Historical Background of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

Essential Questions

1. Why is it necessary to understand the historical and cultural context of the novel?
2. How does it help to understand the author's background? Is it neccesary to learn about the author's background?
3. Is it possible to appreciate the text without pre-reading about the historical and cultural context of the novel / background of the novel?

1. By understanding the historical and cultural context of the novel, we would be able to better understand the novel in terms of the vocabulary used, the plot of the novel, whether issues in the novel pertain to issues then, the setting and characterisation in the novel, whether they hold any significance. This would greatly enrich our reading and understanding of the novel.

2. It might not be necessary to learn about the author's background although it would come in useful if we want to have a complete and comprehensive understanding of the novel. By understanding the author's background, we might be able to better understand the issues and themes in the novel, if they are parallels with the issues present in the society during the author's times.

3. It is possible to appreciate the text before pre-reading its background and historical and cultural context, but only in terms of literature alone, and not humanities as a whole. By pre-reading about the background of the novel, we would be able to understand the novel in other disciplines of humanities like history and law.