Fourth Wing

What tropes of fantasy does Yarros use in Fourth Wing? What tropes does she subvert and to what end? What tropes from other genres does she utilize? Identify at least three tropes in your response.

Select three characters. Compare and contrast how they treat Violet. How does their behavior reflect their impression of her?

Signet powers are believed to be unique to each rider and represent a rider’s innermost characteristics. Select at least three characters and analyze the deeper meanings behind their signet powers. Infer what their signets reveal about them based on the details presented throughout the novel.

How does Yarros foreshadow the eventual revelation about venin, the true separatist cause, and Xaden’s collaboration with the gryphon fliers? Identify at least three moments in the novel and explore how they effectively foreshadow the novel’s conclusion.

Describe the different types of relationships featured in the novel. Consider rider-dragon bonds, dragon-dragon bonds, familial bonds, and romantic bonds. According to the Navarre hierarchy, what bonds are most important? At the end of the novel, what are revealed to be the most important bonds?

According to the novel, what is honor? What is glory? Can a “traitorous” action ever be considered honorable? Use examples from the text to illustrate your point of view.

How do the excerpts that begin each chapter contribute to Yarros’s worldbuilding? What other functions do these excerpts serve? What is the significance of the Book of Brennan being featured alongside historical textbooks?

Explore the differences between folklore and history. How are they related, and how are they different? Can you have one without the other?