Muse Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Mnemosyne, the Mother of the Muses and our BookBrowse Review of Muse.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Muse begins with the announcement: "This is a love story." What are some of the different kinds of love that are evoked, tested, and perhaps defeated in the novel—for people, ideas, works of literature, and so on? What does Paul in particular learn are the dangers of falling too fast or too deeply in love?
2. How does the novel build up the legend of poet Ida Perkins from its opening pages? Are there writers living today—writers of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction—who have a similar iconic status in America? How realistic is the author's portrayal of Ida and of the publishing world?
3. Discuss the differences and similarities between Sterling Wainwright and Homer Stern, Paul's two publishing mentors, about whom we learn: "Both were spoiled, handsome, charming ladies' men with a nose for writers. . . . They cordially detested each other, and greatly enjoyed doing so" (15). What does it mean to be a rival over many years with someone in a tight-knit field? And what, despite their respective publishing houses' very different lists, draws them both so ardently to Ida Perkins?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Vintage. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.