Reading Group Guide

1. What is the significance of the epigraph, from the satiric 18th-century masterpiece Don Juan by Lord Byron?

2. The technique of the literary “tableau” was frequently employed by 18th-century novelists, by taking a painterly approach to describing a particular scene or set-piece that visually echoes a mood or theme in the wider novel. Can you find instances in which Jones has used such a device, and what do you think is their significance?

3. Few clocks at Sterne appear to be in working order. Discuss the imagery associated with timekeeping in the novel.

4. Like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this novel includes several mixed-up pairings of potential lovers who must overcome a night of disarray and confusion in order to achieve romantic order. Discuss other ways in which this novel touches on the themes in Shakespeare’s quintessential romantic comedy.

5. What is the significance of dreaming throughout the novel?

6. This novel is set in the period immediately preceding the First World War, during a rapid period of change from which emerged the “Machine Age,” displacing servant and peasant classes. Discuss this setting in the context of class structures and technology in the novel.

7. Discuss the imagery surrounding food, and the fantastic descriptions of food that Florence is preparing.

8. Discuss the interdependency (and sometimes blurred distinctions) between humans and animals throughout the novel.

9. What accounts for Florence’s transformation?

10. Discuss the climactic scene involving Lady’s descent and the settling of the travellers near the end of the book. What did it all mean, in your opinion?

11. This novel straddles many literary genres, from comedy to social satire to romance and horror. In your mind, which is the most apt descriptor of this novel? Do such distinctions matter?

12. What do you think of the character Smudge? Will her neglect prove to be a hindrance or a help in life? And what do you think is the truth of her birth?

13. Discuss the significance of the nature that surrounds the house, for instance the flowerbed in which Emerald weeps in the morning, and in which she later finds love amidst mud and rain.

14. Jones wrote this book using a sweeping omniscient narrative technique, allowing us glimpses into the inner thoughts and experiences of each of the characters, even some unexpected ones. What did you think of this strategy? Could the story have been told without it?

15. At the novel’s close, Jones places the word “Curtain” instead of “End.” Why do you think this is?

16. Can you imagine this novel adapted to film? If so, which actors would you cast for the various roles?