The Satanic Verses,
by Salman Rushdie,
1988
Literary fiction/Magical realism
576 pages
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Questions on Part 1: The Angel Gibreel
and on Part 2: Mahound

After our Pre-read discussion, time has come for our questions and answers on Parts 1 and 2.
Here are the excellent questions proposed by Marianne:

1. What do you think of the narrator
2. In the opening, we  hear about the fall of the two characters from the plane. Is the fall also to be seen figuratively and how does it introduce us to the novel?
3. Why do you think Saladin becomes the devil, Gibreel the angel?
4. What about the women? What position do they have in the novel? How are the men portrayed to them?
5. Why do you think both men have changed their names? Farishta means “angel” in Urdu; Chamcha means “spoon”.
6. Have you learned anything about India, especially through the stories of the two main protagonists?
7. There are several different groups in the novel, fundamentalist Islamic groups, the Western and Indian governments, the news media, and the international community of authors. What do you think does this mean for the events.
8. The novel has several magical and fantastical element. How do they contribute to the novel and why do you think the author uses them?
9. Looking at the reactions to the novel, do you think they were deserved? I read somewhere “Getting angry at a work of fiction says more about the reader than it does about the fiction.” Do you agree?

Please go and visit her post to read our answers.
We welcome your own comments. It’s not AN easy book, so the more readers the better to dig deep in its meaning.
You can also create your own post. Let us know if you do, we will add the link to your post.

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Here is our updated schedule:

1. November 1st: introductory post at Words And Peace
2. Between November 8-12: questions + answers on the first 23% of the book (up to end of PART II. Stop before “Ellowen Deeowen”) at Let’s Read
3. Between Nov 15-19:  questions + answers on the second quarter of the book (stop before V. A City Visible but Unseen), at Words And Peace
4. Between Nov 22-26:  questions + answers on the third quarter of the book (stop before VI. Return to Jahilia) at  Let’s Read
5. Between Nov 29-December 3: last quarter of the book and conclusion questions at Words And Peace

HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK?
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK