A defining feature of fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay’s novels is his tendency to set them in fictional locales that resemble real places, rather than wholly fabricated fantasy worlds such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. For example, “A Song for Arbonne” is set in an analogue of medieval Provence, France, and “The Sarantine Mosaic” takes place in a version of sixth-century Byzantium with a fantastical twist. In his epic 1990 novel “Tigana,” set in a world resembling Renaissance Italy, a group of rebels conspire to overthrow occupying forces and reclaim their homeland. While walking the winding darkened hallways of an ancient castle, Devin, one of the novel’s protagonists, remembers something he had once been told: “There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.” It’s a reminder to journey on even when the path seems lost — and that other ways are sure to open up to us as long as we keep the faith.

Oprah Winfrey’s life has certainly been shaped by her achievements, but it’s also been shaped by adversity, something that’s informed her signature empathy. This quote from an interview with “CBS Mornings” asserts that shame should not define a person’s life. Looking beyond mistakes and labels helps us understand others and makes room for growth and grace. Winfrey’s quote illustrates her deep-rooted compassion, something we should extend not only to others, but to ourselves as well.

Charlotte Brontë’s semi-autobiographical novel “Villette” (1853) is laden with themes of loneliness and grief. As its protagonist Lucy Snowe navigates personal hardships — the loss of family and friends, isolation in a new place, and heartbreak — she finds herself tempted to despair. Like Snowe, Brontë experienced her own familial losses and arduous experiences. And while this introspective and emotionally raw novel doesn’t deliver an idealized happy ending, it offers its own kind of resolve: a bittersweet recognition that even the darkest times are often illuminated by glimpses of light, both those we hold inside ourselves and those the world shows us if we remain open to seeing them.