Reading Guide

1. What kind of role does Oxford play in The Ingenious Edgar Jones? What kind of atmosphere does the location of Oxford give the book, and how is this atmosphere created?
    
2. Is The Ingenious Edgar Jones a fable?
    
3. How does Elizabeth Garner create a conflict between faith and science in the novel, and are there any other conflicts?
    
4. Discuss the character of the Professor.
    
5. Are there any other fictional characters that remind you of Edgar Jones?
   
    
6. Although The Ingenious Edgar Jones is a historical novel, themes such as parents' expectations for their children also have a strongly contemporary relevance. What does the relationship between William and Edgar convey about parent/child relationships, and how does William's own past contribute to his expectations for Edgar?
    
7. On the night of Edgar's birth the skies seem to burst open, as if marking Edgar for a special destiny. Does Edgar have a destiny, and in what other ways does the author warn the reader of Edgar's future?
    
8. Discuss the character of Eleanor. Is it easy to always feel sympathetic towards her?
    
9. Elizabeth Garner has a distinctive writing style. How does this style contribute to the atmosphere of the novel?

Further Reading

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Company of Liars - Karen Maitland