Discussion for The Historian

[Diane , Armchair Tour Guide]

Start discussion here for The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.


From the website of Elizabeth Kostova:

The Historian - Reading Group Guide

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In the "Note to the Reader," the narrator tells us, "There is a final resource to which I've 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 Historian. 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 is 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 of them?

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 time. 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 ?

[Esther]

I read it a while ago and loved it. I look forward reding this discussion thread.

[Sonicole]

I have begun the fourth chapter and at some points, I find it difficult to differentiate between Dr. Rossi's and the father's dialogue in the past and the daughter's dialogue with her father as the two travel together and discuss the dragon book she found. Yet the first 30 pages have clearly set up Dr Rossi as a mentor to the father, and then the father as a mentor to his daughter. Clearly in this scheme, the father has played the role of both mentor and disciple, setting him up as a character who is both teacher and learner.

Thus far, the book makes me completely itchy to pick up Stoker's Dracula once more....

[Helen]

I am halfway through the audiobook. It is wonderful. Several male and female voices reading so you learn easily which character is telling the story. They use accents and diction so well. Just as entertaining as a radio show.

[Sonicole]

Helen,
I would love hearing the audiobook because I think I would really appreciate (and be entertained by) the accents of different characters. As I journey on through the book, I have little to no problem determining who has taken up the narrative voice, so I think this issue was only at the very beginning of my read as I got used to the narrative style. At this point, I am really taken up by how much research went into the writing of the novel. It is so impressive!

[Powder River Rose]

The audiobook is amazing. Narrated by Paul Michael and Justine Eyre (a funny twist since I recently finished the reading of Jane Eyre) and they did a great job of portraying each of their characters. The story kept me spellbound from beginning to end and I can easily say it was an incredible historical adventure, mystery, romance all in one.

Great read.

[Allyson]

I read the book a few years ago, but it sounds like it would be worthwhile to buy the audiobook. There is nothing like a good narrator-one of my favourites right now is the narrator for Catch 22, amazing!

[Cheryl]

I just started this and I'm already hooked. Hopefully it stays interesting?...

[Taylor]

I love reading this book at night. It provides a creepier note in my imagination, making each frightening moment of her father's more intense! This is how I would answer the first question of this topic. Little things like where I'm sitting or how late it is definitely provides a resource!

[Powder River Rose]

Q10. I don't think the nature of man is evil....but I do believe the nature of some men is evil; and, throughout history this has proven true. As the saying goes (not an exact quote), "evil flourishes when good men do nothing."

[Diane , Armchair Tour Guide]

Cheryl wrote: "I just started this and I'm already hooked. Hopefully it stays interesting?..."

It really does. It is very hard to put down. I felt sad when I was done reading it that the story couldn't go on longer.

[Powder River Rose]

Diane, I felt nearly the same, it really was an excellent story. Funny thing is I had no idea what the story was about when I started reading and had never read Dracula-I'm doing that now. The Historian was a good group read book and I highly recommend it to others.

[Anfenwick]

Q. 6,3 &10 - I feel as if the dragon books, and Dracula himself, symbolize the way evil in history can be resurrected and kept active in the modern world, purely by the fact of remembering and researching it.

Considering all the active evils left over from history, I think one of the reasons for exploring this issue through the career of Vlad Tepes/Dracula is that it's actually inactive for nearly all of us, I would think, and verging on the merely picturesque for many people.

In the novel, the scholars are offered the dragon books in the same way that the world offers us glimpses of the past, but it's only if they pursue the matter that they awaken the monster. As they are bitten, they can become truly obsessed. At the very end, in the archive, Rossi is tormented by this feeling with respect to executions and the guillotine:

"Every historian knows the thirst to see the reality of the past, but this was something new, a different sort of hunger."

I've studied some fairly horrific periods of history myself, and I can feel that particular monster stalking people who does. I call it voyeurism, and I actively take steps to avoid it.

In question 10, Dracula claims history shows the nature of man is evil, but the novel shows him to be mistaken. It's full of people, even people who have been polluted by him who strive to eradicate evil. Paul, for example, uses history mainly to try to eliminate modern conflicts. Helen, who is very intensely affected by her personal and national past to the point of doing quite extreme things, also remains on the side of the good.

Personally, I think 'evil' is a word which obscures as much as it reveals.I've always hoped that history in combination with other disciplines can help us to understand phenomena evil. For example, in the case of the historical Dracula, Vlad Tepes, I think his horrific behavior might turn out to be explainable in psychiatric terms + power and opportunity + a broader social ethos which actively condoned and supported less extreme versions of his behavior. Other historical evils require different explanations.

[Cheryl]

Diane wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Hopefully it stays interesting?..."

It really does. It is very hard to put down. I felt sad when I was done reading it that the story c..."

Thanks Diane! So far it is not letting me down.

[Cheryl]

Taylor wrote: "I love reading this book at night. It provides a creepier note in my imagination, making each frightening moment of her father's more intense! This is how I would answer the first question of this ..."

I agree. Nighttime is the best. It's great how the imagination is put to use here: the reader is imagining, the characters are imagining.

[Theresa]

I enjoyed this book. I did find it confusing sometimes when the person telling the story changed. I felt pulled into the story by the young lady and her finding of the letters. Enjoyed reading about places visited and the history.
The Historian

[Zaide]

I enjoyed this one. Kostova's writing style is right up my alley--full, lush, and rich prose. I love the Russians, and her writing kind of gives off that vibe stylistically. I'm a paranormal romance writer, and so the concept really appealed to me too. And it was a unique take on the vampire theme--again a romantic versus horror movie-esque way of going. I did lose track at times, and the curves and length of the book drew me out a little, but overall a great read.