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| Robber Bride |
| 作者Author / Margaret Atwood 瑪格莉特．愛特伍德 |
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Study Question
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| Leading Questions for Chaps 1-8
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A. History and War
How is history (and his-story) presented from the perspective of Tony?
-- her view of beginning and ending -- "Pick any strand and snip, and history comes unravelled." p. 3; p. 4
-- her interest of war: feminine perspective + "male" concern
- her interest in wars: p. 8; souvenir 15
- feminine perspective: her associating things from daily life with wars: "mixture of domestic image and mass bloodshed" p. 3; tools as weapons 19; house as a fort 20.; button 26
B. Three kinds of victims and their survival
It's important to know the three characters' differences from each other, so examine:
- how they respond differently to Z's death and in Zenia's funeral; to her re-apprearance, etc.
--Zenia's death p.12; tree p. 13; singing p. 14;
--Charis 30; Tony vs. Charis p. 35;
-- Tony: relief; Zenia's canister like a small landmine; a bowl of blood for Zenia
- what they each like and prefer?
-- Charis: chaps 7 and 8 meditation, vegitarianism, death as a stage, (her memory of being abused 45)
C. Tony and the Robber Bride: Is it feminist to present a female villain?
By comparing the three characters, can you guess why Tony is the central consciousness in the novel?
- Tony's ability to appreciate Zenia or their similarities -- Zenia enjoys contradictions p. 3; like wars.p. 4
malign vitality p. 11; "bystanding" "innocent" -- not like Zenia
- Tony's attempt to understand, know the causes. p. 4
- Tony and West -- "frangible," "subject to breakage" the difference between their hight p. 10
- Tony as a teacher p. 9
- reading backwards -- what could it mean? p. 9; "begone mother" p. 9; her seam p. 21;
- Tony's appearance -- pp. 18-19; 25
- her interest in wars: the argument: 22-24
Zenia: 36
D. How is Toronto presented through the eyes of Tony?
- McClung Hall -- her memory of its history; its dourness and odour
- chaps 5, 6 Tony in the crowd of strangers
- chap 8, Charis' views--seeing the city from afar pp.57-58
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| Leading Questions for Chaps 39 - 49
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- Roz's obsession: The beginning of this section shows Roz shaken by the news of Zenia's return. What else is she obsessed with?
- Rox vs. Mitch: Towards the end of this section, we get to understand in detail how Roz loves Mitch. Why does she love him so much? Has she changed the nature of her love over the years? What does her love for her husband reflect on her personalities?
- Roz vs. Zenia: Is Roz's marriage destroyed by Zenia? How does Zenia win Roz's sympathy and then trust, despite the history of the former's cheating her friends' and endangering or destroy their marriages?
- Roz's identity: What is Roz like as a Jewish/Catholic woman, a career woman, a mother and a wife? What's wrong with her trying "so hard to be kind and nurturing, to do the best thing" (332)?
- Contemporary feminisms: What do you think about the twins' attempts at turning all the characters in the stories they read into "she"? And the development of WiseWomanWorld?
- Survival: How Roz survives her trauma and obsession with Zenia and Mitch? We will need to finish the novel to fully answer this question. However, the narrator does offer some answers in this section and esp. in the last two chapters (48, 49).
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