The Historian- Discussion Guide: Home
Elizabeth Kostova
Articles, Interviews, and Reviews
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New Blood for Dracula Fans in 'The Historian'NPR's Morning Edition, June 26, 2005
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Stayin' AliveNew York Times Book Review, July 10, 2005
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The Author and the ImpalerUSA Today, June 13, 2005
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InterviewContemporary Literature Guide, 2005
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Elizabeth Kostova: Vampire ChroniclerThe Independent, August 5, 2005
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ReviewSalon.com, June 6, 2005
Further reading
For context, you might consider the following resources.
A Scene from Nosferatu (1922) directed by F.W. Murnau
Discussion Questions
(From the publisher)
1.
In the "Note to the Reader," the narrator tells us, "There is a final
resource to which I have resorted when necessary--the imagination." How
does she use this resource in telling her story? Is it a resource to
which the other historians in the book resort, as well?
2. The theme of mentors and
disciples is an important one in the book. Who are the story's
mentors, and in what sense is each a mentor? Who are the book's
disciples?
3. Near the end of Chapter 4, Rossi
says, "Human history's full of evil deeds, and maybe we ought to think
of them with tears, not fascination." Does he follow his own advice?
How does his attitude toward history evolve in the course of his own
story?
4. In Chapter 5, Paul's friend
Massimo asserts that in history, there are no small questions. What
does he mean by this and how does this idea inform the book? Do you
agree with his statement?
5. Helen and Paul come from very
different worlds, although they share a passion for history. How have
their upbringings differed? What factors have shaped each?
6. Throughout the book, anyone who
finds an antique book with a dragon in the middle is exposed to some
kind of danger. What does this danger consist of? Is it an external
power, or do the characters bring it upon themselves?
7. Each of the characters is aware
of some of the history being made in his or her own times. What are
some of these real historical events, and why are they important to
the story?
8. At the beginning of Chapter 1,
Paul's daughter notes, "I had been raised in a world so sheltered that
it makes my adult life in academia look positively adventurous." How
does she change as a person in the course of her quest?
9. Helen's history is deeply
intertwined with that of Dracula. In what ways are the two characters
connected? Does she triumph over his legacy, or not?
10. In Chapter 73, Dracula states
his credo: "History has taught us that the nature of man is evil,
sublimely so." Do the characters and events of the novel prove or
disprove this belief?
Reserve a copy
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The Historian
ISBN: 0316011770
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