Obstinate, Headstrong Girl (Bok) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. Did you find yourself believing that this novel was actually written by Jane Austen?

2. If you have never read Pride and Prejudice or seen one of the film adaptations, did the story work for you on its own terms?

3. Did the story of Pride and Prejudice translate convincingly to rural California at the turn of the twenty-first century? What changed in the characters and storyline, and did those changes make sense?

4. Some characters from Pride and Prejudice were eliminated, and some new characters were added. Did you miss the missing, and/or did you enjoy the newcomers?

5. The narration is written in Jane Austen's voice but the characters speak in contemporary language. Did you find this juxtaposition awkward, or did it enhance the humor?

6. Some of the themes of this book are overtly political. Were there political undertones in any of Jane Austen's novels, and do modern readers recognize those undertones or overlook them?

7. Some Jane Austen characters have sex, but her novels never have sex scenes. By contrast, modern-day romances nearly always have a sexual element. An Obstinate, Headstrong Girl follows Jane Austen's lead in leaving out any explicit sex. Did the way this was handled in the modern context make sense to you?

8. Have you read any other books in the Austenesque genre of fiction? Discuss the different forms Austenesque literature can take.
(Questions courtesy of the author's helper.)

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