description The Cunning Man Overview
The Cunning Man is a 1994 novel by Canadian writer Robertson Davies and the last novel he completed. Presented largely through the recollections of Toronto physician Jonathan Hullah, it begins with the unusual death of an Anglican priest during a Good Friday service and expands into an account of Hullah's education, friendships, medical practice, and intellectual life. The novel explores medicine, diagnosis, religion, art, memory, and the relationship between bodily illness and personal history.
help The Cunning Man FAQ
Who narrates The Cunning Man?
The narrator is Dr. Jonathan Hullah, a Toronto physician who looks back on his medical career and the people around him. His unusual diagnostic approach gives the novel its title and its blend of medicine, psychology, and mystery ([Penguin Books](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/21723/the-cunning-man-by-davies-robertson/9780241952641)).
What event starts the mystery in The Cunning Man?
Anglican priest Father Ninian Hobbes dies at the high altar during a Good Friday service. A journalist's questions about the death prompt Hullah to revisit the case and his own past ([The Cunning Man in the BMJ](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2034745/)).
Why is Jonathan Hullah called a cunning man?
Hullah practices a holistic form of medicine that looks for connections between the mind, body, and a patient's life. His ability to find the root of baffling problems earns him the nickname of the traditional village wise man ([The Cunning Man in the BMJ](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2034745/)).
Why is 1994 important for Robertson Davies readers?
The Cunning Man was published in 1994 and is generally identified as the last novel Robertson Davies completed. It gathers his recurring interests in medicine, religion, literature, music, and the hidden motives behind ordinary behavior ([Penguin Books](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/21723/the-cunning-man-by-davies-robertson/9780241952641)).
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