Questions tagged [cultural-context]
Questions about the relation between works of literature and a specific cultural context. Cultural context does not necessarily refer to the context in which the work originated; it can also refer to the reception in a different cultural context.
9
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
5
votes
0
answers
289
views
Before reading "A Grain of Wheat," what historical facts and cultural context are useful to know?
I'm looking to read A Grain of Wheat, by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. However, I'm very unfamiliar with the history and culture of Kenya, to the point where I know practically nothing about it.
But I do know ...
user80
4
votes
0
answers
68
views
How does ancient Greek polytheism fit with Christianity in The Lusiads?
The Lusiads (Os Lusíadas), considered the national epic of Portugal, was written by Luís Vaz de Camões during the 16th century, a period in which the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions were menacing ...
- 69.1k
3
votes
0
answers
70
views
How did the Cutty Wren come to be the national anthem of Tristan da Cunha?
"The Cutty Wren", a traditional English folk song, is the "territorial song" (like national anthem for a British Overseas Territory?) of Tristan da Cunha, one of the remotest ...
- 69.1k
2
votes
0
answers
29
views
What are the jinn in The Case of the Animals versus Man?
The Case of the Animals versus Man is a 10th-century Arabic philosophical text about a court case held between humans, arguing that animals should rightfully be their slaves, and animals, arguing that ...
- 69.1k
2
votes
0
answers
135
views
What is the cultural history of family “kissing” in Victorian/Edwardian novels?
I read a lot of Victorian/Edwardian fictional novels, mostly books that were geared towards female readers. Often enough, family members are described as kissing each other. Sometimes a kiss on the ...
- 21
2
votes
0
answers
22
views
Did Maupassant adapt the style and content of his stories to the newspapers that published them?
Guy de Maupassant published his short stories and novellas in newspapers and periodicals such as Le Figaro, Gil Blas, Le Gaulois and L'Écho de Paris before they were published in book form. Le Figaro ...
- 43.6k
2
votes
0
answers
254
views
Origin of Dry Bone in Nalo Hopkinson's Midnight Robber
Nalo Hopkinson's novel Midnight Robber contains a story entitled "Tan-Tan and Dry Bone". It is one of the many elements from Caribbean culture that Hopkinson draws on in the novel. Hopkinson's novel ...
- 43.6k
1
vote
0
answers
83
views
What is the significance of 36 in the Vietnamese poem "Learning Late Letters"?
"Learning Late Letters", a poem originally written in Vietnamese by Nguyễn Hoàng Quyên, was one of the winners of the 2020 Words Without Borders Academy of Americans Poets Poems in ...
- 69.1k
1
vote
0
answers
84
views
Relevance of the cloud chariot story to the rest of Midnight Robber?
Nalo Hopkinson's novel Midnight Robber contains a story entitled "How Tan-Tan Learn to Thief". It is one of the many elements from Caribbean culture that Hopkinson draws on in the novel.
The story is ...
- 43.6k