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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did the aristocratic landowners in Africa feel about Dinesen?

2. What happened to Dinesen after the death of her sister?

3. What pen name did Dinesen adopt?

4. Who did Wilhelm Dinesen marry?

5. Who proposed marriage to Dinesen?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Dinesen and Bror celebrate in Paris after a good coffee harvest in 1918?

2. How did Dinesen's attitude about the African natives differ from the aristocratic landowners' opinions?

3. How did Hans Blixen's rejection of Dinesen ironically work in her favor in terms of what her Aunt Bess wanted for her?

4. How could Dinesen's writing style best be characterized, and what was her most famous literary work?

5. What decision did Dinesen make to end her period of indecisiveness?

6. How did Dinesen's childhood influence her writing, and what important theme would emerge?

7. Explain why Dinesen was drawn to the feminist movement of the early 20th century.

8. What was Dinesen's family background,and why was she drawn more to her father's family?

9. How did Bror react to Dinesen's affair with Denys?

10. What was the nature of the conflict between Dinesen and her Aunt Bess?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the book. Why would an author like Isak Dinesen have a lonely life even though it may have seemed exciting and glamorous to other people? Were there specific periods in her life when Dinesen felt even more loneliness? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the significance of the book's title. Why is it called simply "Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller"? What was Judith Thurman trying to emphasize with this emphatic style? Suggest three alternate titles for this book with supporting rationale for each.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the impact that Isak Dinesen had on the world of literature in the 20th century. How was her work perceived? What did she give up in order to create? How did she feel about her own work? How is Dinesen perceived today on the world stage of literature?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 926 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample