READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. 1. Does Percy treat Marguerite unfairly?

2. 2. How do the theater and theatricality function in the novel?

3. 3. Are there other heroes in the story besides Percy, and if so, who are they and why are they heroes?

4. 4. What is the significance of the flower that gives Percy his secret name?

5. 5. Discuss the use of animal imagery in the novel.

6. 6. Compare and contrast the Fisherman’s Rest with the Chat Gris.

7. 7. What do you make of Marguerite’s assumption throughout the last part of the story that Percy is unaware of the fact that Chauvelin is on his trail?

8. 8. Discuss point of view in the novel–it is told mostly from Marguerite’s point of view, but occasionally it slips into the minds of other characters, such as Percy and Chauvelin. What is the effect of these slips?

9. 9. Is Marguerite ultimately a likable character?