Inquiry Questions Guide

Inquiry Questions Guide

1. What is the author’s cultural and personal background?

Robertson Davies was born and raised in Canada, Ontario. With a father who worked in the news printing business. Because of his father’s business, he moved several times in his young life. All of this have contributed to shape Davies to who he is when he grew up.

2. What about this author’s background that qualifies him to write this novel?

The fact that his father owned a news printing business meant that Davies was connected with literature since a young age. And later on in life, he also went on to study literature and was very successful.

3. How does the author’s personal and cultural background tie into the storyline?

If we were to closely examine things in the book and things in Davies’ life, we can easily find the obvious similarities between the two. For example, both Dunstan and Davis had a father who owned a local news paper. More so, the main characters in the novel, like Davis, all grew up in a small Canadian town.

4. How can the author’s background tie into poetry and performances?

He was interested in these two areas ever since he got in contact with them. While in university he also wrote plays and later on, he was an actor.

Ten questions:

1. How big of an influence did Jungian psychology had on Davis?

2. Was Davis an exceptional individual who is deemed for success since a young age?

3. What is significant about the way the book is divided?

4. What kind of literary devices was used in the book?

5. How do literary devices enhance the novel?

6. Dunstan is a character that was based on Davis. Do you think Dunstan’s personality is similar to the personality that Davis have?

7. There are many different themes in “Fifth Business”, which theme is the most predominate theme and why?

8. Is the reality reflected in “Fifth Business” the same as the actual reality in which we live in today?

9. The setting of the story is the early twentieth century. If the setting was changed to present day, would Dunstan still interpret the events that happened during his life, the way he did?

10. How did the author use the setting of the novel to portray his message(s)?