A Lost Lady Lesson Plan

The narrator moves away from the plot for a moment to tell us that Niel prefers novels to philosophy because he does not want to read the thoughts of other men. What does this tell us about Niel as a person? How does this preference relate to his holding Mrs. Forrester to a higher standard?

By preferring novels to philsophy, Niel prefers fiction, false stories, to probing perspectives and ideology. This relates to his perspective on Mrs. Forrester because Niel refuses to ask questions about his own assumptions and beliefs. Instead, Niel has told a fiction about Mrs. Forrester and cannot account for the complexities of her real existence.

When the bank goes bankrupt,...