Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions

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. Discuss what you know about the literary style of magical realism. What is an example and description? Generally, what are the elements of mythology? What does mythology explain? How is mythology different from magical realism?

Teaching Suggestion: Edward, in Big Fish, is similar to Odysseus in his journey and his interactions with some characters. Though Big Fish has similarities to mythology, its genre might best be considered magical realism. In using the information in these resources or others to review or introduce magical realism, you might guide students in determining and listing the genre’s major traits; they can then analyze Big Fish in terms of that list as they read the text.

• This 7-minute video describes what magical realism is. (Content Warning: A brief image from social media that might be inappropriate for some classes appears at 2:22.)
• Masterclass offers a brief description of magical realism.
• This 8-minute video describes elements of mythology and the social purposes myth has typically served.