Remarkably Bright Creatures

A Comprehensive Study Guide of Remarkably Bright Creatures

Shelby Van Pelt created the character Tova in Remarkably Bright Creatures, based on her Swedish grandmother who coped with grief by constantly keeping busy. The story revolves around various characters who feel trapped and swim in circles, trying to break free from their constraints.

Despite the story's human themes, the inspiration for the book came from Van Pelt's writing exercise on an octopus narrator. She was inspired by a viral video of an octopus attempting to escape from a tank and delved deeper into exploring these creatures and their capabilities. Through the character of Marcellus, Van Pelt gained a new perspective on human strengths and weaknesses.

Listening to her internal Marcellus allowed her to examine her own behavior and observe the human tendency to justify damaging actions. Van Pelt discovered that viewing things from an external, anthropomorphic perspective can help people see their habits in a new light. The novel opens with Marcellus's perspective, but the central theme is how he encourages people to examine their behavior in a different way.


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⁃ A Detailed Introduction
⁃ A Comprehensive Chapter by Chapter Study Guide
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