s history to create what the Swedish Academy would later call “hallucinatory realism” when awarding him the 2012 Nobel Prize in... Read Red Sorghum Summary

Rendezvous with Rama

by Arthur C. Clarke

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Fear, Hope, Memory, Masculinity, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Published in 1973, Rendezvous With Rama is a science fiction adventure novel by British author Arthur C. Clarke. In his time, Clarke was known as one of the “Big Three” writers of science fiction alongside American authors Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. Clarke’s expertise in space flight prompted him to develop the novel and screenplay for his best-known work, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Rendezvous With Rama won major speculative fiction awards, including the... Read Rendezvous with Rama Summary

Resist

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2019

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes War, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, Animals, Place, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Children`s Literature

... Read Resist Summary

Rez Ball

by Byron Graves

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hope, Memory, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Fathers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Sports, Grief & Death

... Read Rez Ball Summary

Richard II

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1597

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Order & Chaos, Loyalty & Betrayal, Politics & Government, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Drama, British Literature, Tragedy, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

The Tragedy of King Richard II is a play by William Shakespeare. It was probably first performed in 1595, and published in 1597. The play covers the last two years of Richard II’s life, from 1398 to 1400, during which he was deposed by Henry Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV in 1399. The play explores Richard’s growing unpopularity and ineffective leadership, leading to his overthrow by Bolingbroke, who not only has a taste for power... Read Richard II Summary

Richard III

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1597

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Fate, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Drama, British Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare written between 1592 and 1594. It is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays and his second longest. The play depicts the rise of King Richard III of England, also known as Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Shakespeare portrays Richard as a Machiavellian tyrant who uses lies and violence to unjustly seize the throne during a politically turbulent period of England’s history known as the Wars of the Roses... Read Richard III Summary

Room

by Emma Donoghue

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Grandparents, Childhood & Youth, Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Conflict, Nostalgia, Memory, Love, Loneliness, Joy, Literature, Good & Evil, Fame, Justice, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Animals, Environment, Plants, Food, Place

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

IntroductionEmma Donoghue’s Room is a 2010 novel about a boy named Jack who lives in a single room with his mother, Ma. Room is a crime thriller novel that explores themes of trauma, innocence, and adaptability through the eyes of five-year-old narrator, Jack. Room has received many awards, including the ALA Alex Award, the Indies Choice Book Award for Fiction, and The New York Times Book Review Best Book of the Year award. Room was... Read Room Summary

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

by Tom Stoppard

Publication year 1966

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fate, Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos

Tags Comedy & Satire, Tragedy, British Literature, Absurdism, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a three-act play by the English playwright Tom Stoppard. It is an existentialist, absurdist satire featuring characters and events from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. First performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1966, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead enjoyed critical success, winning The New York Drama Critics’ Circle’s Award for Best Play and four Tony Awards in 1968. Since then, the play has been adapted into several radio plays and a... Read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Summary

Runaway: Stories

by Alice Munro

Publication year 2004

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Nostalgia, Loneliness, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Guilt, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Canadian Literature, Literary Fiction, Relationships

... Read Runaway: Stories Summary

Saturday

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Apathy, Family, Community, Art, Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Death, War

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, Iraq War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Saturday is a novel by Ian McEwan, first published in 2005 by Jonathan Cape. Ian McEwan is an acclaimed British author who has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize numerous times, winning the award for Amsterdam in 1998. In Saturday, McEwan delves into the inner life of a single individual, Henry Perowne, a successful neurosurgeon living in London. The novel takes place over the course of a single day, February 15, 2003, against the... Read Saturday Summary

Seveneves

by Neal Stephenson

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Order & Chaos, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Teamwork, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Survival Fiction

Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves (2015) is a work of speculative fiction that blends hard science fiction with political and social commentary. Known for his meticulous research and technical expertise, Stephenson crafts a narrative that begins with the sudden destruction of the moon and follows humanity’s desperate attempts to survive the ensuing Hard Rain: a millennia-long bombardment of debris that renders Earth’s surface uninhabitable. Divided into three parts spanning thousands of years, Seveneves traces both the immediate... Read Seveneves Summary

Sexing the Cherry

by Jeanette Winterson

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Revenge, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Language, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Space, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, LGBTQ+, Postmodernism

Jeanette Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry (1989) is a work of historiographic metafiction that blends fantasy elements with the historical backdrop of 17th-century England. The novel is primarily told through the alternating perspectives of the Dog-Woman, a powerful giantess, and her adopted son, Jordan. Rescued from the Thames as an infant, Jordan grows up to become an explorer, embarking on both literal sea voyages and fantastical journeys of the mind in search of an elusive dancer... Read Sexing the Cherry Summary

Shift

by Hugh Howey

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Fate, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Appearance & Reality, Future, The Past, Death, Community, Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Survival Fiction, Health, Education, Food, Technology, Horror & Suspense

... Read Shift Summary

Shooting an Elephant

by George Orwell

Publication year 1936

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Order & Chaos, Colonialism, Power & Greed

Tags Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government, Biography

“Shooting an Elephant,” is an essay by British author George Orwell, first published in the magazine New Writing in 1936. Orwell, born Eric Blair, is world-renowned for his sociopolitical commentary. He served as a British officer in Burma from 1922 to 1927, then worked as a journalist, novelist, short-story writer, and essayist for the remainder of his career, going on to produce celebrated works such as Animal Farm (1945) and 1984 (1949). Before penning this... Read Shooting an Elephant Summary