Bel Ami book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Chapters 1 to 6

1. How much credit should Georges Duroy receive for opportunities that begin with a chance meeting?
2. What might Georges Duroy's success at dinner suggest about the difference between impressing people and being qualified?
3. Where would you draw the line between accepting help and taking undue credit in Georges Duroy's first article?
4. How should Georges Duroy respond when failed articles expose his dependence on others?
5. How might financial help change the balance of power between Georges Duroy and his lover?

Meeting 2: Chapters 7 to 11

6. What does the gap between Georges Duroy's fear and public praise suggest about how courage gets judged?
7. How do you judge the timing of Georges Duroy's proposal that his friend's widow consider a future with him?
8. What might a grander name offer Georges Duroy that marriage alone cannot?
9. What different motives could explain Georges Duroy's decision to bring his bride to his parents' tavern?
10. How should the hurt caused to Georges Duroy's mistress affect our judgment of his marriage?

Meeting 3: Chapters 12 to 18

11. What might the brief interruption by confession suggest about the strength of conscience in Mme. Walter's secret courtship?
12. What questions would you ask before judging Georges du Roy's acceptance of the investment scheme?
13. How do accusations and bargaining complicate the fairness of Georges du Roy receiving half the inheritance?
14. Why might a display of wealth stir jealousy rather than satisfaction in Georges du Roy?
15. How does Suzanne's promise to wait affect your reading of Georges du Roy securing grounds for divorce?

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.