1. There are detailed statistics on page 7 about the inhabitants of Manchester County:
   “In Manchester County, Virginia, there were 34 free black families…The census of 1860 said there were 2,670 slaves in Manchester County, but the census taker…had argued with his wife the day he sent his report to Washington, D.C., and all his arithmetic was wrong. . .”
   

   On page 105 we are introduced to Anderson Frazier, author of pamphlets on slaveowning Negroes. We are given detailed information about his pamphlets, and their location in the Library of Congress and in private collections
   

   On page 107 we are told that in this pamphlet, “There were seven pages devoted to Henry Townsend and his widow Caldonia . . .”
   

   This information, presented as fact, was invented by the author. Although some locations mentioned in the book are real, Manchester County, Virginia, never existed. Why does Jones put in details information that sound factual but are fictional? Is this historical fiction?
   

2. The characters in most popular “formula fiction” are clearly delineated as “good guys” or “bad guys”. The authors do this to manipulate readers’ reactions to the characters. Edward P. Jones treats his characters differently. They are complex individuals. If we make a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being “admirable” and 10 “detestable”, with varying degrees of moral ambiguity in between, where would each of the main characters fall on the scale? We will discuss this when we meet and make a chart.
   

3. What are the “known worlds” to which the title refers?
   

4. On page 64, we read that “Henry had always said that he wanted to be a better master than any white man he had ever known.” Why did Henry Townsend choose to become a slaveowner?
   

5. Why is John Skiffington so diligent about upholding a system (slavery) that is personally repellent to him?
   

6. Moses in the Bible was the deliverer of his people. Does Moses the slave live up to the promise of his name? How does he change in the course of the book, and why?
   

7. The author mixes scenes of real life with supernatural elements. What are some of the supernatural elements introduced? What is their effect on the tone of the novel?
   

8. Throughout the book, characters comment on the presence or absence of God in their lives.
   Some examples:
   • “Moses had thought that it was already a strange world that made him a slave to a white man, but God had indeed set it twirling and twisting every which way when he put black people to owning their own kind.” (p. 9)
   • William Robbins to Henry (p. 140): “God is in his heaven and he don’t care most of the time. The trick of life is to know when God does care and do all you need to do behind his back.”
   • Counsel Skiffington contracts smallpox, but survives. “He began to recover, slowly, and day by day he cursed God for playing with him. ‘Make up your mind,’ he said to God. ‘I don’t mind dying. I just want you to make up your mind.’”
   

   Does the belief in the God’s power over them or indifference to their lives influence their behavior?
   

9. The Known World was awarded the Pulitzer, a major literary prize, for 2003. What qualities does the book have that make it worthy of a prize?
   

10. The story is told in the 3rd person by a narrator with a matter-of-fact, almost detached, tone. What effect does the narrator’s tone have on the reader?
    

11. There are several strong female characters in the book. How do Fern, Celeste, Alice and Minerva influence others in their society?
    

12. Edward P. Jones creates an unusual time line in The Known World. The story begins with the death of one of the main characters, then shifts back and forth in time. Sometimes when he introduces characters, the narrator will leap ahead and tell about their deaths many years later. Does he do this to confuse the reader? What reasons could he have for doing this?
    

Questions compiled by Suzanne Fisher (fishers@uhls.lib.ny.us)
September 04