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

  1. Backgrounds of bombings
  2. Japanese omens
  3. Meaning of iris in Japanese culture
  4. Difference between male and female narratives in the East
  5. the illnesses (what types, how prevalent, how serious) people suffered from in the outlying communities
  6. How were the experiences and reactions to the bombing of Hiroshima different from those of Nagasaki?
  7. the question of whether the bombing was necessary or not, from both the perspective of the Japanese and the West
  8. psychology of A-bomb survivors
  9. first-hand accounts of the bombings
  10. 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?
  11. The meaning of water jars in Japanese culture

Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima mon amour
  1. the reaction to the movie/ book was in western audiences and compare it against other reactions.
  2. How were the French involved in Hiroshima? What part did they play before and after the bombing?
  3. Other movies about Hiroshima

  4. 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?
  5. 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?
  6. Why Renais/Duras give characters no names
  7. the treatment women received in France/other parts of Europe for being involved with German soldiers

Mariama Ba, Scarlet Song

  1. What kind of relationship does a mother and a daughter-in-law have in this culture?
  2. 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?
  3. What is the political status of women in Senegalese culture today? How has colonialism affected women until this day in Senegal?
  4. How do the 1968 riots compare to the recent Occupy movement?
  5. 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?
  6. 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?
  7. Is Senegal still a very close knit community or has there been more acceptance of different races and religions today?
  8. 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

  1. What was the reaction to "I, Rigoberta Menchu" and When the Mountains Tremble? Was anything done to help improve situations in Guatemala?
  2. 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?
  3. 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.
  4. How do Menchu's people view women that do not have children and do not get married?
  5. 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.
  6. How has the plight of Guatemala's Indian population changed since the Guatemalan Civil War?
  7. 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?