Strange the Dreamer

What effect does the lyrical writing style in the novel have on establishing mood, atmosphere, or characterization? How and where does Laini Taylor vary her writing style to reflect various changes in tone, perspective, and theme? Use specific examples from the text to illustrate your discussion.

Discuss the depiction of good and evil in the novel. How does it differ from the ways in which high fantasy stories usually address this theme? Why do you think Taylor chooses to deviate from the conventional portrayal?

Analyze the character of Eril-Fane. How does he conform to the archetype of a hero or a “Chosen One?” In what ways and for what purpose does Taylor subvert the conventions of this trope?

What purpose do character foils, such as those between Lazlo and Sarai or Minya and the Godslayer, play in the novel? Connect your analysis to one of the novel’s main themes.

Discuss the narrator and the point of view in the novel. How does the narrator situate themselves in relation to the reader? Why do you think Taylor chose to write from a third-person omniscient perspective? How does the organization of intermittent chapters from minor characters’ perspectives enrich the reader’s understanding of plot devices or themes in the novel?

What is the role of trauma and memory in the novel? How does Taylor use different characters’ experiences of the same event to create empathy and discourse on the complexity of good and evil?

Analyze the novel as an intersection between high fantasy, fairy tale, and myth. What characteristics of each are present in the novel? How does Taylor draw on each form to construct setting, characterization, and theme in the novel?

In the novel, love is shown to be a transformative force. Analyze what role love plays in the stories of Sarai and Lazlo, and Eril-Fane and Azareen. How does love change the characters’ perspectives on themselves or motivate them to take action? Is love ultimately a positive or negative force, or can it be both?