Questions about the success of Updike's academic satire, the purpose of the historical chapters, and the comic portrayal of a midlife crisis, should provoke a stimulating discussion of Memories of the Ford Administration.

Some evaluation of Updike's bold narrative strategy might also lead to a thoughtful study of the novel's design.

1. Why does Updike have Professor Clayton narrate Memories of the Ford Administration? How reliable is his account of contemporary events?

2. What comic framework is pro vided for the novel? How does Updike remind us that the book is a parody of an academic report?

3. What is the target of Updike's academic satire? Does he question the very nature of historical knowledge?

4. Why does Updike include the biography of James Buchanan? How does his career of compromise and failure echo in the next century?

5. What does the double portrait of Buchanan and Ford symbolize? Does the...