Study Guide for Book Clubs: Circe: Study Guides for Book Clubs, #37

By Kathryn Cope

An essential tool for all reading groups – a detailed guide to the bestselling novel, Circe.

A comprehensive guide to Madeline Miller's remarkable novel, Circe, this discussion aid includes a wealth of information and resources: twenty-eight thought-provoking discussion questions; useful literary and historical context; an author biography; a plot summary; analyses of themes & imagery; character analysis; recommended further reading and even a quick quiz.

This companion guide takes the hard work out of preparing for meetings and guarantees productive discussion. For solo readers, it encourages a deeper examination of a rich and rewarding text.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kathryn Cope
• Release date: Feb 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386341604

Kathryn Cope

Kathryn Cope graduated in English Literature from Manchester University and obtained her master’s degree in contemporary fiction from the University of York. She is the author of Study Guides for Book Clubs and the HarperCollins Offical Book Club Guide series. She lives in the Staffordshire Moorlands with her husband, son and dog.

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Introduction

There are few things more rewarding than getting together with a group of like-minded people and discussing a good book. Book club meetings, at their best, are vibrant, passionate affairs. Each member will bring along a different perspective and ideally there will be heated debate.

A surprising number of book club members, however, report that their meetings have been a disappointment. Even though their group loved the particular book they were discussing, they could think of astonishingly little to say about it. Failing to find interesting discussion angles for a book is the single most common reason for book group discussions to fall flat. Most book groups only meet once a month and a lackluster meeting is frustrating for everyone.

Study Guides for Book Clubs were born out of a passion for reading groups. Packed with information, they take the hard work out of preparing for a meeting and ensure that your book group discussions never run dry. How you choose to use the guides is entirely up to you. The author biography, context, and style sections provide useful background information which may be interesting to share with your group at the beginning of your meeting. The all-important list of discussion questions, which will probably form the core of your meeting, can be found towards the end of this guide. To support your responses to the discussion questions, you may find it helpful to refer to the ‘Themes’ and ‘Character’ sections.

A detailed plot synopsis is provided as an aide-memoire if you need to recap on the finer points of the plot. There is also a quick quiz—a fun way to test your knowledge and bring your discussion to a close. Finally, if this was a book that you particularly enjoyed, the guide concludes with a list of books similar in style or subject matter.

This guide contains spoilers. Please do not be tempted to read it before you have read the original novel as plot surprises will be well and truly ruined.

Kathryn Cope, 2019

Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller was born in Boston, moving to New York when she was a baby. She developed a love of the classical world at an early age during regular visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where she admired ancient relics.

Miller earned a BA and MA in Classics from Brown University and went on to become a high school Latin and Greek teacher. Her first novel The Song of Achilles was published in 2012. Retelling the story of the Greek hero, Achilles, in a fresh and modern light, the novel proved a hit with readers and critics alike. A New York Times bestseller, it was also awarded the Orange Prize for Fiction.

Miller’s second novel took seven years to write. Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, it tells the story of the goddess and witch, Circe. Again a New York Times bestseller, Circe was nominated for 2018 book of the year by numerous publications including The Washington Post, Time Magazine, The Irish Times, the Guardian and the Telegraph.

The author lives in Pennsylvania and has two children.

www.madelinemiller.com

Classical Context

The Titans versus the Olympians

In Greek mythology, Titans—the children of Uranus (heaven) and Gaea (earth)—were the original ruling gods. After hearing a prophecy that one of his children would usurp him, Kronos (king of the Titans) attempted to avert his fate by swallowing his children as soon as they were born. When his son, Zeus, was delivered, however, Kronos’ wife, Rhea, decided that enough was enough. Swaddling a stone to look like the baby, she tricked Kronos into believing he had eaten their new-born son. Meanwhile, Zeus was hidden in a mountainside cave where he was raised by nymphs.

