Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is the effect of customs on traditional communities? How does modernity interact with tradition, and in which ways does the expectation of traditional longevity affect subsequent generations?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to consider the dichotomy of tradition and modernity within the context of the novel’s themes Normalized Violence Causes a Cycle of Pain and Death and Change Is Possible but Difficult. Kadare’s text explores the High Plateau, a mountainous Albanian region that is cut off from the modern world geographically, socially, and legally. Many families in this community are engaged in blood feuds that trace back generations; in this vein, Kadare explores the effects and perception of blood feuds on younger generations, as they shape a mindset of belonging, order, and duty within the context of local Albanian traditions.

• This article from the European Institute of the Mediterranean offers background information about the Balkan peninsula and the cultures it represents.
• This article from Al Jazeera analyzes the tradition of blood feuds in Albania.