The Main

Contexts
of a Literary
Work
 Essential Question

• How can knowledge of the

various contexts of a literary work
enhance our understanding and
appreciation of the text?
 Literary Contexts

• To understand and appreciate a

literary selection, a reader must
understand the significant contexts in
which it was written.
 Biographical Context

• What biographical facts has the author used

in the text?

• What insights do readers acquire about the

author’s life by reading the text?
 Historical Context
• What specific historical events were happening
when the work was being composed?
• What historical events does this work deal
with?
• In what ways did history influence the writer’s
outlook?
 Geographical Context
• Is this author a regionalist writer?
• How does dialect influence the text?
 Political Context
• What political events are significant to
the text?
• What political events were occurring at
the time the work was written?
• What political beliefs does the author
seem to have?
 Philosophical/Religious Context
• Are any religions or philosophies mentioned
specifically in the text?
• What religious/ethical/philosophical beliefs
does the author seem to favor?
• What behavior do the characters display that
the author wants us to think is “right”?
• What behavior is “wrong”? How can one tell?
 Sociological Context
• What sort of society does the writer describe?
• What does the writer seem to like/dislike about
this society?
• What changes do you think the writer would
like to make in the society? Evidence?
• What sorts of pressures does the society put on
its members? How do members respond?
 Psychological Context
• What theories of human behavior does the writer
seem to believe?
• What theories of human behavior does the writer
seem to reject?
• How do people’s minds work in the text?
• In what ways does the structure & organization of the
story indicate the writer’s beliefs about the workings
of the mind.
Literary Contexts at Work