questions anglophone | Appunti di Letteratura Inglese

CRITICAL QUESTIONS: Anglophone Literatures aa 2019/20 - Prof.ssa Carla Sassi

Domande relative alla parte orale dell’esame, per gli studenti che hanno superato la prova in

itinere.

For each question:

• re-read carefully the primary texts (i.e. the three novels) and answer referring to the notes

and slides from the course, as well as to A. Loomba’s Colonialism/Postcolonialism.

• provide and discuss examples from the primary texts to illustrate your answers and support

your arguments — make sure you identify a few meaningful examples for each question (not

limited to those I discussed in class) and flag them (so that you can read and discuss them

during the oral exam); [TIP: colour-coded tabs — a different colour for each answer — will

make the quotations easily traceable during the exam]

• answers have to be well articulated and as exhaustive as possible — they also have to

demonstrate your ability to engage in independent critical thinking and to set the novel in a

broader context (e.g. British Imperialism, Postcolonialism, Diaspora studies, etc.). Any

further research, beyond the course contents is not required (but it will obviously be

appreciated and rewarded!);

• I will ask you only one or two questions. However, I may ask you to clarify or expand upon

your statements and check that you actually have an understanding of what you are saying.

I may also ask you to define or explain terms/concepts that you use and that have been

discussed in class (for example ‘the other’, ‘orientalism’, ‘cosmopolitanism’ etc.) [some —

not all — such terms are highlighted in the questions below in bold];

• remember to take all the primary texts with you at the exam!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

1. From the very title this is a novel that focuses on unsolved tensions and ambiguity. What are

the main unsolved tensions and ambiguities explored in the novel? How and why can

Changez be regarded as a ‘reluctant fundamentalist’ (can there be such a thing as a

‘reluctant fundamentalist’)? How can this focus be explained in the context of post 9/11 war

on terrorism? Discuss and provide examples from the text.

2. How does the main narrative strategy (Changez as a narrator and an unnamed American as

a ‘captive listener’) affect the reader? What is the role of the reader (if any) in the

development of the narrative? Can the notion of the ‘uncanny’ be applied to this strategy

(and if so why and how)? How is the relationship/’dialogue’ between the two characters

constructed (and is this relationship fixed or does it develop throughout the novel)? Discuss

and provide examples from the text.

3. How are Pakistan (the ‘East’) and America (the ‘West’) represented in the novel? Through

what characters, events, statements? Is it a fixed or a shifting representation? How does it

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CRITICAL QUESTIONS: Anglophone Literatures aa 2019/20 - Prof.ssa Carla Sassi Domande relative alla parte orale dell’esame, per gli studenti che hanno superato la prova in itinere. For each question:

re-read carefully the primary texts (i.e. the three novels) and answer referring to the notes and slides from the course, as well as to A. Loomba’s Colonialism/Postcolonialism.
provide and discuss examples from the primary texts to illustrate your answers and support your arguments — make sure you identify a few meaningful examples for each question (not limited to those I discussed in class) and flag them (so that you can read and discuss them during the oral exam); [TIP: colour-coded tabs — a different colour for each answer — will make the quotations easily traceable during the exam]
answers have to be well articulated and as exhaustive as possible — they also have to demonstrate your ability to engage in independent critical thinking and to set the novel in a broader context (e.g. British Imperialism, Postcolonialism, Diaspora studies, etc.). Any further research, beyond the course contents is not required (but it will obviously be appreciated and rewarded!);
I will ask you only one or two questions. However, I may ask you to clarify or expand upon your statements and check that you actually have an understanding of what you are saying. I may also ask you to define or explain terms/concepts that you use and that have been discussed in class (for example ‘the other’, ‘orientalism’, ‘cosmopolitanism’ etc.) [some — not all — such terms are highlighted in the questions below in bold ];
remember to take all the primary texts with you at the exam! The Reluctant Fundamentalist

From the very title this is a novel that focuses on unsolved tensions and ambiguity. What are the main unsolved tensions and ambiguities explored in the novel? How and why can Changez be regarded as a ‘reluctant fundamentalist ’ (can there be such a thing as a ‘reluctant fundamentalist’)? How can this focus be explained in the context of post 9/11 war on terrorism? Discuss and provide examples from the text.
How does the main narrative strategy (Changez as a narrator and an unnamed American as a ‘captive listener’) affect the reader? What is the role of the reader (if any) in the development of the narrative? Can the notion of the ‘ uncanny ’ be applied to this strategy (and if so why and how)? How is the relationship/’dialogue’ between the two characters constructed (and is this relationship fixed or does it develop throughout the novel)? Discuss and provide examples from the text.
How are Pakistan (the ‘East’) and America (the ‘West’) represented in the novel? Through what characters, events, statements? Is it a fixed or a shifting representation? How does it

engage with Orientalist prejudices (and what Orientalist prejudices are represented and through what events/situations)? Discuss and provide examples from the text. Sea of Poppies

Sea of Poppies is an historical novel —a genre that developed in Europe in the 19th^ century — which conveys a markedly postcolonial perspective as it privileges an idea of ‘ entangled history ’. What is the meaning of ‘entangled history’? How is such idea developed in the novel (through what characters, events or metaphors)? Discuss and provide examples from the text.
The encounter and transformation of very different characters on the Ibis allegorically represents the mass migrations and cultural encounters triggered by European Empires in the 18th^ and 19th^ century. What social/political issues do the main characters represent (in terms of gender, social classes, ‘race’, ethnicity etc.)? How is their ‘transformation’ through diaspora represented? Discuss and provide examples from the text.
Like the characters, also the history of opium trade within the British Empire has an allegorical value in the novel. Why is this history important? To what extent does Ghosh contribute to its understanding and to spreading the knowledge of its development and impact? How does opium become a ‘sea’ that connects all the individual stories (what characters are related directly or indirectly to opium, in what specific context or events)? Discuss and provide examples from the text. Bird Summons
The central theme of the novel is pilgrimage. The idea of pilgrimage, however, intersects with the three friends’ plans for a ‘holiday’, thus mixing the religious with the secular. How does Aboulela develop treats the theme of pilgrimage — how is the pilgrimage structured, what are its aims, how does it change (or not) the three pilgrims? How does each pilgrim relate to the experience of pilgrimage? Discuss and provide examples from the text.
The novel can be seen as an example of ethical cosmopolitanism (as defined by K. Antony Appiah). What aspects of the novel (themes, characters, narrative strategies) can be seen as conducive to a ‘conversation’ across cultural/religious boundaries? Discuss and provide examples from the text.
Aboulela uses magical realism to convey her message. What are the features of this genre, and why/how is it used by Aboulela to account for the three friends’ journey and their experience as diasporic subjects? Discuss and provide examples from the text.

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