Monsters in Robertson Davies' Fifth Business

A Dictionary of the Human Creature Throughout the chapters of Robertson Davies's critically acclaimed literary labour, the reader is subjected to an extraordinary ensemble of characters, all of which possessing their own form of monstrosity. Despite there repulsive appearances, however, the monstrosities of Fifth Business provide a powerful substance for the unveiling of theme within the novel and the uncovering of the true humanity of many important characters. The finest examples to support this statement …

…with monsters of similar unsightly qualities. Despite their individual forms of monstrosity, however, neither is any less human than any other character that can be found within the story or beyond the literary world. Every creature displayed in the zoo of humanity possess their own form of monstrosity, hidden or exposed, accepted or denied, and upon this realization a question arises, how can monstrosity be defined, and what exactly are monsters if people are humans?