The Mitford Affair

Diana and Unity both become fascists. Compare and contrast the way the novel treats the two characters and their relationship with fascism. Why do you think Benedict has made these choices?

Nancy is highly political but a more moderate thinker than her sisters. Consider how the book portrays her character as the protagonist and how this ties in with the book’s exploration of moral responsibility.

The novel contains a number of obsessive and/or unhappy relationships between men and women. What does the book have to say about the nature of the power available to men and women respectively in heteronormative society in the 1920s?

What do you think The Mitford Affair says about social change and generational progress? Do you think its approach is nostalgic or modernist? Why?

Do you feel that Benedict presents a character or characters as antagonist(s)? Explain why you think so.

What role does Nancy’s writing have in the novel? How does it alter her character and the way other characters relate to her?

Benedict draws heavily on the real Nancy’s semi-autobiographical works in order to create the novel’s style and authorial voice. Look at one of Nancy Mitford’s novels and analyze the ways in which The Mitford Affair is similar, focusing on language, form, style, and voice.

Who do think contributes to Unity’s crisis and suicide attempt? Do you think the novel gives a clear answer to this question?