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?