The Past’s Presence Today – Historical Representations in Art and Literature

The Past’s Presence Today – Historical Representations in Art and Literature

In all of this week’s readings, it is made apparent that history powerfully influences both narrative events and how those events are relayed to the reader. How do historical circumstances work to shape artistic expression? In what ways are this week’s readings reflective of the historical moments and circumstances in which they were written? For example, in Azar Nafisi’s “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” how does the women’s reading group take on such importance, given the political and cultural climate in which it meets?  In Chopin’s “Désirée’s Baby” or in Crow Dog and Erdoes “Civilize Them with a Stick”, how is the social, historical, or political moment evident?

Choose TWO of these 3  readings from One World, Many Cultures, and discuss how each of the two pieces convey the historical and cultural moment in which the given stories take place. If you wish, you may also compare how history is represented in the two texts.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.