Elle - Reading Guide

Discussion Questions:

Section I: Left for Dead in the Land God Gave to Cain

1. Before Elle begins her account of being marooned on Isle of Demons, she recalls a childhood encounter with an ominous stranger in the village sandpit. How does the story of "The Girl Who Ate the World and the One-Eyed Man" set the stage for the rest of the novel? What is the significance of the animal pictures the village children draw on the sides of the sandpit? As he is about to make off with the shoemaker's club-foot boy, the stranger seems to say to Elle, "Never mind. I'll come for you again." What do Elle and the club-foot boy have in common? How did this story make you feel?

2. "Oh Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I am aroused beyond all reckoning . . . " By 16th-century standards, Elle is remarkably empowered sexually, freely admitting to enjoying good sex as much as witty conversation, books, and "a front-row seat at public executions." How did you respond to Glover's portrayal of Elle's sexuality? Why is she surprised to learn that she is being punished for her sexual improprieties rather than for "drowning" the General's dog? Does Elle's sexuality undergo a shift during the novel?

3. Like Robinson Crusoe's famous native companion, Elle first meets Itslk as a set of footprints. How does Itslk function as Elle's "Man Friday"? What does he teach her? Does she teach him anything? What do you think of Itslk's chances for surviving (in a cultural sense) the coming of the Europeans?

4. Itslk refers to the scarecrow Elle erects to protect Richard's grave as her "soul." To what degree does Elle enter into this interpretation, and what is the significance of her leaving her "soul" behind on the island? Apart from her physical transformation, how is Elle changed by her experiences in Canada?

Section III: The General and the Bear, the Untold Story

5. Discuss the bear symbolism in the novel. Does Elle actually become a bear or does she merely dream that she is a bear? Is this distinction important? Why does Glover choose a bear instead of another native North American animal?

6. Léon, more than Elle, truly "goes native." Discuss the General's dog as a character in the novel.

Section IV: After, a Short History of the Next Thirty-Eight Years, Begins With . . .

7. Elle grapples with three systems of religious belief: Catholicism, Calvinism, and native mysticism. Why is she attracted to the teachings of Itslk and the bear-woman? How does the General's conviction that he is one of the "elect" help or hinder him in his mission to settle Canada? What do you think Glover is trying to suggest about the nature of religious experience? Does Elle lose her faith while she is in Canada?

8. Elle says of the young native girl M. Cartier brought back with him that she is "no less marooned in France than I am in Canada." Compare Elle's experiences with those of Comes Winter. Who is more altered by her exile from home?

9. Did you find the scene in the graveyard satisfying? Does the General deserve his punishment? Can you think of a more fitting punishment?

Review of Elle

10. What did you think of the modern-day Elle? How does the postscript "Elle, Sept-Îles, 2003" tie in with the rest of the novel and, in particular, with the story of "The Girl Who Ate the World and the One-Eyed Man"?

11. Compare and contrast Elle's three lovers: Richard, Itslk, and F. How do each of these relationships affect (if they do at all) her sense of self? Which man do you regard as the best match for Elle?

12. Glover has said that what initially interested him about the story of Marguerite de la Rocque is that she managed to survive when her uncle's attempt at colonizing Canada failed. What does this "shallow and frivolous girl" have that the General lacks? Which of her survival strategies did you find the most amusing? What do you think Glover is trying to suggest about the moment of contact between the Old World and the New World?

13. Elle reflects that "Founding a colony in the New World is like the act of love. You make camp in the heart of the other." Discuss lovemaking as a metaphor for colonization in the novel.

14. At one point, Elle (thinking of the General) asks, "Who is the hunter, who the hunted?" Which of the novel's characters would you describe as hunters and which as the hunted? Who in the end is more hunted - Elle or the General?

15. Compare and contrast the various mother figures: Elle's biological mother, her nurse Bastienne, the old bear-woman, and Elle herself, who, for one hour after the birth of her fish baby, becomes "the best mother that ever existed." Who does Elle mother besides Emmanuel? The only time she says that "words fail" her is when Emmanuel dies. Consider the impact of the birth and death of her fish baby.

15. Elle persists in using M. Cartier's lexicon of native expressions despite its obvious inadequacies - not only as a means of communication (with Itslk and Comes Winter), but also as a form of amusement (for herself), in her lovemaking (with Richard and F.), and as a mode of revenge (towards the General). How does Glover explore translation as an idea in his novel?

Courtesy of Goose Lane Editions (Canada).