Next week's meeting is in Crawley. Thank you very much to Dawn for sourcing our discussion questions.
1. Do you think Dr. Faraday is a reliable narrator? Why? Or why not?
2.What do you think is responsible for the disturbances at Hundreds Hall? Is it something supernatural or the effects of mental illness?
3.What do you think about Dr. Faraday’s relationship with Caroline? Are his feelings for her genuine? What about hers for him?
4.The Ayres family had land, wealth, and power for generations--while their neighbors lived in relative destitution-- before their post-war decline. Given this history, did you sympathize with them when it became clear they were passing out of favor?
5.How does Mrs. Ayres’ attitude toward Dr. Faraday change over the course of the novel? Why?
6.What you think of the decision to commit Roderick to an institution? Is it justified? Do you think it spared his life?
7.Were the Baker-Hydes correct in insisting that Gyp be put down? Or was their reaction to their daughter’s injury unjustified?
8.It is Betty’s unease living at Hundreds that causes her to feign illness and bring Dr. Faraday back to Hundreds for the first time since his youth? Do you think she was unusually prescient, sensing something ominous was about to take place at Hundreds?
9.How is Dr. Faraday's role as a country doctor in the 1940’s different from practicing medicine now? Given these changes, do you think a story like his could take place today?
10.Caroline’s decision to sell off her family’s land so that council houses could be built is just one of the ways The Little Stranger speaks to the changes happening in Britain at the time. How else does the book reflect the reconfiguration of post World War II British society?
Friday 9 March 2012
Friday 3 February 2012
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Please find below discussion questions for next Tuesday's meeting in Horsham.
1. What does Holbein's portrait capture about Thomas Cromwell's character that even Cromwell, himself, recognizes? What kind of man is Cromwell? In the rapacious world of Wolf Hall, do you find him a sympathetic character, or not?
2. What effect did Cromwell's upbringing have on his character and his later views about the privileged society that permeates the court? How does he feel about the aristocracy and its insistence on ancient rights?
3. What does Cromwell mean when he tells his son that "it's all very well planning what you will do in six months, what you will do in a year, but it's no good at all if you don't have a plan for tomorrow"?
4. Comment on Cromwell's observation regarding an earl that "The world is not run from where he thinks. Not from his border fortresses, not even from Whitehall. The world is run from Antwerp, from Florence, from places he never imagined." What does Cromwell mean...and in what sense is his statement a very modern view of the world?
5. Why does Cromwell dislike the Catholic clergy? What are his motives for helping Henry marry Anne Boleyn and sever ties to the Pope? What larger goals does he hope to achieve in helping ? Are they selfless...or selfish?
6. If you are familiar with Thomas More, especially through A Man for All Seasons, were you surprised by this book's treatment of him?
7. How does Cromwell perceive Anne Boleyn? How does she come across in this book? Consider his observation when she is in the presence of the king's friends: "Anne is brittle in their company, and as ruthless with their compliments as a house-wife snapping the necks of larks for the table." Also talk about the danger he sees for Anne as he thinks, "Any little girl can hold the key to the future."
8. Do you know the fate of Cromwell, some years after the book's ending? If you don't know, can you surmise? If you do, how does it colour your reading of Wolf Hall?
9. Mantel is writing a sequel to Wolf Hall—The Mirror and the Light. Do you think you'll want to read it when published?
1. What does Holbein's portrait capture about Thomas Cromwell's character that even Cromwell, himself, recognizes? What kind of man is Cromwell? In the rapacious world of Wolf Hall, do you find him a sympathetic character, or not?
2. What effect did Cromwell's upbringing have on his character and his later views about the privileged society that permeates the court? How does he feel about the aristocracy and its insistence on ancient rights?
3. What does Cromwell mean when he tells his son that "it's all very well planning what you will do in six months, what you will do in a year, but it's no good at all if you don't have a plan for tomorrow"?
4. Comment on Cromwell's observation regarding an earl that "The world is not run from where he thinks. Not from his border fortresses, not even from Whitehall. The world is run from Antwerp, from Florence, from places he never imagined." What does Cromwell mean...and in what sense is his statement a very modern view of the world?
5. Why does Cromwell dislike the Catholic clergy? What are his motives for helping Henry marry Anne Boleyn and sever ties to the Pope? What larger goals does he hope to achieve in helping ? Are they selfless...or selfish?
6. If you are familiar with Thomas More, especially through A Man for All Seasons, were you surprised by this book's treatment of him?
7. How does Cromwell perceive Anne Boleyn? How does she come across in this book? Consider his observation when she is in the presence of the king's friends: "Anne is brittle in their company, and as ruthless with their compliments as a house-wife snapping the necks of larks for the table." Also talk about the danger he sees for Anne as he thinks, "Any little girl can hold the key to the future."
