1. The Fiesta de San Fermin is a real festival held every year from July 6 to July 14 in Pamplona. Research and report on the history of bullfighting in Spain and the traditions associated with this festival in particular.
2. Research and report on the American literary colony in Paris during the 1920s. A few of the better known writers who made up this community are Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ford Madox Ford, and Gertrude Stein. You may wish to consult Hemingway’s memoir A Moveable Feast or Stein’s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas for firsthand accounts of expatriate society.
3. Brett refers to herself as Circe, a temptress from Greek mythology. Research the Circe myth and discuss the aptness of Brett’s comparison. Explain Jake’s role in the Circe legend as it appears in Hemingway’s novel.
4. In chapter 17, a man is gored to death while running with the bulls through the streets of Pamplona, prompting a waiter to comment to Jake: “A big horn wound. All for fun. Just for fun. What do you think of that?” How does Jake react to the waiter’s comments? Do you think his attitude toward bullfighting changes over the course of the book? Why is it significant that the bull that kills the man is later killed by Romero?
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