Questions to analyze narrative texts

The form

1. Give a plot summary (What is this novel or short story about?)
2. It might not, but if so, how does the biographical author appear in the text?
3. Is the chronology linear or fragmented? If fragmented, what particular sequence does the author follow?
4. Whose story is it? OR Who is the main character?
   Why do you choose one character over another?
5. What is the basic conflict? (Give your answer as a minimum pair, i.e. life vs death, hate vs. love, rich vs. poor)

The Content

1. Why, in your opinion, did the author write the novel or short story?
2. What is the social-cultural-political or historical context of the novel or short story?
3. How are sexual/gender roles assigned?
4. How does the novel or short story deal with issues of nationalism and identity?
5. Does the novel or short story subvert, revise questions or validate the official historical versions?
6. What is the ideology of the text you read (radical, anarchist. liberal, conservative?)?
7. What did you learn about US Latinx/as/os American society by reading this text?
8. Comment on the spaces (settings and otherwise) where the action takes place.
9. How does the text present the particular group portrayed?
10. Why do we keep on reading the text?

Prof. John S. Brushwood designed this list. I have modified it to fit this course goals and objectives. MM