75 pages • 2 hours read
The Story of a New Name
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Essay Topics
Analyze the development of Lila’s character in The Story of a New Name. What techniques does Ferrante use to build and diminish the reader’s sympathy for Lila?
What do you consider to be the significance of names and naming in The Story of a New Name?
Discuss Ferrante’s portrayal of sexual awakening. What is the significance behind the differences in Lila and Elena’s experiences?
What is the relationship between money, education, and taste in Ferrante’s novel and what significance does this have for the main characters’ development?
What role do idols and idealization play in Ferrante’s novel?
Describe the ways in which Lila and Elena confront patriarchal norms in The Story of a New Name. To what extent to they succeed in changing oppressive structures?
Describe the role of female creativity in Ferrante’s novel.
With close reference to the text, analyze Ferrante’s portrayal of Nino Sarratore. Do you consider him to be a hero or villain?
Discuss Ferrante’s different depictions of motherhood and nurturing. What role do these concepts play in the main characters’ development?
Discuss Ferrante’s depiction of loyalty. For instance, in Ferrante’s world, is loyalty to people, places, and institutions presented as something solid—or as a mutable entity that shifts according to circumstance? And why?
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By Elena Ferrante
