GENESIS

1-The opening paragraph. How does it connect with the novel? What is its effect?

In the first paragraph we find at once a previous main characters' presentation. First the novelist Jeanette, who is the main character, uses a strategic method to tell the readers that she isn't a conventional person: the paragraph starts whit the phrase "Like most people...", but she isn't like most people. Secondly, she introduces her parents: readers immediately sees her mother like as a combative and determined woman ( She liked to wrestle) and her father like as a passive man (he limited to see the wrestling). So the effect is a previous general view of the characters.

2-How does the film version start?

The film version starts with the scene in which a gipsy forecasts the feature to a young Jeanette looking at her palm. The gipsy tells her that she will never married and she will never be still. Then the gipsy laughs and the young Jeanette starts to cry.

3-What is its effect?

The effect of the first scene is a bit disturbing because we sees worrying and old people laughing, it is raining and the young Jeanette is crying.

4-How many references are made to the Bible or have a religious Christian context?

The first reference to the Bible is the title "Genesis" which is the first book of the Octateuc. Going on reading the chapter, we'll notice that every thing Jeanette do or say is connected to religion. For example the story her adoptive mother tells her about her foundling, the religious quiz her adoptive mother makes her or the destiny her mother fixes for Jeanette.

5-Keeping in mind that the chapter is called Genesis, what does it suggest about the setting and the context of the novel?

Genesis is the Octateuc's first book and it narrates world's creation, humans' creation by God and life of humans firstly created. The chapter has the present title because it is about Jeanette's first view of life taught by her adoptive mother, a Christ's soldier.

Characterization/s

Make a note of all the facts that you know about Jeanette's mother

6-How has her character been built up?
Till the start of the novel, Jeanette insists on the role of her mother in the story. We immediately know that she is very combative and determined but during the narration we'll find out other personality aspects through her actions or her dialogues. Jeanette also changes her idea about her mother because she'll find out that she doesn't reflect her personal view of the world.

7-What kind of a person do you think she is?

I think she is a hypocritical person for some reasons. First she adopted a girl only to realize her religious scopes and till Jeanette was very young, she try to form her mind to do what she expected. Secondly, she ignored Jeanette when she didn't know very well religious notions. Thirdly her religious conversion wasn't so spiritual.

8-How many paragraphs begin with the words "My mother". What may all this mean or suggest?

In the first chapter there are six paragraphs starting whit the words "my mother". This may suggest that Jeanette's mother has a great influence on Jeanette's way of live, think and do all things.

9-What facts do you know about Jeanette at this early stage?

I know she was adopted, she was expected to become a missionary, she was educated by her adoptive mother who teach her an absolute religious view of the world, she believed in her church and she had not relations outside her religious community.

10-What sort of person do you think her to be?

I think she is a strong willed person but too dependent from her mother's influence. Jeanette is faithful, sympathetic and controlled. She has never mistreated somebody and she continued to believed in her church even if the community didn't understand her.

11-How is your judgement affected by the fact that it is Jeanette who is telling the story in a first-person narrative?

I think that the novelist adopted the first-person narration for two reasons: one is that in this way the reader is much involved in the story because Jeanette is speaking directly to him/her; the other reason is that, in my opinion, there are some aspects of Jeanette's life linked to the Winterson's life or to the Winterson's way of view the world, so it is proper the novelist speaking us.

12-What significance might there be in the story of the gipsy and her palm reading? Why do you suppose Jeanette is attracted to the gipsy fair in the first place?

The significance of the story of the gipsy might be that everybody knew that Jeanette was special till she was very young. I suppose Jeanette is attracted to the gipsy fair because her mother didn't like that place so there were in Jeanette a sort of premature revolt.

13-The short insert story about the princess and the moths. How does the story connect to the main story about Jeanette, her mother's ambition and her calling? What parallels can you draw? How much work is the reader expected to put into it?

In this chapter we find a short story which talks about a brilliant and sensitive princess who took in charge a small village left to her by an hunchback. This story linked with Jeanette's story because in her mother plans she will become a missionary and she will guide a religious community.
I think that it is the reader who has to make interpretations about the relations with Jeanette's story, so he/she expected to link information he/she has and imagine what will happened.