midlife crisis with Dick and jane
2005, Web del Sol Association
Questions about Dick and Jane
an excerpt from Midlife Crisis With Dick and Jane
1. Is this book about a particular Dick, or a universal Dick?
2. Is Dick really Dick, or is he merely a symbol of Dick?
3. What might Dick be a symbol of?
4. Are you disturbed or surprised by Dick’s limited vocabulary?
5. What is the cultural context in which Dick first appeared?
6. Is anything missing from these stories?
7. Is the sun always shining in Dick’s world? Is Spot always running?
8. Would you consider this book: a) an edge of your seat suspense (b) a leisurely summer read (c) strictly educational
9. Who came first, Dick or Jane?
10. Is this a sign of gender identity?
11. How would Dick be different if this book were written today?
12. Has our relationship to Dick changed?
13. Is Dick’s world the real world? Or is it just a fantasy?
14. Would you prefer a fantasy Dick?
“Nin Andrews is one of my favorite practitioners of the prose poem, and Midlife Crisis with Dick and Jane is, of course, wonderfully hilarious. It’s also incisive and terrifying and strangely moving—a little like watching Mr. Rogers put on a puppet production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and doing it brilliantly.”