Rubyfruit Jungle Topics for Discussion & Projects | BookRags.com

Rubyfruit Jungle Topics for Further Study

Research the defining characteristic and history of the picaresque novel. How much does Molly conform to or diverge from the traditional picaresque hero?

Investigate the equal rights movements of the sixties and seventies. Is Molly Bolt a radical feminist? Provide reasons for your answer.

Rubyfruit Jungle was rejected by all the major publishing houses in the United States. Finally published by a small firm, it sold more than seventy thousand copies. Look at the New York Times bestseller lists for 1973 and 1977, the years Brown's novel was published and re-issued. What kind of books consistently made the lists? How were the top sellers of each year different? Why do you think Rubyfruit Jungle became a bestseller?

Molly Bolt comes of age in a pre-AIDS culture. Research the history of sexual liberation movements in the 1970s and how the AIDs crisis of the 1980s changed perceptions and...
(read more)