How to Talk to Girls at Parties

Vic tells Enn that he needs to talk to the girls, and also that he needs to listen. How do talking and listening to the girls create different effects for both Vic and Enn?

When Triolet whispers her poem to Enn, how is he changed?

What does Triolet mean when she says, “But where does contagion end and art begin”?

Both boys are changed by the end of the story. Compare and contrast their transformations.

What role does music play in “How to Talk to Girls at Parties”?

Why did Gaiman choose a narrator 30 years older than he was during the events of the story? What is the effect of the point of view?

Language shapes but also limits our experience of reality. How does this statement apply to “How to Talk to Girls at Parties”?

Enn focuses on the girls’ physical appearances for much of the story. How does his understanding of appearances change by the end of the story and why?