Topic 1

What is Joan’s initial catalyst for a second identity? Why doesn’t she just tell the men she meets who she really is? What other identities does Joan assume? How does she change with each man with which she becomes involved?

Topic 2

Why is Joan attracted to Paul, the Polish Count, Arthur and the Royal Porcupine? None of the men she is involved with are similar in any way, except in their peculiar eccentricities—how does she change for them? Why does she choose to stay with Arthur and not with the Royal Porcupine? Do you think that her and Arthur’s relationship is a romantic one?

Topic 3

What effect does Joan’s mother have on her personality? Do you think Joan’s mother killed herself or that the trip down the stairs was an accident? Why does Joan believe her mother is haunting her...