The Night Circus

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Fate or free will? The question of whether our lives are predestined or if we write our own destinies is a common theme across literature. What stories are you familiar with that address this question? What answers did the authors provide?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to have some examples of stories on hand that pose this question to guide students into the discussion. Some suggested titles include Romeo and Juliet, Oedipus Rex, Macbeth, The Alchemist, Fahrenheit 451, The Fellowship of the Rings, Holes, Kindred, the Harry Potter series, Good Omens, and A Wrinkle in Time. It might also benefit students to explore the resources below prior to starting or continuing the discussion.

• This NPR article discusses the complexities of the question of fate versus free will.
• This 11-minute video by Schooling Online provides an in-depth analysis of the theme of fate in Romeo and Juliet.

2. What impacts our perception of time? Why does it seem “to fly” at times and drag at others? What options do authors have when dealing with time in their novels?