Story Circle Network
Austin Chapter
Reader's Guide

April 1998
An Unknown Woman

An Unknown Woman
by Alice Koller

A different version of Thoreau's Walden, this universal, timeless book explores the philosophical and psychological issues of self-identity. A companion volume to the simultaneously released follow-up, The Stations of Solitude.

  1. Let's set this book in context. How old was Alice when she made her retreat? What year does this memoir take place? What year did she start her doctoral program at Harvard? What year was she born? How old would she be now? Do these answers surprise you? Why or why not?

  2. Other contextual questions: What important women's book was published in the year this memoir was written? What books were available on the subject of women's psychological growth? If Alice had wanted to read a book on the subject of women's individuation, what would she have read? Do these answers give you a different view of this book?

  3. What are the major questions Alice must answer? (Please jot down some page references so we can talk about these specifically.) What are some of the answers she finds? Do you agree with all of her assessments of herself?

  4. Which of Alice's questions have the most relevance to your own search for meaning? Do any of her answers point you toward answers of your own?

  5. Alice chooses to make her retreat to a tiny village on Nantucket Island, in winter. Why does she go to such a remote place? What do you think of this strategy? Would it work for you?

  6. Alice takes a dog with her. What role does Logos play in her self-discovery? How would her journey have been different without him?

  7. Right after Christmas, Alice leaves the island and goes to New York. Why? What does she learn from this trip? Do you think she could have successfully completed her retreat if she hadn't taken this break?

  8. What is your favorite passage in this book? Why? What special meaning does this passage have for you?