2. Of the Americans that visited Paris, Picasso approved of very few. One woman of which Picasso approved was referred to as the Empress. Describe her.

3. Why did they Toklas say that war was not weighing heavily on people's minds in London?

4. Why was Gertrude grateful to have failed to receive her degree from Johns Hopkins?

5. What was referred to as "un petit Luxembourg?"

6. What event precipitated the Steins move to Vienna?

7. When Alice first goes to the starting this apartment, she is introduced to Helene, the Stein's housekeeper. What are Alice's impressions of Helene?

8. According to Alice Gertrude Stein remained firmly born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. What was one of the reasons that Gertrude refused to consider California her birthplace?

9. What was Alice's living arrangement after the untimely death of her mother?

10. How did Alice come to meet Gertrude Stein's brother and sister-in-law?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the first things Toklas noticed about the books in Stein's Paris apartment was that none of them was written in French. Even though Stein was fluent in French, she chose to have only English materials in the apartment. Explain Stein's reasons.

Essay Topic 2

Although a great deal of the story is about Stein rather than Toklas, there is never a solid mention of Stein's nuclear family regarding the number of siblings. Why would the author overlook an important part of the writer's childhood and family structure? How did the oversight affect the story?

Essay Topic 3

Stein is very good at characterization of the main group of visitors to the Paris salon. Choose one of the following characters and explain how the descriptions in the book enhance the reader's image of the character.

1. Pablo Picasso

2. Gertrude Stein

3. Alice B. Toklas

4. Henri Matisse

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 682 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample