Generation X Discussion Questions

Updated 13-Sep-06

Here are some discussion questions I’m working on for the book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland.

I’ve left comments active on this page, so please leave suggestions about how to improve this. I’ll incorporate everything reasonable. You can also email me, if you prefer.

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Starter Questions
Opening Questions (General/Generic Starters)

1. What is the first thing you’d tell a friend who was interested in the book?
2. What did you think of the book?
3. Was the book what you expected?
4. Did you enjoy reading the book? Did you like the writing style?

The Title: “Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture”

1. After reading the book, do you think the title “Generation X” is used by people today in the way the author intended in 1991? What do you think of labels like this?
2. Was Coupland trying to define a generation of 20-somethings, as the media often explain when referring to his book and the term “Generation X”
3. The term “Generation X” was originally created by a sociologist (Paul Fussell) in 1983. Fussell’s term was “class X” that described a group of people who wanted to break away from tradional cultural goals and responsibilities. Do you think Coupland’s appropriation of the term was reasonable?
4. Why does the title include the phrase “accelerated culture”? What is accelerated?
5. Is the “Generation X” story really unique to the generation of 20-somethings who are characters in the book? Or are the issues they confront more universal?

Neologisms, Illustrations & Chapter Titles

1. The author, Douglas Coupland, introduces many neologisms, or new words, as definitions in the margins of the book. How did they change the tone of the book or the way you interpreted what the author was trying to say?
2. Coupland also included many slogans and comics in the margins. What did you think of these? Do you think they added or detracted from the writing?
3. Chapter titles were also provocative, including phrases like “Our Parents Had More” and “I am Not a Target Market”. Did these add or detract from your understanding of the chapters?

The Characters
The Narrator — Andy

1. The book is written using a first person perspective, told by Andy. Do you think Andy was a believable character? Did you find his voice to be natural?
2. Why did Andy leave for the desert? What is he trying to escape from? Society?
3. Andy, telling the stories of the others, doesn’t reveal as much about himself as the other characters seem to do. Most of the action in the story belongs to his friends. Andy’s only action is his trip to his parents for Christmas. What do you think about this and does it change your view of his voice as the book’s narrator?
4. Why do Clair and Dag make Andy travel to Mexico? What does this say about him?
5. Andy starts off in a field looking at an eclipse and ends in a burnt field surrounded by the children. What is the relationship between these scenes that frame the rest of the book?

The Neighbors — Claire

1. How would you describe Claire?
2. Claire tells stories about longing for love and giving up everything for it (such as her story about the astronaut stuck on the 1970′s planet). How does this fit with her presence in the desert with Andy and Dag?
3. Why does Claire respond so strongly to the trinitite that Dag spills on her floor?
4. What is Claire’s attraction to Tobias? Is Tobias a guilty pleasure? A longing for a world she wants to be good but is unredeemable? Something else?

The Neighbors — Dag

1. How would you describe Dag?
2. Dag tells stories about secret (and repressed) love, describes pictures of ships stuck in frozen seas, and other things. What do you think this says about Dag’s personality? Why did he move to the desert? What is he searching for?
3. Why does Dag vandalize cars?

Others: Tobias, Elvissa and other minor characters

1. Describe Tobias.
2. As Tobias leaves, he voices his resentment and anger at the group and the way they live. What do you make of this? Is Tobias’ rant on departure realistic and meaningful? Does it mean more given Claire’s attraction to him (see the question in Claire’s section, above)?
3. Describe Elvissa.
4. Elvissa has a mysterious job, has a string of love interests (the boy from Florida, Dag, Tobias), and is interested in the group for their attempt to live their lives as they want. What do you think Elvissa does for a living?
5. How is Elivssa’s sexuality at play in the group dynamic or in the story? Does she represent any ideal, and if so, how does it relate to Andy’s desire to get out of the rat race?
6. Do you think it’s important that Andy is apparently indifferent to Elvissa??
7. Discuss the role of parents in the story. In the book, they tend to be passive observers, watching the antics of their children with an attitude that says they’ve seen this all before. Do you think they knew people of their generation like Andy and crew?

Other Topics
Location, location, location

1. The story is set in a desert town in California. The city is completely non-descript and events either happen in the run-down apartment complex or in bleak desert settings. What does the setting add to the story?
2. Other stories are set in equally wild settings, such as Elvissa’s story in the swamps of Florida or Dag’s trip to the Nevada desert. Is it notable that none of the stories (except Claire’s visit to Tobias) are in a city?

Stories within the Story

1. The stories told by the characters throughout the book are often rich with symbols. Which one do you remember most and why?
2. How did the story each character tell relate to the character? Why do you think Coupland gave the stories he did to the characters?
3. Why do you think Coupland used the story-within-a-story rather than just have the characters say what they thought or tell stories about their lives in a direct way?