How do they differ on the issue of whether to reinstate a “fallen woman”? (56-59) What are their different views on the value of marriage for women?ĭoes the narrator seem to have class biases of his own? On what basis does he judge his female and male characters?ħ. What contrasts do we see in the characters of Miss Barfoot and Rhoda? (52, 56) What are some of Miss Barfoot’s limitations in charity, and why do you think these are mentioned? Are there any ominous signs in Widdowson’s account of himself to Monica? (he does seem hermitlike) Should he have told her outright that his income was 600 pounds a year? How does this news affect her?Īre there any oddities of his behavior which may bode ill for the future? (46) Does Monica love him? (48)Ħ. Widdowson? What does Monica think of the prospect of learning to be a clerical assistant?ĥ. What would Victorians have thought of the circumstances under which she meets Mr. What type of suitor does Monica reject, and on what grounds? (someone of her own class and circumstances) Do you think the narrator/author judges her choices favorably or unfavorably? What impresses Virginia about her former friend Rhoda?Ĥ. What do we learn about the Barfoot establishment? How is Rhoda Nunn described? Do you think the narrator views her favorably? (60-61) What are some implications of her name?

What has changed in the intervening 15 years since chapters 1 and 2? What specific problems result from the daughters' inability to gain adequate employment?ģ. What attitudes of the parents are implicitly criticized in Gissing’s presentation?Ģ.

In chapter one, what “odd women” do we meet? Why do you think Gissing chose this family scene for the novel’s opening? What are some features of Gissing’s style? How, for example, might you contrast it with that of Dickens or Eliot?ġ.

What were “odd women”? Why was this a term used by Victorians? What factors may have made marriage a topic of controversy and (on occasion) bitterness at the time?

The Odd Women by George Gissing