Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- How many Joannas are there in The Female Man and how do they relate to the novel's author, Joanna Russ?
- What does the novel's time-warping, reality-shifting structure have to do with the political and philosophical issues it explores?
- How would you describe the four protagonists' inner conflicts, and the outward restrictions on their lives?
- Is Whileaway a feminist utopia? Should any aspects of Whileawayan society give us cause for concern?
- How does women's violence against men relate to men's violence against women in The Female Man? Does the novel justify any of it?
- The Female Man is said to have influenced William Gibson, the author of Necromancer. What other sci-fi or cyberpunk texts does the novel bring to mind?
- If you could cast a film version of The Female Man, whom would you choose to play Janet, Jeannine, Joanna, and Jael? Would you go with a different actress for each role, or choose one to play them all?
- In the final pages of The Female Man, Joanna admits that the novel might seem "quaint and old fashioned" to future readers. What do you think? Is it out of date? Are its issues passé?