In some ways, The Magnificent Ambersons is an old-style novel whose themes of familial and societal obligations, the influence of wealth and property, and transformations due to technological advances seem trivial in a world that has changed so dramatically. And yet, in spite of the characters' provincial attitudes and their stupidity about the automobile, there are many parallels between their society and modern life. One area for discussion is the influence of technology on closed societies, especially in farming communities where change is slower to occur.

The Magnificent Ambersons is a classic story of the rise and fall of a family, which is the heart of many popular novels that are not considered great literature (In 1998 The Magnificient Ambersons was selected as one of the one hundred best books of the twentieth century.) What, if anything, distinguishes Tarkington's novel from those of Judith Krantz, Danielle Steele...