Please answer at least three questions.
1. David Lodge has tried to create a “contemporary medieval romance,” and to that end has included a prologue to the novel. As we saw with Chrétien de Troyes, Lodge here tries to direct the reader and introduce the main themes of the text. How do you analyze this prologue? What ideas does Lodge bring forth here that you think will help with an overall understanding of the text? (What is the “road” he sets us on here?)
2. Persse McGarrigle is naturally the central character of this academic romance. How does Lodge first present him to us? Give an analysis of his character. Refer to specific quotes and / or scenes in order to support your answer.
3. Chapter one of part one is set almost entirely at a conference at the University of Rummidge (which is a fictional place based on the University of Birmingham). Describe the conference settings. How might Lodge be trying to parallel and / or parody what we saw in the first third of Chrétien’s “Story of the Grail”? What does Lodge try to accomplish / demonstrate in doing this?
4. Angelica is the natural love interest of the story. How does Lodge describe her character? What do you make of her? Why is Persse so taken with her? What may Lodge be attempting to do by including this character? Refer to specific scenes / quotes in order to support your answer.
5. We have quite a lively set of background characters, most notably Morris Zapp and Philip Swallow. Analyze these characters. What do they represent in the novel? We get a lot of their background history especially in chapter two. Why do you think Lodge includes so much of their story in this novel?
6. Morris Zapp gives a lecture at the conference which we have in full in the novel (pp. 24 – 27). What does he say about literary interpretation (the underlying message beyond the sexual references)? Do you agree with him? Does it go along with some of the goals for this class?
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2. Lodge presents Persse as a regular person that is in the world that he is not use to. He has never seen this kind of place before. He is somebody who falls in love really quick which can resemble love at first sight.
ReplyDelete4. Angelica is described as beautiful which is not unusual because usually the main characters in all books are pretty. Persse is so taken in with her because looks. People think looks are everything before they even really get to know the person.