Shrines of Gaiety

The Corrupting and Dangerous Nature of Ambition is a central theme in the work. Discuss how Atkinson develops the narrative arc of one character in relation to ambition. Examples include Nellie (stealing the jewels to launch her club career); Ramsay (stealing Vivian Quinn’s manuscript to publish as his own); and Sergeant Maddox.

Shrines of Gaiety is set between two major world wars. Although the book focuses on the frivolity of post-WWI London, it does address the shadow of war. Discuss the war’s lingering impact, as seen in characters like Gwendolen and Niven. You might also consider the newspaper boy, Norman, who utters the book’s first words and is later killed in WWII.

Frobisher is characterized as average; at the same time, he is one of the book’s few heroes. Consider the significance of the book’s hero being a mundane man. Why does Atkinson make this choice?

Freda fails to achieve her ambitions of becoming a star, but she also manages to survive London’s seedy underbelly and lives into old age. What is the narrative significance of Freda’s subplot?

One of the book’s central themes is Expectations and Subversions of Gender Roles. Discuss how Atkinson explores this theme through a secondary character of your choice.

Discuss the significance of the book’s title: Shrines of Gaiety. Why does the author use the term “shrine”?

The book includes a romantic subplot that centers around Gwendolen, Niven, and Frobisher. How does Atkinson use and/or subvert the conventions of the romance genre in this subplot?

The book includes multiple literary allusions from the Bible to Shakespeare. Explore some of these allusions and examine their significance. What do they add to the narrative? Examples include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Bible, Pygmalion, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Waste Land.”