The novel upholds Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963) as a key feminist text while also critiquing its limitations. Apply this critical approach to other theory-based texts, seeing how their ideas can inspire action while also highlighting their limitations.

How does James T. Aubrey embody the commercial shifts in 1960s television that precipitate the Newman family’s personal and artistic crises? Cite other industries of the time to support your answer.

Discuss Niven’s use of verisimilitude in the fictional media excerpts from the New York Times review, Life magazine articles, and Confidential gossip columns. Do these excerpts merely color in the novel’s historical setting? Why or why not?

Compare and contrast Kelly and Sydney’s roles as outsiders who exert influence on the Newman family. What do their characters suggest about the dichotomy between the nuclear family and the found family?

How does Del’s car and art collection function as a critique of American materialism and individualism?

Examine Del Newman as a figure of patriarchal authority in crisis. How does his character arc reflect the anxieties of mid-century American masculinity confronting cultural and social change?

How do the tropes or trends of the situational comedy genre of television influence the plotting and prose of the novel?

How well does the novel represent the experiences of gay men like Kelly and Guy in the period of its historical setting? Do the developments that affect them accurately reflect the period’s social bias towards the LGBTQ+ community in the US?