LTEN 150

Study questions for Nashe’s “Unfortunate Traveller”

For a quiz prepare ONE of the following: #7, #8 OR #9

1.  What type of text is this?  How would you categorize it generically?

2.  What is the style of this text?  Find an example from the text that you think exemplifies Nashe’s style.

3.  Jack Wilton.  What sort of character is he?  What are his adventures?

4.  Are we meant to identify with Jack?  Why or why not?

5.  Religious difference.  How are Jews portrayed in this text?  Catholics?  Other religious groups?

6.  Female characters.  There is a range of female characters in this text–what sorts do we find?  How would you characterize the portrayal of women in the text?

7.  Torture.  Once again we find torture and dismemberment in relation to the depiction of Jews.  In what ways do these themes occur?  What stereotypes that we’ve examined does Nashe draw upon?  Why such extreme violence?  What purpose does it serve in the narrative? How does this violence relate to other violence we've read in the course?

8. How does the depiction of space play a role in this text.  Find one description/depiction of a space/place and discuss its role in the text.

9. The text is full of descriptions of bodies.  Why so many bodies?  Why does Nashe linger on his descriptions of the body in distress and pain?

10. There are two significant references to Cain (341; 362).  What is the significance of these Cain references?

11. What is the significance of the title? Who is the unfortunate traveller and why is he unfortunate?