Short Fiction “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” (Flannery O’Connor), “Lusus Naturae” (Margaret Atwood), “Roman Fever” (Eudora Welty), “Girl” (Jamaica Kincaid), “The Management of Grief” (Bharati Mukherjee), “The Birth-Mark” (Nathaniel Hawthorne), “The Lady wit

Stories covered: “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” (Flannery O’Connor), “Lusus Naturae” (Margaret Atwood), “Roman Fever” (Eudora Welty), “Girl” (Jamaica Kincaid), “The Management of Grief” (Bharati Mukherjee), “The Birth-Mark” (Nathaniel Hawthorne), “The Lady with the Dog” (Anton Chekhov), “A Pair of Tickets” (Amy Tan), “The Jewelry” (Guy de Maupassant) and “Boys and Girls” (Alice Munro).  Each of the following is a separate question to be answered in a minimum of two to three paragraphs each (that is, you need not join your responses into one essay). QUESTION 1: How do you know that a woman (and not a man) is the author of any two of the above stories that are indeed written by women? You may consider in your response any elements of the story (such as style, narrator’s perspective, subject matter, tone, etc.). Be specific. This is a highly subjective question, to be sure, but rely on textual evidence to support your point of view. Convince your reader. QUESTION 2: Identify and discuss the symbolic value of each of the above story titles to the thematic message of the story to which it belongs. (For example, in O’Connor’s story, how does the symbolism of the words “good man,” “hard” and “find” connect with O’Connor’s message? ) QUESTION 3: If you were to have the privilege of meeting each of the above authors and be allowed an hour to chat, what would you want to ask, and why? Be specific. Avoid questions that you could find answers to on your own. Value the author’s time – and ask questions that only he or she could answer.