Classical Backgrounds to English Literature

Christa Wolf’s Medea ch. 1-4

Study Questions

• Name two ways in which Christa Wolf’s Medea differs from all the other Medeas we’ve read thus far. Whose Medea does she most resemble?

• How does Wolf revisit or revise the sets of oppositions we’ve been discussing throughout this course? Name two sets of oppositions introduced in this text that have not been addressed previously.

• What is the significance of the prologue? Why does Wolf begin the novel like this? Also, consider the epigraphs that begin each chapter of her novel. What is the significance of each epigraph for the chapter it introduces and for the novel as a whole?

• What is your impression of Jason? How does Wolf’s portrayal of Jason differ from other portrayals we’ve read thus far? How do these differences affect your view of Jason as well as of Medea?

• Wolf seems to have invented a number of characters for her version of the Medea story, one of these being Agameda. What function does this character serve? How does she help us to further understand Medea – her character, her motivations, her positions in Colchis and in Corinth?