The Sea

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2005

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Access Full Guide

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Pages 3-71

Part 1, Pages 72-132

Part 2, Pages 135-186

Part 2, Pages 187-264

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

Max decides to return to the Cedars after dreaming of trudging through the snow in search of an ever-deferred “homecoming” (25). How does this dream alter your reading of the narrative as a whole?

Using examples from the book, discuss the portrayal of memory in Banville’s The Sea. What is the work suggesting about its key characteristics?

Discuss the uses of literary and artistic allusion in Banville’s The Sea. How, for example, are they connected to the book’s portrayal of memory?