English 9

Introduction to To Kill a Mockingbird

Over the next four weeks we will look at Harper Lee's book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Each week you will read about 7 or 8 chapters, so dig in right away! Please read the information below and watch the two short videos included here.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old. (For more information about the connections between Lee's life and her novel, consider reading I Am Scout or Mockingbird, by Charles J. Shields. An interview with Shields is posted here)

The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with serious issues. The narrator's father, Atticus Finch, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers.





Here is a video that explains the background of the Great Depression, which is the setting for To Kill A Mockingbird.



Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_kill_a_mockingbird#cite_note-crespino-0