Our book group choice for March 2009 is The Invention Of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares. Set on a mysterious island, Bioy’s novella is a story of suspense and exploration, as well as a wonderfully unlikely romance, in which every detail is at once crystal clear and deeply mysterious.
The Invention of Morel is a science fiction novella by Argentine writer Adolfo Bioy Casares. It was first published in 1940 and has been translated into many languages. The story is set on a deserted island in the South Pacific, where a fugitive named Morel has created a machine that can capture and replay the movements of living beings. The machine, which Morel calls the “ferment,” projects an image of the past onto the present, creating the illusion that the same people and events are happening over and over again.
The novella’s protagonist, a nameless narrator, arrives on the island after a shipwreck. He is initially intrigued by the strange behavior of the people he sees on the beach, who seem to be repeating the same actions over and over again. As he investigates, he discovers the existence of the ferment and its creator, Morel.
Morel explains to the narrator that he created the ferment in order to capture the essence of life. He believes that the ferment can allow people to relive their happiest moments over and over again, thereby achieving immortality. However, the narrator is not convinced by Morel’s arguments. He sees the ferment as a dangerous tool that could be used to manipulate and control people.
The narrator’s fears are confirmed when he falls in love with one of the women who is trapped in the ferment. He tries to tell her his feelings, but she cannot hear him. She is only able to respond to the past version of the narrator, who is already dead.
The Invention Of Morel Discussion Questions
- Why did the protagonist flee to the Island of Villings?
- Villings Island was home to what dangers and risks? Were all these dangers real?
- What were the five possibilities that the protagonist determined about the existence of the people who came to the island?
- What three things did the main character feel he could do when he thought Faustine was going to sail away?
- How did the invention of Morel work? What powered the invention and why did it fail to project the images at times?
- How did the protagonist get trapped in the room where the invention’s motors were housed? How did he escape?
- What plan did the man ultimately devise that would keep him and Faustine together forever?
- What is the significance of the island setting in the novel?
- What is the nature of the “invention” that Morel has created?
- How does the narrator’s status as a fugitive affect his perception of the island?
- What is the role of memory in the novel?
- What is the significance of the recurring motif of the labyrinth?
- What does the novel say about the nature of reality?
- What is the relationship between the narrator and Faustine?
- What is the significance of the ending of the novel?
- What are the ethical implications of Morel’s invention?
- How does the novel explore the themes of time, love, and death?
- How does the novel compare to other works of science fiction or magical realism?
- What is the novel’s relevance to the 21st century?