BEATRICE AND VIRGIL by Yann Martel

Hope to see you Friday night, August 20th at my place (above the funeral home). Let me know if you need directions. dludwig@cogeco.ca or 905-689-6140. Here are some questions to consider:

1.What is Beatice and Virgil about?
2. Why do you thing Martel named both of his characters Henry?
3. Discuss the characters of Beatrice and Virgil. Why might Martel have chosen them to be a donkey and a howler monkely, and why might he have chosen to name them after Dante's guides through heaven and purgatory?
4. What do you think of Henry's original idea for his book? Do you agree with him that the Holocaust needs to be remembered in different ways, beyond the confines of "historical realism"?
5. Close to the start of the book, Henry (the writer) says, "A book is a part of speech. At the heart of mine is an incredibly upsetting event that can survive only in dialogue." (pg 12) What does this mean? How does his comment inform the book we are reading?
6. Describe the role of Flaubert's story," The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator" plays in the novel.
7. How do you explain Henry's wife's reaction to the taxidermist and his workshop?
8. How do you feel about the play "A 20th Century Shirt"? Could it be performed? What role does it play in the book?
9. WHat moral challenges does Beatrice and Virgil present the reader with? What does it leave you thinking about?
10. How is writing like or unlike taxidermy in this book?
11. What role do Erasmus and Mendelssohn play in the novel?
12. What is the significance of Nowolipki Street?
13. How is Henry changed by the events of the novel? How does this relate to Beatrice and Virgil having "no reason to change" (pg 151) over the course of their play?