Analyze the evolution of Lennon and McCartney’s songwriting over time. What were they writing about at the start of their careers, and which musicians or musical styles influenced their sound? How and why did their music change over the years? Cite specific songs and albums as well as textual evidence to support your analysis.

Ian Leslie argues that Lennon and McCartney are two of the most influential musicians in history. Compare and contrast their artistic career with another artist of your choosing. How does your chosen artist’s catalog, reach, and influence compare to Lennon and McCartney’s?

Explore Lennon and McCartney’s social, cultural, and political influence. Consider how they impacted the music industry, fashion trends, social justice movements, and discussions of race, sexuality, and religion. How would contemporary culture have differed without them?

Analyze the toll that loss took on Lennon’s psyche throughout his life. Consider how the deaths of Julia Lennon, George, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Brian Epstein affected him. How do you imagine Lennon’s personal evolution and artistic career would differ without these encounters with loss? Incorporate textual references.

Write an argument that supports or refutes the following claim: Leslie casts Lennon in a negative light and McCartney in a positive light. Is Leslie’s depiction of Lennon and McCartney’s relationship balanced and fair? Also consider the fact that McCartney is still a living public icon while Lennon died in 1980; is there evidence in the text that this influenced Leslie’s accounting? Use textual evidence and/or other sources to support your position.

Leslie holds that Lennon and McCartney’s relationship was misrepresented for years, particularly because of cultural misunderstandings surrounding male friendship. Analyze the social, cultural, and political implications of Leslie’s claim. Do other intimate relationships between public figures (or in writing, as those Leslie references at the text’s end) mimic Lennon and McCartney’s? What are the wider repercussions of misrepresenting such forms of intimacy?

Compare and contrast the effect of fame on Lennon and McCartney’s psyches. Was one more suited for the spotlight than the other? Why or why not? Cite evidence from the text.

Analyze Leslie’s tone and authorial stance throughout John & Paul. What role does he play as the biographer? How does his use of point of view relate to the text’s mood and to his overarching thematic explorations?