General Questions for Any Writer

1. How does this writer's personal background (class, region, education) influence their literary themes and style?

2. In what ways does this writer challenge or conform to the literary conventions of their time?

3. How does this writer's treatment of love, power, and mortality differ from their contemporaries?

4. What role does the city of Paris play in this writer's work and life? How do they represent the tension between Paris and the provinces?

5. How does this writer's work reflect the political and social upheavals of their era?

6. What innovations in form or style did this writer contribute to French literature?

7. How does gender shape both the writer's career and their literary representations?

8. In what ways does this writer's work remain relevant to contemporary readers?