As soon as he was old enough, Zeus took his revenge on Kronos by poisoning him. So strong was the poison’s effects that the king of the Titans vomited up the children he had once devoured. With the help of his newly emerged siblings, Zeus led a rebellion against his father which turned into a ten-year war between the Olympians and Titans (known as the Titanomachy). In the end, the Olympians were victorious, replacing the Titans as the ruling gods.

In Circe, an uneasy truce exists between the Titans and the Olympians. Zeus has established himself as king of all the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus. The Titans fear him but also resent his supremacy and constantly look for opportunities to unseat him.

Divine Society

While the Olympians rule amongst the deities, with the Titans coming in a close second, there are other sub-categories which gods and goddesses may fall into.

NYMPHS

Nymphs are minor goddesses associated with specific aspects of the natural world such as water, trees or mountains. Eternally youthful and beautiful, they dwell in their natural element (river banks, forests etc.) In Greek mythology, they are often the victims of satyrs (lustful woodland gods).

NAIADS

Nymphs associated with freshwater (brooks, streams, fountains).

NEREIDS

Nymphs associated with the sea.

OREADS

Nymphs who inhabit the mountains.

DRYADS

Tree or wood-dwelling nymphs.

THE FATES

These three weaving goddesses play an important part in Greek mythology as they are responsible for assigning destinies to mortals at birth. The goddess Clotho spins a life’s thread, Lachesis measures its length and Atropos cuts it off with her shears. 

The ancient Greeks believed in fate and the right of the gods to interfere with human life. Many of the Greek myths involve mortals or demi-gods striving to escape their fate (often foretold in prophecy) only to find that, in doing so, they fulfil it through their own actions.

THE FURIES

Goddesses of vengeance, the Furies live in the underworld, visiting earth to punish the wicked. They are named Allecto (Unceasing Anger), Tisiphone (Avenger of Murder), and Megaera (Jealousy). 

THE SIRENS

Half-woman, half-bird, the Sirens are feared for their seductive powers. Luring sailors with their beautiful singing voices, they lead them to wreck their ships and drown.

DEMI-GODS

Demi-gods are a hybrid between divinities and lowly humans—usually the offspring of a god and a mortal. Famous examples include Achilles, Perseus and Heracles.

The Underworld

The Greeks believed that, after death, mortal souls travelled to the underworld. This concept of the afterlife was not a particularly cheery one. While souls (or Shades) continued to exist in the underworld, they floated around purposelessly in a powerless state. Unsurprisingly, dead souls were thought to be disgruntled and discontented, particularly if they sensed an unwelcome presence by their grave. Offerings were said to appease them—particularly blood, as it provided a brief taste of the life they were missing out on. Given this particularly gloomy vision of the hereafter, mortality was seen as a curse.

The Trojan War

The Trojan War is one of the key events in Greek mythology and has inspired several works of classical literature, including Homer’s the Iliad. Like so many events involving the gods, the war was sparked by a combination of petty resentment and vanity.

Prevented from gate-crashing a wedding, Eris (the goddess of discord) threw a golden apple amidst the guests inscribed with the words To the fairest. Chaos ensued as the goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite each assumed that the apple was meant for them. To put an end to their bickering, Zeus decreed that Paris (a prince of Troy) should judge who was the most beautiful.

Faced with the trio of goddesses, Paris found it difficult to judge the beauty contest. To sway him, each goddess dangled a different bribe. Athena offered wisdom and skill in battle, Hera proffered political power, while Aphrodite promised the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. In the end, Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite.

The most beautiful woman in the world (Helen of Sparta) was inconveniently already married to Menelaus (the brother of Agamemnon, King of Mycenae). Nevertheless, Aphrodite remained true to her word and ensured that Helen fell in love with Paris. The pair fled from Sparta, taking refuge in Troy, and when Menelaus demanded the return of his wife, the Trojan king, Priam, refused. In response, Menelaus persuaded his powerful brother to send an army against Troy. A fleet of over a thousand ships sailed from Greece to Troy, led