Lady Susan book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Chapters 1 to 14

1. Can charm be a good reason to reconsider someone's reputation?
2. How fair is Mr. De Courcy's decision to observe Lady Susan after hearing damaging reports?
3. What does Lady Susan's plan to make Frederica miserable at school suggest about her use of parental power?
4. Why might serious conversation make calculated affection harder to recognize?
5. How should Mrs. Johnson's advice about a wealthy husband shape our judgment of her friendship with Lady Susan?

Meeting 2: Chapters 15 to 24

6. How fair is Reginald's harsh judgment of Frederica when she arrives frightened and isolated?
7. Does Catherine's hope for Frederica's affection make her support seem caring, strategic, or both?
8. What might Lady Susan's anger at Frederica's affection for Reginald reveal about her priorities?
9. How much weight should Frederica's fear carry against Lady Susan's praise of the match?
10. What makes Miss Vernon's appeal to Mr. De Courcy a promising or risky choice?

Meeting 3: Chapter 25 to Conclusion

11. How persuasive are Lady Susan's stated reasons for postponing her meeting with De Courcy?
12. What does asking Mrs. Johnson to entertain Reginald reveal about Lady Susan's treatment of other people's time and feelings?
13. How should we judge Lady Susan's confidence that she can persuade Reginald despite news of Mainwaring's wife?
14. What should make information convincing enough to end a relationship?
15. Why might Lady Susan credit Mr. De Courcy's parents rather than accept his decision as his own?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.