The Overstory Lesson Plan

The Overstory is often called a "sprawling" or "epic" work. Based on your reading today, do you agree with this assessment?

The scope of Powers's work becomes clear from the very outset: the first chapter after the Prologue takes us through several generations of Hoel family before finally arriving at the titular character, Nicholas. He makes the passage of time abundantly clear, though always using the chestnut tree as an anchor. We will meet nine main characters over the course of Days 1 and 2, tracing their histories back hundreds of years and across continents. His characters are psychologists, scientists, lawyers, students, and more, and cover a wide swath of...