When Women Were Dragons

Identify the various ways in which the returned dragons both subvert and conform to society’s expectations. Use key examples from the text to prove your point.

How is Alex Green an unreliable narrator? Provide examples from the text to support your reasoning.

How does Barnhill use the interstitial documents to create a realist effect throughout the novel? Provide examples to support your argument.

Find the original poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson on the myth of Tithonus. Write a comparative analysis of Bertha’s life and the events of the poem.

Do you think Bertha’s cancer is related to her choice not to dragon? Use textual evidence to support your answer either way.

Speculative fiction is often a great genre to explore alternate manifestations of difficult truths, like oppression or war, and create imaginative solutions to them. Write a short story or “historical” excerpt using speculative fiction to imagine a better outcome for a global or personal conflict.

How are knots a protective force in the novel? How are they destructive? Is their power stronger than rage or desire?

In many of the interstitial documents, Barnhill uses real historical figures and writings which she reimagines to include dragons. Select one document or writer from the novel and research its background. Then, draft an argument for why Barnhill chooses to include it in When Women Were Dragons.