A Court of Thorns and Roses

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. Describe and analyze the prevalence of self-sacrifice for love and/or loved ones as portrayed in literature, movies, culture, or history. How might real life acts of loving sacrifice have been adopted into media culture?

Teaching Suggestion: This question will lead into the theme of Sacrifice and Moral Compromise as the Duty of Love. It may help to consider the distinction between “sacrifice” and “self-sacrifice,” primarily as it pertains to love, care, and empathy. If students are struggling to identify examples, consider splitting the class into four groups (literature, movies, culture, and history) to brainstorm a list to bring back to the whole class. From there, students may use the ideas from their peers to help answer the second half of the question.

• This compilation from Goodreads includes thought-provoking quotes about sacrifice.
• “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls is a song about sacrificing self-identity for love.

2. Explain the importance of consent in both emotional and physical intimacy with a partner. What role does trust play in these relationships?

Teaching Suggestion: This question will lead into the theme Consent and Power Dynamics in Sexual Intimacy. Consider creating a T-chart, separating “emotional” and “physical” intimacy. Give a moment for students to brainstorm individually and then allow them to share with a partner before asking to share with the whole class, helping students feel more comfortable sharing as a whole group.

• This Masterclass article explores the importance of emotional intimacy and discusses strategies to help develop it.
• This 3-minute video offers a humorous, metaphorical explanation of how to interpret consent with sexual intimacy.

Short Activity

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a novel heavily influenced by the French classic fairytale “Beauty and the Beast,” which was written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot Villeneuve and originally published in 1740. Maas’s narrative is a remix of the genre, as it alters the fairytale aesthetic to one more comprised in fantasy.

Utilizing a genre or era of your choice, rewrite the narrative of another fairytale. Consider potential political and social changes as you subvert the reader’s expectations, making the tale your own while maintaining the essence of the original story.

When you have finished, write a 1-2 paragraph explanation of the changes you made to the original tale and why. What was the intended purpose of each alteration? What worked well? Share your story with a partner and discuss.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity leads into the theme of Hidden Truths and Subverted Expectations by asking students to re-render and disrupt the traditional expectations of an established narrative. For students who struggle with the concept of “genre,” consider providing a list of genres and fairytales to choose from. Allowing students to choose fairytales from their culture may provide a diverse variety of writing for students to share. The resources below may offer more context for the activity.

• This article from the Folger Shakespeare Library compares Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet to Disney’s The Lion King.
• This resource from the California Department of Education provides brief definitions for common genres and types of writing.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced or kinesthetic learners, consider asking them to create an appropriate skit to perform with a peer based on their chosen fairytale and genre. In addition to choosing a fairytale, changing the genre or era, and writing the script, they might block their actions, gestures, and emotive responses for the classroom performance.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Consider a time when you discovered something about a person or place that went against your original preconceptions. Explain the moment in detail. What were your original thoughts about this person or place? What made you change your mind, and why is it important to be open-minded in these kinds of situations? How can changing perspectives through experiences benefit not only individuals, but also society?

Teaching Suggestion: Consider having students discuss the Personal Connection Prompt first with a partner before asking them to write. This will allow them to gather their thoughts or gain ideas from their peers. Another way to brainstorm would be to ask students to list as many bullet-pointed ideas as possible, then choose one to write about more in depth. The resources below may be helpful in identifying strategies for empathy and further exploring perceptions, open-mindedness, and different points of view.

• This Edutopia article discusses how to utilize journal prompts to help students develop empathy. Teacher-appropriate (not student-facing).
• These stock photos depict multiple perspectives in a single photograph.

Differentiation Suggestion: For artistic students or visual learners, consider having students draw two images demonstrating the same situation through different perspectives. This artistic strategy may also be beneficial for advanced learners, who might be interested in drawing the personal experience they had in which they discovered something that went against their preconceived notions. For all students, this or a similar artistic activity could be paired with written responses.