21st

• There are reasons to read literaturethrough the biographical context (Gioia and Kennedy 2007):

  Understanding the author’s life can help you understand his or her work thoroughly.

  
  

  Reading the author’s biography or autobiography helps you see how much his experiences shape his or her work directly and indirectly.
• Biographical strategies that you may use:

  Research on what the author believes in and also what he or she does not.

  Analyze how the author’s belief system is reflected in his or her work.

  Look at the author’s other works and analyze if there is a pattern with regard to the theme that is indicative of his or her life and beliefs
• Questions to consider when analyzing literature in its biographical context:

  • What year was the text written and published?
  • Did anything significant happen in the author’s life during this time?
  • What were the circumstances that happened to the author before the writing of the text?
  • Were there several drafts of the text? What changes did the author make? What aspects did the author struggle with during revision?
  • What is the effect of the revisions to the published text?
  • Are there characters and situations in the text that could be representative of or similar to the author’s life?
  • How does knowing about the author amplify your appreciation of the work?
• Catch a Falling Star by Cristina Pantoja