8. Do you know the fate of Cromwell, some years after the book's ending? If you don't know, can you surmise? If you do, how does it colour your reading of Wolf Hall?
9. Mantel is writing a sequel to Wolf Hall—The Mirror and the Light. Do you think you'll want to read it when published?
Sunday 8 January 2012
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Happy New Year to all Book Worms! Here are the discussion questions for the first book of 2012, Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest: the final novel in his Millenium Trilogy. Our meeting is in Crawley on 10th January.
1. To what do you attribute the literary sensation surrounding this trilogy?
2. What is the “hornet’s nest” of the title?
3. Each part of Hornet’s Nest begins with a brief history lesson about women warriors. What was Larsson trying to say? Is Salander a modern-day equivalent of these women? Is Berger?
4. What is the appeal of Salander as the protagonist?
5. Many characters in Larsson’s trilogy have some good and some bad in them. Can you name a few? What makes them different from the clear heroes or villains?
6. Can you imagine a group like the Section operating in this country? Why/not?
7. On page 168, Larsson writes about Salander, “She wondered what she thought of herself, and came to the realization that she felt mostly indifference towards her entire life.” What has made her feel this way? Do her feelings change by the end?
8. Again and again, men underestimate Salander because of her size. Why do they make these assumptions? How does she turn this into an advantage?
9. On page 295, Salander discovers a gruesome fact about Teleborian. “She should have dealt with Teleborian years ago. But she had repressed the memory of him. She had chosen to ignore his existence.” When did she decide to stop letting people get away with things?
10. Discuss the notion of revenge in this novel, and throughout the trilogy. Who, besides Salander, exacts revenge? What motivates them?
11. What role does Annika play in the novel? And Ekström?
12. On page 359, Salander reaches out to Berger and offers to help. Why?
13. What is the significance of the subplot about Berger’s stalker?
14. During his interview with She, Blomkvist agrees with the host’s suggestion that the Section’s behavior is akin to mental illness. Do you agree with that idea? How are accusations of mental illness wielded elsewhere in the trilogy?
15. “When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it’s about violence against women, and the men who enable it.” So says Blomkvist on page 514. What else is it about?
16. If she’s not in love with Miriam, why does Salander go to Paris?
17. When deciding what to do about Niedermann, Salander thinks of Harriet Vanger. Where do their stories diverge?
18. The very last sentence of the trilogy is, “She opened the door wide and let him into her life again.” How do you imagine things proceed from here for Salander? For Blomvkist?
1. To what do you attribute the literary sensation surrounding this trilogy?
2. What is the “hornet’s nest” of the title?
3. Each part of Hornet’s Nest begins with a brief history lesson about women warriors. What was Larsson trying to say? Is Salander a modern-day equivalent of these women? Is Berger?
4. What is the appeal of Salander as the protagonist?
5. Many characters in Larsson’s trilogy have some good and some bad in them. Can you name a few? What makes them different from the clear heroes or villains?
6. Can you imagine a group like the Section operating in this country? Why/not?
7. On page 168, Larsson writes about Salander, “She wondered what she thought of herself, and came to the realization that she felt mostly indifference towards her entire life.” What has made her feel this way? Do her feelings change by the end?
8. Again and again, men underestimate Salander because of her size. Why do they make these assumptions? How does she turn this into an advantage?
9. On page 295, Salander discovers a gruesome fact about Teleborian. “She should have dealt with Teleborian years ago. But she had repressed the memory of him. She had chosen to ignore his existence.” When did she decide to stop letting people get away with things?
10. Discuss the notion of revenge in this novel, and throughout the trilogy. Who, besides Salander, exacts revenge? What motivates them?
11. What role does Annika play in the novel? And Ekström?
12. On page 359, Salander reaches out to Berger and offers to help. Why?
13. What is the significance of the subplot about Berger’s stalker?
14. During his interview with She, Blomkvist agrees with the host’s suggestion that the Section’s behavior is akin to mental illness. Do you agree with that idea? How are accusations of mental illness wielded elsewhere in the trilogy?
15. “When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it’s about violence against women, and the men who enable it.” So says Blomkvist on page 514. What else is it about?
16. If she’s not in love with Miriam, why does Salander go to Paris?
17. When deciding what to do about Niedermann, Salander thinks of Harriet Vanger. Where do their stories diverge?
18. The very last sentence of the trilogy is, “She opened the door wide and let him into her life again.” How do you imagine things proceed from here for Salander? For Blomvkist?
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