Central Questions

Biographical: The author's life affects his or her work
Central Biographical Questions:
· What biographical facts has the author used in the text?
· What biographical facts has the author changed? Why?
· What insights do we acquire about the author’s life by reading the text?
· How do these facts and insights increase (or diminish) our understanding of the text?
· In what ways does the author seem to consider his or her own life as "typical" or
significant?

Historical: Historical events help shape a work
Central Historical Questions:
· What specific historical events were happening when the work was being composed? (See timelines in history or literature texts.)
· What historical events does the work deal with?
· In what ways did history affect the writer's outlook?
· In what ways did history affect the style? language? content?
· In what ways and for what reasons did the writer alter historical events?
Geographical: Settings limit and define what writers can produce

Central Geographical Questions:
· Which geographical features in the text are actual?
· What aspects of the geography are essential to the story? And which are nonessential?
· To what extent has the geography limited the kind of story that can happen?
· In what ways has the writer altered the geography to suit his or her purposes? Has the writer made any geographical errors?
Political: Prevailing Political conditions often modify a literary work

Central Political Questions:
· What political events are significant in the text?
· What political events were occurring at the time the text was written? (See timelines in history or literature texts.)
· What political events were occurring at the time the text was written?
· What political beliefs does the author seem to have? And how are those beliefs shown?
· What political beliefs does the author seem to dislike? How can you tell?
Philosophical and Religious: The religious and ethical climate influences writers and their texts.

Central Philosophical/Religious Questions:
· What religious or ethical beliefs does the text deal with directly? Are any religions or philosophies mentioned specifically in the text?
· What religious or ethical beliefs or philosophies does the author seem to favor? How can you tell?
· What religious or ethical beliefs or philosophies does the author seem to disfavor? How can you tell?
· What behaviors do the characters display that the author wants us to think are “right”? How can you tell?
· What behavior is “wrong”? How can you tell?
Sociological/Anthropological: Social conditions and notions of the origins and cultures of humanity affect literature.

Central Sociological/Anthropological Questions:
· What sort of society does the author describe? (How is it set up? What rules are there? What happens to people who break them? Who enforces the rules?)
· What does the writer seem to like or dislike about this society?
· What changes do you think the writer would like to make in the society? And how can you tell?
· What sorts of pressures does the society put on its members? How do the members respond to this pressure?
Psychological: Prevailing theories of human behavior find their way into literature.

Central Psychological Questions:
· Are there any specific psychologists or psychological theories mentioned in the text? In what ways?
· What theories of human behavior does the writer seem to believe? How can you tell?
· What theories of human behavior does the writer seem to reject? How can you tell?
· How do people’s minds work in the text? How do people think? How are their thoughts shown?
· In what ways do the structure and organization of the text indicate the writer’s beliefs about the workings of the mind?