Picture This | Topics for Discussion & Projects

Picture This Key Questions

Readers interested in the disciplines of history, economics, and art and in the ways these disciplines intersect should particularly appreciate Picture This. A primary issue for discussion is Heller's treatment of Western civilization in terms of the world's preoccupation with money. Also significant is his portrayal of how the marketplace affects the production and value of art works. Discussion groups might also evaluate Heller's stylistic innovations in having a painted figure come to life as a central character and in using anachronisms.

1. Do you think having a painting as a protagonist is effective?

2. Do you agree with Heller that money causes warfare and that "Peace on earth would mean the end of civilization as we know it"?

3. Why does Heller include an epigraph from Henry Ford that states, "History is bunk," given that Heller's novel itself explores two thousand five hundred...
(read more)