Discussion Questions

[Scott]

1. [insert inevitable comparison to movie version here]
2. nihilism or just forced edginess?
3. is this therapeutic for insomniacs?
4. what other groups does project mayhem remind you of?
5. Is Marla 'real'?
6. examine the irony of an anarchists organization with such tight rules.
7. tyler as modern anti-hero vs. narrator as classic anti-hero (ie has no heroic qualities), discuss.
8. to what degree do you feel this is satirical?
8. Is there power and freedom at the bottom?
9. have you ever gotten into a fight?
10. Who is this book for?

[Kazriko]

Not sure if us non-podcasters are supposed to reply to this, but... (I'm sure the people on the podcast will have much better answers.)

1. I like the movie better. ;)
2. Could be forced edginess, but the Tyler persona and project mayhem seem pretty existentially nihilistic. I don't think the rest of the characters are necessarily the same.
3. Since I'm usually not one (except when I play the Zero Escape series) I wouldn't know.
4. Quite a few, but none of them exactly. It seems to take a little bit from various groups.
5. The book could be screwing with us, but given the source of lipids early on for soap, it seems likely that she's real.
6. Heh. Anarchists are absurd that way, sometimes. I've seen plenty of real life examples of self proclaimed anarchists supporting the most ridiculous overblown governing structures.
7. As a non-literary-critic... Huh?
8. Part 1: given that it's a collection of all the odd stories his friends told him at various times, it's at least a bit satirical.
8. Part 2: Hmmm. Freedom maybe. As an old country song said, freedom is another word for nothing left to lose. Nothing tying you down means you have some degree of autonomy, though this isn't guaranteed in all cases. It seems like it would limit power though.
9. Not since early high school.
10. No idea.