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Moonstone
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Moonstone
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1. Why does Collins choose to assign the first narrative in The Moonstone to Gabriel Betteredge?
2. What is the function of allusions in Drusilla Clack's narrative? In particular, how do these allusions serve to develop her character?
3. How do Miss Clack and Gabriel Betteredge differ as narrators?
4. What is the function of flashbacks in Franklin Blake's narrative?
5. Compare and contrast the characters of Gabriel Betteredge and Ezra Jennings from as many standpoints as you can think of.
6. How does THE MOONSTONE compare to Victorian and modern detective fiction?
7. In what ways does THE MOONSTONE anticipate the modern novel?
8. How do Collins' narrative strategy and structure of the novel work to his advantage in writing a detective story?
9. Identify and compare the various world-views presented by major characters in the novel.
10. In what ways does the novel reflect the ideology of the time period that produced it? Specifically, what does the novel reveal about the role of women in Victorian society (both upper-class and the servants), the social class structure, and/or contemporary attitudes towards science and religion?
11. What kinds of social criticism does Collins include indirectly in his novel? (For example, the veneer on the door back in Betteredge's narrative is a pretty good symbol for Victorian social problems: society may look well-ordered on the surface, but harbor many tensions and problems underneath.) Specifically, what kinds of criticism appear in the novel regarding 1) middle-class materialism, 2) suspicion of foreigners and outsiders, and 3) religious "do-gooders" and hypocrites?
12. What is Collins' spin on the characteristic Victorian theme of the individual vs. society, especially in his treatment of minor characters such as Rosanna Spearman and Ezra Jennings?
13. Identify major symbols for the subconscious mind throughout the novel and demonstrate how they point to the novel's theme of the mysterious power of the subconscious and irrational.
14. Contrast the different epistemologies or "ways of knowing" presented in this novel by different characters: Gabriel Betteredge, who is always reading Robinson Crusoe; Miss Clack, who is always quoting scripture; Mr. Bruff, who like any good lawyer insists on thorough documentation and believes nothing unless he sees it in writing; Ezra Jennings, who is committed to scientific experiment; and the Indians, who use clairvoyance and mesmerism.
15. How does Collins deliberately create a sense of verisimilitude in the novel--both by including and referring to many different kinds of documents, and through narrative techniques designed to suggest that this book isn't fiction, but a real collection of real documents written by real people?
16. How does Collins use both the collection-of-"real"-documents form of this novel and a continuous flirtation with verisimilitude to develop to the novel's theme of different ways of getting at the truth?
