The False Prince

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. The period of European history spanning roughly from the 5th to the late 15th centuries is considered the “Middle Ages” or the “medieval period.” Though set in the fictional country of Carthya, The False Prince is a tale of kings, queens, regents, and heirs to the throne—all features of real-life medieval times. What additional ideas or images come to mind when you think of the term “medieval”? Can you think of other stories set in the medieval period?

Teaching Suggestion: Students will probably say that sword fighting, castles, dragons, and kingdoms all suggest “medieval.” They might name classic medieval fantasy stories, like The Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Story of King Arthur and His Knights. They may also think of more modern pop culture examples, like video games such as Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, and The Witcher, as well as movies/TV shows like Game of Thrones, Frozen, Brave, and Shrek. Draw students’ attention to the fact that all of these cultural artifacts, from books to video games to movies, are tales of adventure. Explain that many authors decide to set their tales of adventure in the medieval period. Why might that be so? Students can also share their thoughts on the virtues and motivations of characters in those stories (e.g., honor, nobility, lineage, chivalry) to connect to the novel’s theme of Morality, Survival, and Freedom.

• In this Duke Today interview, Duke University medievalist scholar Jessica Hines believes that so many fantasy and adventure stories take place in medieval times because it is a period during which “the fantastic feels like it could have happened.”
• Historian Helen Carr, in this History Extra article entitled “Medieval Inspiration: What the Fantasy Genre Owes to the 14th Century,” explains why the medieval period has been a rich source of inspiration for many fantasy writers.

2. Stories in which the main character has a dual identity abound in popular culture. Sometimes the main character has a secret identity (like Spiderman or Superman); other times it is a case of a mistaken identity (like Aladdin). Especially in superhero tales, this device both advances the plot and brings depth to the main character. Can you think of other stories in which a character has a hidden identity, and ones in which a main character has a mistaken identity?

Teaching Suggestion: Once students have identified several books/movies/comics that deal with secret or mistaken identities, encourage them to think of characters’ motives for keeping their identity secret or hidden. In steering the conversation toward superhero stories, students can discuss authenticity and what constitutes these characters’ true selves. A character like Spiderman, for example, chooses to keep his identity secret so that he can lead a normal, teenage life when he is not fighting crime. When Batman is Bruce Wayne, he is privy to information only the wealthiest citizens of Gotham can access. What does it mean that we know these characters best by their assumed identities? Who is each character’s “real” self? Connect student discussion to the novel’s theme of The Fluidity of Identity.

• Read Comic Book Resource’s list of “10 Superheroes Who Revealed Their Secret Identity to the World” and discuss the characters’ motivations for doing so.
• In recent times, more and more superheroes are shedding their secret identities; this  marks a major shift in the genre, as described in this Polygon article entitled “Superheroes Are Scrapping Their Secret Identities, and It’s for the Best.”