20. Chapter 19: “A tourist in his own country”

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we read through the nineteenth chapter of the novel, focusing in particular on: (i) the similarities and differences between this chapter and Chapter 10, when Baba, Amir and the others escaped from Afghanistan; (ii) the concept of being a ‘tourist in one’s own country’; and (iii) Amir’s moral awakening, symbolised by his memories of Hassan’s famous line – “For you, a thousand times over”.

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.