As described in Roberts and Zweig’s Literature textbook, the point of view, or narrative “voice” of the story, “is one of the major ways by which authors make fiction come to life” (77). As mentioned in class on Saturday, the narrative point of view of The Sheltering Sky is not of an (explicitly) subjective ‘first-person’ point of view, but rather of a kind of ‘third-person’ point of view.
4 paragraphs writing
For Discussion Forum #3, please answer each question in about a full paragraph.
Question 1: As described in Roberts and Zweig’s Literature textbook, the point of view, or narrative “voice” of the story, “is one of the major ways by which authors make fiction come to life” (77). As mentioned in class on Saturday, the narrative point of view of The Sheltering Sky is not of an (explicitly) subjective ‘first-person’ point of view, but rather of a kind of ‘third-person’ point of view.
What kind of third-person POV would you characterize this story, mainly, as? (p.77, 127-130) What evidence in the story do you find to support this categorization? Does the narration shift in perspective? When? Extra Credit: How does the speaker, or narrator’s “position” (124), emotionally as well as physically, affect the story and some of the themes explored in the novel thus far?
Question 2: In reading about the role of setting in a story, (Literature, pgs.238-242), briefly describe how the physical, cultural, and historical setting of The Sheltering Sky influence the main characters’ motives and viewpoints from what you’ve read so far? Choose one descriptive passage of Bowles – whether of a café, the town, or the natural landscape – and, by quoting some of the language used, what do you think its significance is to the story?
Question 3: What do make of the woman Marhnia’s story (a meta-story within this story) of the three women who only wished to do one thing: drink tea in the Sahara? Do you think it has significance to the larger narrative of the book?
Question 4: How would you characterize the two British travelers the three American protagonists come across: Eric and “Mother” Lyle? (This could be answered in less than a paragraph)
