Hamnet Virtual Book Club Questions
December 7 (Mon) Deadline for Submitting
Thank you for joining the virtual discussion of Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet.
There are five forms below. One for each quesion. Please choose just two of the questions to answer. Fill out the form and hit submit at the bottom of each form. We will download and collate the responses, editing them for clarity and cohesion, and possibly asking follow-up questions, which we'll include in the final document that will be emailed to you and posted on the Guild's Book Club webpage.
Question 1
While many readers think of this as Agnes’s story (so much so that some have felt it could have been titled Agnes instead of Hamnet) O’ Farrell chooses to move around in many different point of views (POV). We have the POV of Hamnet, Judith, Eliza, Mary, Agnes of course, Shakespeare, and Bartholomew. How did the constantly changing POV help or hurt the overall impact of the story? Were there any instances where you felt it especially significant or important to be in another POV? In other words, were there instances when staying in Agnes’ perspective would not have been effective or, in contrast, were there times when staying with her POV (and not veering into another) would have been more effective?
While many readers think of this as Agnes’s story (so much so that some have felt it could have been titled Agnes instead of Hamnet) O’ Farrell chooses to move around in many different point of views (POV). We have the POV of Hamnet, Judith, Eliza, Mary, Agnes of course, Shakespeare, and Bartholomew. How did the constantly changing POV help or hurt the overall impact of the story? Were there any instances where you felt it especially significant or important to be in another POV? In other words, were there instances when staying in Agnes’ perspective would not have been effective or, in contrast, were there times when staying with her POV (and not veering into another) would have been more effective?
Question 2
Hamnet deals with the grief of a mother for her child who dies at age 11. But the author also includes grief felt in other situations. What are some of the other experiences of grief in this book (or just pick one if you prefer) and comment on how these other griefs contribute to the overall plot/effect/feeling of the novel?
Hamnet deals with the grief of a mother for her child who dies at age 11. But the author also includes grief felt in other situations. What are some of the other experiences of grief in this book (or just pick one if you prefer) and comment on how these other griefs contribute to the overall plot/effect/feeling of the novel?
Question 3
What is the purpose of never mentioning Shakespeare’s name? Was the technique effective in accomplishing that purpose?
What is the purpose of never mentioning Shakespeare’s name? Was the technique effective in accomplishing that purpose?
Question 4
How a novelist structures his/her story is a deliberate choice and this includes the decision of how much backstory/history to include and how to include it. Another writer might have begun Hamnet with the meeting of Shakespeare and Agnes and moved forward chronologically. But Maggie O’Farrell chooses to move back and forth in time, alternating between the present (starting with the day Judith falls ill) and the past (the meeting/courtship/early marriage of Shakespeare and Agnes). How did this movement between past and present work for you and, how do you feel about the way those time lines converged? Two thirds of the way through the book we have the birth and then immediate death of Hamnet—once he dies we move forward in a straight chronological line. What impact did O’Farrell’s structural choices have on your reading experience (keeping your interest/drawing you in emotionally)?
How a novelist structures his/her story is a deliberate choice and this includes the decision of how much backstory/history to include and how to include it. Another writer might have begun Hamnet with the meeting of Shakespeare and Agnes and moved forward chronologically. But Maggie O’Farrell chooses to move back and forth in time, alternating between the present (starting with the day Judith falls ill) and the past (the meeting/courtship/early marriage of Shakespeare and Agnes). How did this movement between past and present work for you and, how do you feel about the way those time lines converged? Two thirds of the way through the book we have the birth and then immediate death of Hamnet—once he dies we move forward in a straight chronological line. What impact did O’Farrell’s structural choices have on your reading experience (keeping your interest/drawing you in emotionally)?
Question 5
Mid-way through the book, we shift to an omniscient point of view and actually follow the path of the plague itself until it finally finds a host in Judith. How did this chapter help or hurt the book? The wisdom in writing classes is often that if you can cut a chapter or scene and nothing changes in the plot or the characters, then you should cut it—but does that wisdom hold up in this case? Why or why not?
Mid-way through the book, we shift to an omniscient point of view and actually follow the path of the plague itself until it finally finds a host in Judith. How did this chapter help or hurt the book? The wisdom in writing classes is often that if you can cut a chapter or scene and nothing changes in the plot or the characters, then you should cut it—but does that wisdom hold up in this case? Why or why not?
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