Haroun and the Sea of Stories

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. What is metafiction? Can you think of any examples of stories you have read or watched or games you have played that meet the definition of metafiction?

Teaching Suggestion: Few students are likely to know the definition of metafiction without some research. You might offer them the resources below before they attempt to complete this prompt. If students answer this question in writing, they may enjoy discussing their examples afterward, as discussion will expose them to a wider variety of examples and help them define more precisely what is and is not metafictional.

• This entry in the Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia defining the term, listing common techniques, and offering examples
• This entry about metafiction written by young adult literature author Gail Carson Levine
• This post from a university student newspaper website examining the techniques of the genre of metafiction

2. What is magical realism? Can you think of any examples of stories you have read or watched or games you have played that meet the definition of magical realism?

Teaching Suggestion: Although some students may be familiar with magical realism, in most classrooms there will be students with little prior knowledge on the topic. To help ensure all students have the background knowledge to approach Haroun and the Sea of Stories effectively, you might offer the class the resources listed below before they complete this prompt. As with the previous prompt, students will benefit from the opportunity to discuss their examples.

• This article offering a thorough explanation and several examples of magical realism
• This 3-minute video featuring Salman Rushdie talking about the value of magical realism

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

In Haroun and the Sea of Stories, there is a character who tries to stop others from hearing stories. In the real world, people often try to ban books that share political, cultural, or religious perspectives they disagree with. Do you believe in banning books? If no, is there no circumstance under which you would agree that a book should be banned? What is your reasoning? If yes, who do you think should have the authority to ban books? Do you think this power can be misused? What standards should be applied to a decision like this?

Teaching Suggestion: Students are likely to have strong opinions on this topic. If you choose to have them discuss aloud, you might offer some advance guidelines about or have students brainstorm and/or agree upon how to most respectfully have this conversation.