1) This collection has often been referred to as light verse (a label that Cope understandably dislikes) – do you think that this label is justified or not? Why?
2) Some of the poems in this collection are parodies or pastiches of other poets (the Wasteland limericks, “A Nursery Rhyme” and “My Lover” for example). Did you think that these poems worked? Which was the most/least successful? Do you need to know the work of the parodied poet to understand them?
3) What did you think of the sequence written in the voice of her alter-ego Joseph Strugnell? Did you like/dislike it? Why?
4) Cope employs a range of traditional rhymed forms in this collection (triolet, Villanelle etc), did you notice it? Did you like it/dislike it?
5) What do you think was the intention behind this collection? Did you notice any themes?
6) Did you discover any serious poems amidst the humour? Did you want more of these or less?
7) The book is littered with references to artists, composers, scientists etc and these nestle alongside colloquial, everyday speech and modern consumerist references (eg Omo). Did you think that this mix and match style worked? Is Cope trying to be too clever? Does it alienate the reader?
8) Did you want footnotes or a glossary for any of the references?
9) What was your favourite/least favourite poem?
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