The Woman in the Dunes Topics for Discussion & Projects | BookRags.com

The Woman in the Dunes Topics for Further Study

Since Abe is often compared to Franz Kafka, read Kafka's Metamorphosis and compare this with Abe's The Woman in the Dunes. Both of these works are allegories. What does each work represent? How do they differ from one another? How are they the same? How do the endings differ?

Critics often refer to Abe's novel as being affected by the philosophy of existentialism. Research this mode of thought and define what existentialism is. Who were some of the most influential thinkers of this philosophy? What writers infused their work with existential thought? Then explain how Abe's novel explores this philosophy.

Read Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country, which was written before the war. Focus on the way Kawabata describes the female characters in this novel. How do they compare to the way that Abe describes his female characters? Then pay attention to the male protagonist's emotions in Kawabata's novel and...
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