In this mesmerizing debut, a competition between two magicians
becomes a star-crossed love story.
The circus arrives at night, without warning. No announcements
precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within
nocturnal black and white striped tents awaits a unique experience,
a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds,
meander through a lush garden made of ice, stand awestruck as a
tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and
gaze in wonderment at an illusionist performing impossible feats of
magic.
Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves. Beyond the smoke and mirrors,
however, a fierce competition is underway - a contest between two
young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since
childhood to compete in "a game," in which each must use their
powers of illusion to best the other. Unbeknownst to them, this
game is a duel to the death, and the circus is but the stage for a
remarkable battle of imagination and will.
ERIN MORGENSTERN is a writer and a multimedia artist, who describes all her work as "fairy tales in one way or another." She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two very fluffy cats.
1. The novel opens with a quote from Oscar Wilde: "A dreamer is
one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is
that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." How is this
sentiment explored in The Night Circus? Who in the
novel is a dreamer? And what is their punishment for being so?
2. The novel frequently changes narrative perspective. How does
this transition shape your reading of the novel and your connection
to the characters and the circus? Why do you think the author chose
to tell the story from varied perspectives?
3. The narrative also follows a non-linear sequence - shifting
at times from present to past. How effective was this method in
regards to revealing conflict in the novel?
4. There are a number of allusions to Shakespeare throughout the
text: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The
Tempest, and As You Like It. Explain these references
- how does each play reveal itself in the novel?
5. What role does time play in the novel? From Friedrick
Thiessen''s clock, to the delayed aging of the circus developers,
to the birth of the twins - is time manipulated or fated at the
circus?
6. "Chandresh relishes reactions. Genuine reactions, not mere
polite applause. He often values the reactions over the show
itself. A show without an audience is nothing, after all.
In the response of the audience, that is where the power of
performance lives." How does this statement apply to both Le Cirque
des Rêves and the competition? Which audience is more valuable: one
that is complicit or one that is unknowing?
7. Chandresh is portrayed as a brilliant and creative
perfectionist at the beginning of the novel, yet he slowly unravels
as the competition matures. Is Chandresh merely a puppet of the
competition - solely used for his ability to provide a venue for
the competition - or do his contributions run deeper?
8. Marco asserts that Alexander H. is a father figure to him
(though his paternal instincts aren''t readily noticeable). In what
ways does Alexander provide for Marco and in what ways has he
failed him?
9. Celia emphasizes that keeping the circus controlled is a
matter of "balance." And Marco suggests that the competition is not
a chess game, but rather, a balancing of scales. However, both the
circus and the competition get disordered at times - leaving both
physical and emotional casualties in their wake. Is the circus ever
really in "balance," or is it a pendulum swinging from one extreme
to the next?
10. From the outside, the circus is full of enchantments and
delights, but behind the scenes, the delicate push and pull of the
competition results in some sinister events: i.e. Tara Burgess and
Friedrick Thiessen''s deaths. How much is the competition at fault
for these losses and how much is it the individual''s doing?
11. How do you view the morality of the circus in regards to the
performers and developers being unknowing pawns in Celia and
Marco''s competition? Do Celia and Marco owe an explanation to
their peers about their unwitting involvement?
12. Friedrick Thiessen asserts that he thinks of himself "not as
a writer so much as someone who provides a gateway, a tangential
route for readers to the circus." He is a voice for those unable to
attend the circus and suggests that the circus is bigger than
itself. What role do the rêveurs play in keeping the spirit of the
circus alive outside of the confines of the circus tents?
13. What is Hector''s role in determining the final fate of the
competition? He lectures Celia about remaining independent and not
interfering with her partner, but ultimately, Hector largely
influences the outcome of the competition. Explain this
influence.
14. Poppet and Widget are especially affected by the lighting of
the bonfire. How crucial are their "specialties" to the ongoing
success of the circus?
15. Isobel is a silent, yet integral, partner in both the circus
and the competition. She has an ally in Tsukiko, but seemingly no
one else, especially not Marco. How much does Marco''s
underestimation of Isobel affect the outcome of the
competition?
16. How does Isobel serve as a foil to Celia? Who, if anyone,
fills that role for Marco?
17. Tsukiko is aware of Isobel''s "tempering of the circus" from
the outset and when Isobel worries that it is having no effect,
Tsukiko suggests: "perhaps it is controlling the chaos
within more than the chaos without." What, and whose,
chaos is Tsukiko alluding to here?
18. Mr. Barris, Friedrick Thiessen, Mme. Padva, and even Bailey
are aware that the circus has made a profound, inexplicable, change
in their lives, but they each choose not to explore the depth of
these changes. Friedrick Thiessen confirms that, "I prefer to
remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark." Do you agree
with this standpoint? What inherent dangers accompany a purposeful
ignorance? What dangers present themselves when ignorance is not
chosen? Is one choice better/safer than the other or are they
equally fraught?
19. Celia tells Bailey that he is "not destined or chosen" to be
the next proprietor of the circus. He is simply "in the right place
at the right time… and care[s] enough to do what needs to be done.
Sometimes that''s enough." In this situation, is that "enough?" Can
the responsibility of maintaining the circus be trusted to just
anyone, or unlike Celia suggests, is Bailey truly special?
20. At the closing of the novel, we are left to believe that the
circus is still traveling - Bailey''s business card provides an
email address as his contact information. How do you think the
circus would fare over time? Would the circus need to evolve to
suit each generation or is it distinctive enough to transcend
time?
