4. Chapter 3: Stories and Competitions

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we read through the third chapter of the novel, focusing in particular on: (i) the relationship between stories and the truth – does it matter if a story isn’t true?; (ii) the character of Baba; (iii) the range of competitive activities we see in this chapter, all of which involve only men; (iv) the extent to which Amir and Hassan do not represent the ideal male in Afghan culture; (v) the theme of stealing and theft in the novel; and (vi) the extent to which Amir resembles Baba, for better or for worse.

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.