W&L LACS 256 2015 discussion

1. In what ways is GCandC a tale of two stories? Are they intertwined, independent, co-dependent, ….”

or

What are the various plot lines (name at least 4) and how do they merge into one single plot?

2. Do you see GC and C more as a work of art or a work of ideas?
a. Give examples of Amado’s artistry: what strikes you as the most artistic achievements?
b. What are principle ideas?

or

Is GC and C a novel of vivid details or subliminal images?

3. What tends to move the novel along: story, plot, characterization, imagery… [or name other]?

4. Which of these questions from our syllabus seems to be the most pertinent for GCandC? AND what question would you add?

a. How do our authors envision the American landscape?
b. How do LA/C literary artists depict, portray, and project their world in a more symbolic sense?
c. What role has the historical past had in determining the artists' viewpoint?
d. What liberties, if any, do the artistic genres entail in their depiction of the Americas?
e. What is the role of the artist in these instances?
f. How do they conceive and portray the term "American"?
g. What, if any, are the regional differences among the artists?
h. In what ways are they 'builders of images'?
i. Is it accurate to denote a difference in the role of the LA./C artist in comparison to the North American counterpart?
j. What is the artist’s role beyond the text?
k. Must Art be universal or is Art “always local”?
l. Is there tension between dreams and realities
m. Is the text a liberating force (from reality), a as a tool of justice, other?

n. What about the depiction of women, the treatment of women, causes/consequences, etc. Does this view differ from male authors to female authors? from region to region? from one period to another
o. What about the depiction of power structures? Does this view differ from one author to another? from region to region? from one period to another
p.

5. How do the physical images (the physical depiction of setting) compare to previous works this term? and especially to previous Brazilian works:?

or

Cite examples of how Amado depicts everyday life in a small town

6. What does the novel reveal about….:
a. corruption, progress, ethnicity, misogyny, [what else?]

7. Images:
a. the most disturbing, humorous, vivid, sensual, [what else?]

8. Are civilization and progress synonymous? How do we see the beginning/evolution of the former? What are the contradictions regarding the latter?

9. What are the cultural values we glean?

or

What are the lessons the author wants us to take away about Brazil? About life?

10. Is the ending appropriate? forced? other?

11. What’s the best passage? and why?

12. Discuss the diverse ways many of our texts show how the contemporary individual’s identity is related to the nation’s past.