Looking for Alaska - John Green

Title:

Looking for Alaska

Author:

John Green

Year:

2005

Country:

America

Themes:

The difficult process of overcoming grief

The things we can learn about life from others

The desire to have someone else love you

Synopsis:

The story of a boy leaving his sheltered home to discover the meaning of life, a journey that provides him with many new friends that will have profound impacts upon him.

A Question of Upbringing - Anthony Powell

Title:

A Question of Upbringing

Author:

Anthony Powell

Year:

1951

Country:

England

Themes:

The separation that arises when young people leave school

The different types of people that make up the world

The difficulty of trying to discover who you really are

Synopsis:

The story of a young man balancing his education and friendships all while trying to understand who he really is.

Metamorphoses - Ovid

Title:

Metamorphoses

Author:

Ovid

Year:

8

Country:

Rome

Themes:

The violence born of physical desire

The change that occurs in a person once they are violated

The ruthless nature of all-powerful beings

Synopsis:

A collection of mythological stories tied together with the central theme of metamorphosis.

Lysistrata - Aristophanes

Title:

Lysistrata

Author:

Aristophanes

Year:

411 BCE

Country:

Greece

Themes:

The mistaken belief that women cannot influence their surroundings

The needless destruction caused by war

The idea that men and women can accomplish much more when coming together than when kept separate

Synopsis:

The story of a group of women coming together to force their husbands’ return from war to their normal lives.

Oedipus Rex - Sophocles

Title:

Oedipus Rex

Author:

Sophocles

Year:

441 BCE

Country:

Greece

Themes:

The inability to escape one’s destiny

The choice to destroy oneself in response to grief

The effects that secrets can have on one’s life

Synopsis:

The story of a king destroyed by the destiny he never could have escaped.

Ravelstein - Saul Bellow

Title:

Ravelstein

Author:

Saul Bellow

Year:

2000

Country:

America

Themes:

The pain of saying goodbye to close friends

The decision to not do something important in an attempt to retain a purpose in life

The desire to honor one’s friends and family after they’ve gone

Synopsis:

The story of an aging author struggling to write a biography about his famous friend, an eccentric and renowned professor.

The Eumenides - Aeschylus

Title:

The Eumenides

Author:

Aeschylus

Year:

458 BCE

Country:

Greece

Themes:

The obligation to bring honor to one’s fallen relatives

The nature of vengeance

The idea that violence begets violence

Synopsis:

The story of Orestes’ trial concerning the justification of his actions.

The Libation Bearers - Aeschylus

Title:

The Libation Bearers

Author:

Aeschylus

Year:

458 BCE

Country:

Greece

Themes:

The obligation to bring honor to one’s fallen relatives

The nature of vengeance

The idea that violence begets violence

Synopsis:

The story of Orestes’ return to Argos and revenge against his father’s murderers.

Agamemnon - Aeschylus

Title:

Agamemnon

Author:

Aeschylus

Year:

458 BCE

Country:

Greece

Themes:

The obligation to bring honor to one’s fallen relatives

The nature of vengeance

The idea that violence begets violence

Synopsis:

The story of Agamemnon’s assassination upon his return to Argos.

The Shadow Box - Michael Cristofer

Title:

The Shadow Box

Author:

Michael Cristofer

Year:

1977

Country:

America

Themes:

The stages of grief involved in terminal patients

The pain of watching a loved one fade away

The lengths that people will go to for the ones they love

Synopsis:

The story of three terminal cancer patients spending their last remaining moments with the ones they love most.