16. Chapter 15: Journey to Pakistan

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we read through the fifteenth chapter of the novel, focusing in particular on: (i) the transition from America to Asia, and the success with which Hosseini evokes the atmosphere of the Middle East through sights, sounds and smells; (ii) the character of Rahim Khan; (iii) the arrival of the Taliban; and (iv) the concept of God’s will in Islamic culture.

Course

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores Khalid Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. We begin with a broad introduction to the historical, political and literary context of the novel, before going through the whole novel chapter-by-chapter, providing close reading and detailed analysis, with commentary on character, plot, themes, motifs, language, symbolism and more.

Lecturer

John McRae is Special Professor of Language in Literature Studies and Teaching Associate in the School of English at Nottingham University, and holds Visiting Professorships in China, Malaysia, Spain and the USA. He is co-author of The Routledge History of Literature in English with Ron Carter, and also wrote The Language of Poetry, Literature with a Small 'l' and the first critical edition of Teleny by Oscar Wilde and others.