Discussion Questions

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COLLECTION

1. Link’s work draws heavily from other works and from history. (For more information, please view our webpage.) Granted that her work is inspired by history or others’ works, does that change how your view and/or value her writing? Should we appreciate it differently?

2. What commentary can we gather from the collection on heteronormativity? How does the collection depict the following: heterosexual relationship, relationship between women, lesbian relationships, relationships between reality and surreal or fantasy? What about escapism?

3. How can Adrienne Rich’s ideas of the lesbian experience and lesbian continuum be applied to Link’s collection? (If you’re not familiar with Rich, you can look her up online. In her work, the word “lesbian” is not exclusive to same-sex desires or acts but instead references experiences exclusive to women.)

4. One way of reading Kelly Link’s collection is to conceive it as a postmodern appropriation of popular genres—fairy tales, science fiction, southern gothic, horror. In what ways has Link appropriated these genre elements and how do you think she parodies/pastiches/subverts them? What is the purpose of this poaching of convention and narrative?

5. What theoretical approaches can be applied to this collection—Marxist, Feminist, Psychoanalytic, New Historicist, etc.? Give an example of how you would apply any of these theories to the text.

6. Read Hilary Chew’s “How Feminist Are Fractured Fairy Tales?” and discuss how this article can be applied—if it can—to Kelly Link’s collection.

STORY-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

For “Water Off a Black Dog’s Back”

1. How does the loss of limbs or the attachment of prosthetics function within “Water Off a Black Dog’s Back?” Or, on a broader note, how does it function within the entire collection?

2. What is the effect of the father’s noses? How do lost body parts of her parents (nose vs. leg) compare in terms of functionality, necessity, impairment, perception, relations, symbolism, etc.?

3. How does the reader react to the mother’s intertwined relationships with her lost leg and her lost daughter?

For “Louise’s Ghost”

1. How do we look at ghost in “Louise’s Ghost?” Is there a relationship between his changes (shrinking) and the death of Louise? What is achieved by this?

2. In what ways does this story defy the generic conventions of the typical ghost story? What are the consequences of these differences?

For “Travels with the Snow Queen”

1. How do we see female identity in this story? On how many levels? Though this story is heavily influence by Anderson’s original (see webpage for more context), the characters feel modern and recognizable (or do they?). How does Link achieve that?

2. How does this story function as an exhibit of women’s history, or the female experience? Or—how does it not?

3. When reading "Travels with the Snow Queen," consider how women typically fare in fairy tales. How does the protagonist fir within or go against traditional tales?

For “The Specialist’s Hat”

1. What elements of gothic storytelling do you see in “The Specialist’s Hat”?

2. In what ways could “The Specialist’s Hat” be read as an investigation of childhood trauma? How does this psychological and emotional trauma manifest and how is it dealt with in this story?

For “Flying Lessons”

1. What connections do you see between the characters and plot of "Flying Lessons" and Greek mythology? How does Link reinterpret the Greek pantheon? Why do artists often turn to the classics for their inspiration or guidance?

2. What is the significance of flying and birds in this story?

For “Vanishing Act”

1. Compare and contrast the Link's view of memory in "Vanishing Act" with "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose."

2. How does the uncertain punctuation at the end of "Vanishing Act" affect your interpretation?

For “Survivor’s Ball”

1. If "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose," was filled with masturbation, "Survivor's Ball, or, the Donner Party" is filled with mastication. As you read, take note of anything to do with teeth and eating.

2. In "Survivor's Ball, or, the Donner Party," what is the creature that runs in front of their car (151, 158)?

For “Most of my Friends Are Two-Thirds Water”

1. What is the meaning of the multiple references to Lemon Fresh Joy in "Most of my Friends Are Two-Thirds Water"?

2. In what ways does Link describe the blonde alien visitors in “Most of My Friends Are Two-Thirds Water” as cold, synthetic, and doll-like, and what narrative/thematic function do you think these descriptors serve? How is Link playing with and subverting popular images and conceptualizations of women and beauty standards?

For “Shoe and Marriage”

1. Although the narrative of “Shoe and Marriage” may, at first, seem fragmentary and hard to follow, the story contains many recurring motifs and images that give the story a sense of cohesion. In what ways do the various vignettes of this story come together – narratively, symbolically, thematically?

2. Discuss the symbolic significance of shoes and feet in “Shoe and Marriage.”

For “The Girl Detective”

1. How does this story subvert (perhaps even parody) the original Nancy Drew narratives? What do you think Link is trying to accomplish through her appropriation of this character? Discussions of specific Nancy Drew novels are certainly welcome.

2. How does this function as the concluding story of the collection?