The New Life Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Life, Work and Trial of Oscar Wilde and our BookBrowse Review of The New Life.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. On page 85, the reader learns of Henry's "peculiarity" and the shame he's felt about it for his entire life. This "peculiarity" allows him to sympathize with "inverts" and their oppression. Discuss how narrow the definition for "normal" really is. How many people fall outside of that category? How have the confines for normal broadened or narrowed since Henry and John's day?
2. A recurring fear of both John and Henry is that John's "inversion" will be discovered, discrediting their book. Why is it that we don't trust the subjects of debate to have a credible perspective? What are some examples of conversations where the people most affected by the decision are left out of the process?
3. At the beginning of chapter 11, John recalls the events leading up to his marriage to Catherine, the dread he felt, his inability to focus, his casual cruelty because he did not love her. He recalls rushing into the marriage even though he knew it was wrong. Discuss a time you were torn between instinct and reason when making a decision. How often were your instincts right?

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