- Why is it necessary to understand the historical and cultural context of the novel?
- How does it help to understand the author's background? Is it neccesary to learn about the author's background?
- Is it possible to appreciate the text without pre-reading about the historical and cultural context of the novel / background of the novel?
A1. It is necessary to understand the historical and
cultural context of the novel as to appreciate the author’s viewpoint, we have
to understand the context of the novel. In To
Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee wrote the novel in a time when most white Americans
are prejudiced against the Negroes, which is clearly shown and documented by
the frequent use of “nigger” and the mention that a jury had never ruled in
favor of a Negro against a white in a case like Tom Robinsons. If the reader
does not know the context, then he would feel disoriented and confused by the
author’s remarks.
cultural context of the novel as to appreciate the author’s viewpoint, we have
to understand the context of the novel. In To
Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee wrote the novel in a time when most white Americans
are prejudiced against the Negroes, which is clearly shown and documented by
the frequent use of “nigger” and the mention that a jury had never ruled in
favor of a Negro against a white in a case like Tom Robinsons. If the reader
does not know the context, then he would feel disoriented and confused by the
author’s remarks.
A2. It helps to understand the author’s background
as sometimes; authors who publish racism-themed novels themselves have been a
victim of racism before, et cetera. In the case of To Kill a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, had studied law at
the University of Alabama, which may be the reason of the vivid description of
Tom Robinson’s case in the novel, or perhaps its presence at all. However, it
is not always necessary to understand the author’s background, as more often
than not the author will include clarifications and/or elaborations.
as sometimes; authors who publish racism-themed novels themselves have been a
victim of racism before, et cetera. In the case of To Kill a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, had studied law at
the University of Alabama, which may be the reason of the vivid description of
Tom Robinson’s case in the novel, or perhaps its presence at all. However, it
is not always necessary to understand the author’s background, as more often
than not the author will include clarifications and/or elaborations.
A3. It is possible to appreciate the text
without pre-reading about the historical and cultural context of the
novel / background of the novel, as the author usually includes a description
of the background in the first chapter of the novel, and usually the context of
the novel is not obscure and could be understood by someone with a sufficient
knowledge of history and culture.
without pre-reading about the historical and cultural context of the
novel / background of the novel, as the author usually includes a description
of the background in the first chapter of the novel, and usually the context of
the novel is not obscure and could be understood by someone with a sufficient
knowledge of history and culture.
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