- Robertson Davies. Fifth Business. Toronto: Penguin Books, 1970.
- Carl Jung. The Portable Jung. New York: Penguin Books, 1976.
- Joseph Campbell. The Hero With A Thousand Faces. New York: Princeton University Press, 1973.
- Robertson Davies, Selected by James Channing Shaw. The quotable Robertson Davies : the wit and wisdom of the master. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2005.
- Christopher Lehmann-Haupt. "A Magical Mystery Fiction." New York Times. 1970-11-25. 2014-03-05. <http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/08/24/reviews/davies-fifth.html>.
- Random House. "Modern Library 100 Best Novels." Random House Inc.. 2014-05-03. <http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/>.
Fifth Business Questions and Answers
The Question and Answer section for Fifth Business is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
Paul Dempster is a magician. His "wonder work" isn't metaphysical so much as psychological. He is able to manipulate and even hypnotise. The snowball rock in Percy's mouth or the Brazen Head illusion at the end of the book is proof of this. In...
Asked by
sam t #1217047
Answered by
Aslan
I believe Paul names himself this. Paul takes what Dunstan teaches him (magic) and later re-invents himself, first as a carnival performer and then as world-famous magician Magnus Eisengrim. Like Dunstan and Percy, Paul becomes a new person, and...
Asked by
samantha t #1217147
Answered by
Aslan
I don't think Dunstan himself has performed miracles. He wants to prove that Mary Dempster has performed miracles.
Asked by
sam t #1217047
Answered by
Aslan
