Stephen King Fans discussion
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The Gunslinger
Buddy Reads
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2014 DT Buddy Read: #1 - The Gunslinger
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Chris wrote: "Hey guys..please mark spoilers in those last few posts. We can't assume everyone has finished.."Becky wrote: "True, and as the threads are visible even to those NOT participating, we want to make sure that nobody gets spoiled unintentionally.
Thanks all."
I cry your pardon. I've forgotten the face of my father.
Foolishly thought everything was fair game to freely comment on now that Justins completion date has passed. My bad, should've known better!
Mod
Also, sorry this is my first discussion group and I am sorry for not doing spoilers. I will be more careful.
Thanks, guys. Appreciate it. :)
Had a look at the revised palaver this morning with a cuppa. There are some interesting changes to it you notice after so recently going over the original. One thing that always bugged me was the way bumbler is added to the list of animals in the opening. I don't even know why as its pretty innocuous as the revisions go! This morning I noticed how the 'oldest question ever' that the gunslinger is aching to ask the MIB is a different question in the revised! (though does shortly lead to the same conversation). The Beast is gone! :(
Maybe a Rocky VI reference, maybe not.
Mod
Angie wrote: "I wish I was a fast reader. I would totally join this buddy read!"The schedule might be tight enough but you could catch up. C'mon!
Well I might be a little late and behind schedule but I'm currently reading the book and in Chapter 2. Not too concerned if I am behind because I'm also finishing up the Divergent series this week on Audible and I read Bag of Bones this month too. Hoping to finish off Books 4 and 5 of the year before the end of the month.
Welcome to the group drew!
As we come to know him in the opening pages, what initial impressions do we get of the gunslinger? What is the nature of Roland's quest? Discuss Stephen King's writing style in The Gunslinger. To what degree is it a departure from the rest of his work? What are some of the stylistic patterns and thematic concerns that The Gunslinger shares with other Stephen King works?
At one point in Roland's recollections of his boyhood, his father saddles him with what seems on the surface a very troubling, even damning judgment. "It is not your place to be moral," his father says. "Morals may always be beyond you." Then he cryptically suggests that his son's amorality is what will make him " formidable." What does he mean? How does this characterization inform the novel's ensuing action—and the larger journey Roland takes over the course of the entire Dark Tower saga?
What sense, in the flashbacks that occur throughout the novel, does Stephen King provide of what Roland's world was like before it "moved on"?
What is the nature of honor, according to the gunslinger's moral code? What does it mean to remember—or, conversely, to forget—"the face of one's father"?
What kind of a man is Cort? Discuss Roland's ambivalent feelings about his boyhood teacher.
Over the course of this first novel, what do we discover about the gunslinger's value system? What is most important to him? What do you suppose it means, in Roland of Gilead's estimation, to be a "good" man?
What do we learn about the nature of khef in The Gunslinger? What bearing does it seem to have on the gunslinger's quest?
What is the High Speech? What is the gunslinger's reaction at Sheb's honky-tonk bar upon hearing Nort, the undead man, address him in the High Speech?
What does Roland learn from the demon in the cellar of the way station? "While you travel with the boy, the man in black travels with your soul in his pocket." What does this mean? And how does the pronouncement bear out, in light of the novel's climax at the edge of the desert?
Chart the evolution of the gunslinger's perceptions of and interactions with women—from his cryptic references to Susan from the old world, to his fevered coupling with Alice in the forsaken town of Tull, to his memories of his adulterous mother, and on through to his fierce standoff with the voracious and graphically feminized Oracle. What connects, and what distinguishes, each of these interactions?
What role, if any, does faith appear to play in shaping the life of the gunslinger? Is the gunslinger an ascetic? A sacred warrior of one kind or another?
What are the dynamics of power, or individual agency, in The Gunslinger? Discuss how King illustrates the undercurrents of power—whether benevolent, malevolent, or ambivalent—which pulse through every relationship and situation in this novel: the power which nature holds over man, the power the past exercises upon the present, the power of fate over free will, and so on.
Why does the man in black refer to Jake as the gunslinger's "Isaac"? What is he referencing here, and what are the implications of his insinuation?
How can we make the argument that Jake comes to represent to Roland a kind of symbolic son? Reread the passage following Roland's sacrifice of Jake. How does the episode affect the gunslinger?
Discuss the various allusions and images—whether biblical, mythological, medieval, Hollywood Western, or otherwise—that pepper the action in The Gunslinger. How do they contribute to the overall tone and style of King's narrative?
The image of the Tower actually does grace the sixteenth card of the Higher Arcana in a Tarot deck. The card portends an extremely painful experience, the end of which yields a liberation of sorts. In the aftermath of excruciating struggle comes redemption, emancipation, salvation. How does this inform the action of The Gunslinger, and The Dark Tower cycle as a whole?
Who was the man in black before the world "moved on"? Can we be certain about his fate at the close of the novel? Explain.
Discuss the seven cards drawn by the man in black: the Hanged Man, the Sailor, the Prisoner, the Lady of the Shadows, Death, the Tower, and Life. What is the significance of each? Looking ahead to the subsequent volumes in The Dark Tower, how do their prophecies bear out?
Unpack the loaded final section of The Gunslinger, where King performs a head-spinning metaphysical riff on the cosmos and the notion of "Size," and then reveals a range of vital information about the Beast guarding the Tower, the Ageless Stranger (Maerlyn), and other elements of the adventure that awaits the gunslinger.
Based on the words of the man in black, what do you expect from the The Drawing of the Three?
How do the two versions of The Gunslinger differ? Why might Stephen King have decided to go back and rework the first novel in the series? How does the new version alter our view of what might come in the final three books?
Jesse wrote: "As we come to know him in the opening pages, what initial impressions do we get of the gunslinger? What is the nature of Roland's quest? Discuss Stephen King's writing style in The Gunslinger. T..."
Holy shit, Jessie, thanks. I think I can go down to the local community college now and teach a course on the first several books of the dark tower. You've not only given me the syllabus for a whole semester, but also all the exams.
Hahaha. Well thank you. I would definitely take the course.
I am also coming to this buddy read late -- I really want to read the Dark Tower series this year, so I think I might join in with this group! I read Gunslinger a few years ago, so I am going to read it again first and hopefully catch up with the group.
Welcome aboard! We've slowed things down a little in The Wastelands to give others time to catch up. Jesse has also thrown out some discussion questions along the way.
so you're keeping a schedule?because I'm going through the series again and I've put on hold for quite some time Wizard and Glass...might be nice reading and commenting with all of you
Yep. We will start W&G on Feb 22. Come on and join us on the beam.
Definitely will do, thanks Justin
Hey guys! Little late joining but I'm a die hard fan of the Dark Tower series. I don't want to spoil anything but I was hooked right after Roland showed us who he is in that little town. You know what I'm talking about! Crazy!!!! I'm starting the series again for the 2nd time now. Can't wait to catch everything I missed. I have friends that have read it 5-6 times and still catch things they missed.
I just started a re-read of this entire series. I am almost done with the Gunslinger. My, how time flies. I read this initially about 25+ years ago; and just remember how difficult it was getting through it. Now that I am older (a lot); I seem to "get it"...It is time for Palaver.
I do appreciate everyones thoughts from this initial read. It helps a lot. thanx
Stephen King Fans
Books mentioned in this topic
The Drawing of the Three (other topics)Wolves of the Calla (other topics)
The Dark Tower (other topics)
Thanks all.