Gallant

Why is “Gallant” a fitting name for the titular house? What connotations does this word have, and how do these impact your experience of reading the book?

In Chapter 4, a chapter with very little dialogue, Schwab makes extensive use of simile and metaphor in order to express Olivia’s interiority. Choose one simile/metaphor and discuss what the comparative language expresses and why it is effective in doing so.

What is the narrative function of the “half clock and half sculpture” (66) mechanism that Olivia finds? If it doesn’t serve a plot function, what does its inclusion accomplish?