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The Group
Mary McCarthy. Harvest Books: 2001 (reissue edition). ISBN: 0156372088. 487 pages.
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About the Author
A page of detailed biographical information on The Group, including excerpts from interviews in
which McCarthy interprets her own work.
McCarthy’s unconventional life, uncompromising personality, and scathing satiric wit have inspired critics and fans alike
to call her many—not so complimentary—things. Poet Randell Jarrell once said of her, “Torn animals were removed at sunset
from that smile.”
All in the Family
A synopsis of the literary traditions and genres with which The Group is affiliated and a brief
explanation of these connections, giving your book group the opportunity to understand McCarthy’s novel in a larger literary
perspective.
When The Group’s third chapter (you remember the one, about Dottie and her pessary) was first published in The
Partisan Review, critics and readers were, to say the least, rather shocked—especially the real-life Vassar graduates of
’33 who recognized themselves and didn’t like what they saw.
Character Tree
A list of major characters and their dominant characteristics and values, showing characters’ relationships
to each other.
You’ll read about each fascinating member of “the group” and about the people who surround her.
Streams of Themes
A breakdown of potential major discussion themes in The Group, including ways these themes are
interconnected.
The Group is full of powerful themes that make for great discussion, and each one reminds us of that famous Bob
Dylan song—“and the times, they are a-changin.’”
Talk Back to the Critics
Excerpts of some major critical reviews of The Group from authoritative journals,
newspapers, and magazines. We encourage your book group to enjoy the opportunity to argue with expert opinion.
We think you’ll have great fun comparing the 1963 reviews of The Group with reviews following its 1991 reissue.
Here’s a sneak peek at how things have changed: a 1963 review— “There may be disagreement about the final value of The
Group, about whether it is truly funny or only tasteless”; a 2000 review—“Because [McCarthy] went on at such length
about clothes, furniture, food and pessaries, the tendency has been to Tom Wolfe or Judith Krantz her. But she was a
nineteenth-century novelist, wanting always to know how things worked, where the money came from, who did what to whom.”
Doorways to Discussion
A chronologically and thematically organized list of discussion questions, which function to
explore, in a logical and thoughtful manner, the questions and possibilities that The Group evokes.
You’ll have plenty to talk about in The Group, and here’s an example of the 44 questions featured in this section:
“How would you describe McCarthy’s attitude towards these incredibly privileged women? Would you say that the narrative
voice is sympathetic to the specific problems of the upper middle class?”
Taste Test
A selection of other books on subjects similar to those in The Group to consider for future book group
meetings or for private reading.
If you admired McCarthy’s clever use of multiple perspectives, her intense cultural and social analysis, and her complex
female characters, we’ve included lots of books we think you’ll enjoy!
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