A Visit from the Goon Squad

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is satire? How does it play a role in pop culture? Have you read other satirical pieces? What did you gain from reading them?

Teaching Suggestion: Some have described Egan’s novel as a work of satire, poking fun at the ways social media, technology, and fame have come to rule our lives. Discussing satire with students before they begin reading can help them think about this novel in its context as well as understand some of the clearer examples of satire (Jules’s magazine article, Dolly’s fall from grace, etc.).

• Oregon State University has put together a written resource and video introduction to satire.
• McSweeney’s and The Onion are both top satirical sites that can provide many examples of satire.

2. How would you define genre in your own words? Can you give examples? What predictions or presumptions might readers bring to the reading of a new text if they believe it falls into a certain genre?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be beneficial to brainstorm genres of fiction and nonfiction as a class before (or after) students respond. Egan can destabilize the idea of genre being fixed or static in the way that she uses different forms and provides examples of how Meaning changes throughout the novel.

• Writing Explained offers an introduction and examples of genre.
• This episode of the Novel Dialogue podcast features an interview with Jennifer Egan in which she discusses genre and her relationship to it.

Short Activity

Take 10 minutes to read the handout entitled “The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice, as Told by Apollonius of Rhodes, Virgil and Ovid (and Retold by Edith Hamilton in Mythology).” Then, watch the TED-Ed video “The Tragic Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.”

Think about the following questions, writing down brief responses in your notebook:

1. What differences did you notice between the two versions of the story?

2. Which of the two did you prefer? Why?

3. What was it like experiencing the same story told two different ways? Did the meaning change?

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to think about Meaning in the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. This example can also be repeated with other myths and folklore.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students with a visual impairment, you might read aloud “Dark Resort,” which starts on page 349 of Xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths, edited by Kate Bernheimer, for a modern retelling or H.D.’s “Eurydice” as a second selection.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

How would you describe your Identity? How have you asserted or created it?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might first compile a class list of characteristics, traits, and other ideas that help to identify individuals. Students may benefit more from a prompt like this if they know that sharing with peers is not required.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who struggle with writing or for English language learners, encourage them to draw a picture of themselves or of objects that represent their identity. Students might then write down several adjectives that they would use to describe themselves.