Yes, this is a Literary Fiction title but let's talk about genre ...
The Orphan Master's Son has been characterized as a thriller, a love story, and a political dystopia. How would you classify the novel in terms of genre? How do you think each of these genres manifests itself in the book?
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Scroll down through earlier posts to find the previous discussion question for The Orphan Master's Son.
Speaking of genre, Adam Johnson once categorized the novel as a "trauma narrative." How do you interpret that term? Do you think it suitably describes the novel, and if so, in what ways?
ReplyDeleteOh these nasty genre questions!! The novel almost seems to be a stream of consciousness novel. Thank you William Faulkner in 12th grade!! We don't really know what the other characters are feeling or thinking - we only see/hear/taste/smell things through Jun Do's eyes. Yes, avoiding the question. My guts says to stick with the political dystopia part. Oh what a messed up place.
ReplyDeleteOk - trauma narrative is a good one. Think about the 'trauma' or events this kid Jun Do had before becoming an adult. His father takes him to an orphan camp and he has to name the other guys all the while the father doesn't really acknowledge him then to lead a team in the tunnels under the DMZ! AUGH! Guy could seriously be messed up before actually kidnapping his mother.