The Old Wives' Tale

Bennett portrays his most significant male characters (John Baines, Samuel Povey, Gerald Scales, and Cyril Povey) as being less capable, more flawed, and generally more limited than his main female characters (Constance, Sophia, and Mrs. Baines). Why do you think he does this?

Bennett states in his preface that many reviewers doubted the public would be interested in a female protagonist over 40. How successfully do you think Bennett portrays his elderly characters in ways that would keep his readers engaged? Could he have done anything better?

At several places in the novel, female characters faint or fall into a dramatic illness immediately after a difficult experience. Assess Bennett’s use of this plot device. Does it accurately reflect the medical experience of traumatic incidents, or does it reveal something about society’s view of women at the turn of the 20th century (or is it a mixture of the two elements)?

Research the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune, which form the backdrop to Sophia’s early years in Paris. Why do you think Bennett included so little of that geopolitical story in his narrative? If you were writing that section of the novel, would you have done it the same way?

Of the three seasons of life that Bennett focuses on (youth, adulthood, and old age), which do you think he does the best job of portraying?

Of the two young sisters, which character did you find the most appealing, and why?

Of the two grown sisters, whose story caught your interest the most, and why?

Books 1-3 are titled after the novel’s characters, but Book 4 bears the enigmatic title “What Life Is.” Why do you think Bennett deviated from his pattern for Book 4? In view of his novel, what is life?