Crome Yellow

How does the novel represent romantic relationships? What does it ultimately seem to be saying about topics such as love, sex, desire, and commitment?

Several characters in the novel think deeply about the dynamic between history and the present. What role does the awareness of history play throughout the narrative? How do characters talk about the past, present, and future?

Although World War I ended in 1918, it casts a long shadow over Crome Yellow. Write an essay in which you examine the impact the war has on the narrative and its characters. Use textual evidence to support your claims.

Write an essay in which you compare and contrast Anne and Mary. Think in particular about the ways they talk about themselves and how they interact with men. What do their unique characterizations say about the novel’s engagement with feminism and gender politics?

Analyze a scene in which Mr. Scogan elaborates on one of his many ideas or beliefs (for example, his speeches on the “Rational State,” “the nature of the reaction,” or the inherent virtues of manmade objects and landscapes). How do you think this scene contributes to the novel’s characterization of Mr. Scogan and to any of its broader themes?

Analyze one of the two long stories Henry reads from his History of Crome. How does that story develop the larger frame narrative? What does it teach the reader about Crome’s place in both space and time? Why might Huxley have included these stories-within-a-story?

Write an essay in which you explore the role of religion, mysticism, or the occult in the novel.

In several scenes throughout the novel, characters discuss their feelings about language and/or literature. Choose one of these scenes and analyze it; place the scene and your analysis in the larger context of the novel’s engagement with poetry and fiction.