What rhetorical and scholarly techniques does Fraser use to make Marie Antoinette sympathetic to readers? How does Fraser’s obvious partiality affect the reading experience?

Analyze Fraser’s sources. Which seem the most reliable? The least? How does her research shape the narrative?

Consider Fraser’s use of figurative language and description. Are these authorial inventions justified in a work of non-fiction? Why or why not?

How does the book’s narrow viewpoint—that of Marie Antoinette—shape reader understanding of the French Revolution? How does the short shrift Fraser gives to complex historical events illuminate Marie Antoinette’s perspective?

Fraser argues that Marie Antoinette’s childhood explains her later difficulties in the French court. Consider the role of education, and the relationships between parents and children, on royals depicted in the book.

Discuss the kinds of power available to women in court by comparing Marie Antoinette’s access to influence with that of figures like her mother, Madame du Barry, and other women Fraser describes.

Examine leadership in the book. How does Louis XVI’s relatively ineffectuality compare with that of his grandfather and great-grandfather? How do the leaders of the French Revolution wield their authority?

Discuss the responsibility of legacy in the lives of the French royals. How was Marie Antoinette shaped by the example of her mother, Empress Maria Theresa? How was Louis XVI shaped by the more formidable kings before him? What effect did the burdens of legacy have on Marie Antoinette and Louis’s decision-making?