The
Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet Thursday, December 10th at 7
p.m. in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our December book, Outline
by Rachel Cusk.
Discussion
questions are below.
Here
are some links for additional background and information:
Essay
by Rachel Cusk published in McLean’s
Interview
with Rachel Cusk about her books and recent play, Medea
Coming
up, we have the following books to look forward to reading:
Thurs.
Jan. 14th Lovers
at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 by Francine Prose
Thurs.
Feb. 11th Station
Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Thurs.
Mar. 10th The
Martian by Andy Weir (the One Book/One
Marin selection)
Thanks
for reading with us. I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends
of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Outline by Rachel
Cusk
1. What do we learn about the almost anonymous narrator, Faye, throughout the book?
2. Each character speaking to Faye discusses their relationships. How do the characters feel about their relationships? Do these revelations tell us anything about Faye’s relationships?
3. How does the author describe success vs failure through the conversations in the book?
4. Is this a feminist novel?
5. The New Yorker review says the romantic relationships described by the characters Faye talks to “diminish” the parties. The Guardian review says Cusk writes, “a cool-headed meditation on the doomed nature of relationships.” Do you agree with these assessments? Can you find examples in the book?
6. The narrator, Faye, can’t explain why her marriage ended, saying, “among other things a marriage is a system of belief, a story, and though it manifests itself in things that are real enough, the impulse that drives it is ultimately mysterious.” How would you reply to her? Consider her musings on the realities behind her airplane seatmate’s description of the failure of his marriages.
7. Faye tells her neighbor (p. 170), “I had come to believe more and more in the virtues of passivity, and of living a life as unmarked by self-will as possible. … I had decided to want nothing at all.” Does Outline reflect her passivity? Is it possible to live a life passively?
8. What is the significance of the broken glass ceiling panel told by Penelope in Faye’s writing class?
9. Melete describes a former student who appears at all of her readings and makes faces. She calls his behavior “madness” Do you agree? Could there be another reason?
10. In Chapter 9, the students discuss their animal stories and other stories from their lives. Do any of their stories stand out to you?
No comments:
Post a Comment