Research Questions for World Literature
Fairy Tales
1. Are stories involving female characters from a more
female-dominated society?
2. How do gender roles play a part in stories, and how
do they differ from country to country?
Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Salman
Rushdie
1. How does kinship work in Pakistan and Kashmir (e.g,
the way that Haroun lives so close to the Senguptas)?
2. How do the Bhuttos relate to the story? Why does
Rushdie write about them / what did they do?
3. Where did he get ideas for these characters, and why
does he set it in Kashmir?
4. What kinds of restrictions do women in the area
experience?
5. Why did he choose a children's story as a format?
6. How does this relate to 1001 (Arabian) Nights?
7. What's the political climate he's speaking to?
8. Why are we so open to this book? What other
countries would not be so open to it?
The Crazy Iris, ed.
Kenzaburo Oe
- Backgrounds of bombings
- Japanese omens
- Meaning of iris in Japanese culture
- Difference between male and female narratives in the
East
- the illnesses (what types, how prevalent, how
serious) people suffered from in the outlying communities
- How were the experiences and reactions to the
bombing of Hiroshima different from those of Nagasaki?
- the question of whether the bombing was necessary or
not, from both the perspective of the Japanese and the West
- psychology of A-bomb survivors
- first-hand accounts of the bombings
- What features, if any, of Japanese Literature make
it distinct from European or American Literature? In other
words, what plot devices, imagery, etc. makes a story
uniquely Japanese?
- The meaning of water jars in Japanese culture
Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima mon amour
- the reaction to the movie/ book was in western
audiences and compare it against other reactions.
-
How were the French involved in
Hiroshima? What part did they play before and after the
bombing?
- Other movies
about Hiroshima
-
Why is the West so oblivious to what took place in
Hiroshima? Does the West turn a blind eye to the destruction
because they feel shameful or guilty for their actions?
- What were the attitudes towards women around the era
of Hiroshima Mon Amour, and how did it play into the
treatment of women who were involved in German soldiers
during that time?
- Why Renais/Duras give characters no names
- the treatment women received in France/other parts
of Europe for being involved with German soldiers
Mariama Ba, Scarlet Song
-
What kind of relationship does a mother and a
daughter-in-law have in this culture?
-
What is the extent of polygamous marriages in
Senegalese culture? What are the rules and traditions? Does
it still exist now? Is it very competitive between the wives
or not because this is so normal to them. Finally, is it
typical for all of the wives to live under the same roof or
does each wife have their own compound?
-
What is the political status of women in Senegalese
culture today? How has colonialism affected women until this
day in Senegal?
-
How do the 1968 riots compare to the recent Occupy
movement?
-
Does the extent of interracial marriages still abhor
the same emotion in Sengalese culture today? Although we
live in a free country with no tolerance for racism, some
people still make racist judgements. In society as a whole,
how do we view interracial marriages and racism in our
society today? Are there still people who rather same race
marriages? Why?
-
How is magic actually used in the Senegalese culture,
and what kind of significance does it have there? Do they
still fully believe and participate in it, or is it simply
based on old culture and out of tradition?
-
Is Senegal still a very close knit community or has
there been more acceptance of different races and religions
today?
-
It would be interesting to investigate Senegalese
culture to get insight on views regarding infanticide and
domestic violence. How will this couple be received by
society? In particular: their consideration of Mireille’s
act of infanticide and Ousmane’s injury at the hands of his
wife.
I, Rigoberta Menchu
- What was the reaction to "I, Rigoberta Menchu" and
When the Mountains Tremble? Was anything done to help
improve situations in Guatemala?
- I want to know more about how the ones who
criticized Menchu's memoir felt about the documentary. Did
the film change their perception of Menchu's account?
- Although Menchu gives us great detail of her life in
Guatemala she continues to say that she will no disclose all
of the secrets of her community/people. I would like to know
what exactly these secrets are and if they could possibly
have a dramatic impact on the memoir.
- How do Menchu's people view women that do not have
children and do not get married?
- I would like to learn more about the Guatemalan
government in particular, and the communist scare. I would
also like to learn more about the US's involvement in
Guatemala during this time, and the current state of things
there.
- How has the plight of Guatemala's Indian population
changed since the Guatemalan Civil War?
- Have relations improved since Rigoberta went into
exile? How has she been received since her return? Do her
people think she has represented them well?