Reader’s Guide
Artifacts and Other Stories
1. Discuss the major themes in Artifacts and Other Stories.
2. The book explores marriage and love from different perspectives. What are the joys, limitations, and challenges of marriage as described in the stories? Is desire the same as love?
3. The book also explores divorce. What are the various characters’ reactions to divorce in the stories? What is the emotional cost of divorce as described in the book? What are the benefits?
4. Many characters are in midlife or older. How does their stage of life affect their emotions and choices? How does a long marriage—portrayed in “Framing the Picture,” “Dislocation,” “Modern Woman,” and other stories—differ from a newer romantic relationship?
5. Several characters have love affairs. How does an affair affect those involved in it? How does an affair affect those who aren’t involved in it? What are the emotional costs of a love affair? What are the benefits?
6. Some stories portray friendship. How does intimacy between friends differ from intimacy between lovers or spouses? Are there limits to intimacy? What role does a close friend play in the various characters’ lives? In our lives? What helps an emotional connection grow and last?
7. What role does the past play in the book? Does the past have a helpful place in the present? Are there dangers in forgetting the past? Are there dangers in allowing the past to dominate the present? Are memories always accurate?
8. Some characters in Artifacts and Other Stories deal with discontent. What are the ways characters handle discontent? What is the most productive approach?
9. What role do secrets play in the characters’ lives? In people’s lives? Are secrets protective or harmful? What role does loneliness play in the stories?
10. Several stories explore illness. How do characters cope with illness and loss, especially loss of a parent?
11. In “It’s Me, Lydia,” Laura thinks, “I always believed marriage should be until death do you part, but maybe the death is of illusions.” Are illusions helpful in a relationship? In a marriage?
12. In “Women Wanted for Travel—No Romance” Eli says, “I don’t know if what we have is affection or gratitude.” How does this story portray love and marriage? Are his words an accurate description of what happens in the story? Do his words reflect what happens in the book as a whole?
13. Wineberg writes in different points of view. “Second Wife” is written in second person. “Double Helix” is in first person. “The Feather Pillow” is in third person. Why do you think the author chose these points of view for the stories? Are the points of view effective?
14. Two epigraphs begin the book: a quote from Isaac Bashevis Singer and one from Ecclesiastes. How do the stories explore “the kinship of souls” and “the eye never has enough of seeing and the ear of hearing?”
15. Artifacts are objects from an earlier time and have a history, but when collected, they are rooted in the present. Why was the book titled Artifacts and Other Stories? Discuss how the title reflects the book’s themes.
