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.

Publication year 65

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Play: Tragedy, Ancient Rome, Classical Period, Trauma / Abuse / Violence


Publication year 1594

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Play: Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, British Literature, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy

Titus Andronicus is a tragedy generally thought to have been written between 1588 and 1593 and is usually credited to William Shakespeare. The play is set in an undefined time in imperial Rome. Roman General Titus Andronicus returns victorious from a long war. Tamora, Queen of the Goths, is his prisoner, along with her family and retinue. He authorizes the execution of one of her sons by his sons. This begins a vicious cycle of... Read Titus Andronicus Summary


Publication year 2000

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Lyric Poem, Science / Nature


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Action / Adventure, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Mythology


Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Animals, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Objects, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Science / Nature, Animals, History: World


Publication year 1601

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Classic Fiction, Play: Tragedy, British Literature, Military / War

Troilus and Cressida (1602) by William Shakespeare is one of his lesser-known works, often categorized as a “problem play” due to its ambiguous tone that blends elements of tragedy, comedy, and history. Set against the backdrop of the Trojan War, the play traces the doomed love story of Troilus, a Trojan prince, and Cressida, whose loyalty is tested when she is traded to the Greeks. Through its themes of infidelity, romantic disenchantment, and the futility... Read Troilus and Cressida Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Romance, New Adult, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Emotions/Behavior: Fear

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

Book Details & Major ThemesProlific horror author Stephen King published his 58th book, Under the Dome, in 2009. Like many of his books, it is set in a small town in Maine and follows the town's residents after a mysterious Dome—invisible, electrified, and impenetrable—descends over it. As they struggle to cope with this situation, the themes of Corruption and Control, Prophecy and Premonition, and The Dissolution of Democracy emerge.Film AdaptationIn 2013, Under the Dome was... Read Under the Dome Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2015

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Community

Tags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

Unflattening began as the first comic-form dissertation at Columbia University, where Nick Sousanis completed a doctorate in education in 2014. It was published by Harvard University Press in 2015 and functions as an argument for visual thinking in teaching and learning. In 2016 the book received the further accolade of the American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence.In a Paris Review interview with Timothy Hodler, Sousanis cited Scott McCloud’s 1993 Understanding Comics as a... Read Unflattening Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Food, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Food, Self Help, Psychology, Psychology


Publication year 2000

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Fate, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Japanese Literature, Psychology, Science / Nature, Natural Disaster


Publication year 1963

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: The Past, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Objects, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Colonialism, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags American Literature, Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Satire, Addiction / Substance Abuse, History: European, History: U.S., Military / War, Crime / Legal, Post Modernism, Post-War Era


Publication year 1990

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Nation

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

IntroductionV for Vendetta is a graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. Moore also wrote the acclaimed graphic novel Watchmen and is considered one of the greatest living graphic novel authors, while Lloyd created Marvel’s Night Raven and has done illustrations for many Marvel and DC properties. V for Vendetta was initially serialized in the British anthology Warrior between 1982 and 1984. In the late 80s, it was reprinted in color... Read V for Vendetta Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Immigration

Tags Vietnam War, Military / War, Immigration / Refugee, History: World, Biography


Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Environment

Tags History: European, Journalism, Natural Disaster, Science / Nature, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Food, Education, Grief / Death, History: World, Military / War, Poverty, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Russian Literature, Biography

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich is a collection of 35 first-person oral accounts of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the former Soviet Union. Originally published in Russian in 1997, the book was translated into English by Keith Gessen in 2005; it has been translated into almost every European language. Alexievich, a Belarusian investigative journalist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for Voices from Chernobyl in... Read Voices from Chernobyl Summary


Publication year 1867

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Relationships: Marriage

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, History: European, Military / War, Philosophy, Relationships, Realism, Russian Literature, History: World

War and Peace is a historical fiction novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy that was first published between 1865 and 1869. The story charts the alliances and wars between Russia and France at the beginning of the 19th century, following the lives of characters swept along by historical events and examining key themes like Living a Meaningful Life, The Purpose of Suffering, and History and Free Will. Heralded as one of the most important novels... Read War and Peace Summary


Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance


Publication year 1798

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Lyric Poem

“We Are Seven” is a lyric poem by English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. Wordsworth wrote it in the spring of 1798 on a walking tour with his sister Dorothy and his friend and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was recalling a young girl whom he’d met on a previous walking tour, at Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire, in 1793. “We Are Seven” describes a young girl who believes herself to be one of seven siblings, even though... Read We Are Seven Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: War

Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Military / War, History: World, Japanese Literature, Arts / Culture, WWII / World War II, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman

Weedflower, Cynthia Kadohata’s 2006 historical fiction young adult novel, tells the story of 12-year-old Japanese American Sumiko amid Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the US government’s ensuing involvement in World War II. Kadohata depicts the conditions of Japanese internment camps from Sumiko’s perspective, providing unique insight and education on the racism that Japanese Americans faced and the US government’s poor decisions.This guide references the 2009 paperback reprint edition from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.Plot... Read Weedflower Summary