53 pages • 1 hour read
India HoltonThe Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
The Victorian period and setting informs India Holton’s worldbuilding for the Wisteria Society. What are the similarities and differences between the real Victorian England and Holton’s interpretation of Victorian England?
How are gender roles and dynamics explored throughout the text? In what ways do various characters subvert or challenge traditional gender roles?
Explore the role literature and poetry play in The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. How do different characters interact with literature and poetry? What do these interactions reveal about characterization, motives, and/or the novel’s key ideas?
Discuss the role of misogyny in the narrative. How does it impact the ladies of the Wisteria Society, Morvath, Cecilia, and/or Queen Victoria? How does Holton critique misogyny and misogynistic ideals?
How does the use of multiple perspectives help to shape the novel’s narrative structure and characterization?
Consider the importance of magic in the novel and its worldbuilding. What forms of magic appear in the text? What is the wider significance of magic and its uses?
Analyze the role of Queen Victoria in the text. How is she characterized? How does she help to illuminate the text’s key ideas about femininity and power?
Explore the depictions of sexuality in the novel. How are sexuality and desire portrayed in the text? How do sexual awakenings relate to themes of agency and growth in the text?
Cecilia grapples with a complicated family legacy. How is the nature of family and familial ties depicted in the novel? How does family impact conceptions of identity for the characters?
Societal roles and expectations appear in the text in various and sometimes contradictory ways. How does the novel explore and subvert the ideas of social norms and morality?
