Considering that the novel is partly based on Mitford’s life, discuss Fanny and Linda’s characters as proxies for the author. How do they represent or diverge from her experience as an observer and participant in her own family?

The novel offers two distinct patriarchal models in Uncle Matthew and Lord Merlin. Compare their influence on Linda’s development.

How do the symbolic settings of Alconleigh, Planes, Merlinford, and Fabrice’s ancestral home advance the novel’s critical themes of aristocratic tradition in the modern era?