Just So Stories

How does Kipling use anthropomorphism? How is the anthropomorphism here similar or different to instances elsewhere in Kipling’s canon, such as in The Jungle Book?

Discuss the title of the text. What are “just so stories,” and how is the phrase used in popular culture? What does the title suggest about the nature or purpose of the collection?

The text includes a number of biblical references. Identify and discuss them. In what ways does the text expound upon biblical themes and concepts? Are there any ways in which it contradicts them?

What does the text say or imply about the nature of human society and the relationship between humanity and the natural world? To what extent, and how, do Kipling’s stories reflect some of the values and assumptions of Victorian society?

Analyze the depiction of female characters in the text. How are femininity and/or gender dynamics depicted in the stories? How do the stories reinforce or challenge traditional gender roles?

What are some key lessons that the text aims to teach young readers? How does their moral structure compare with that of a similar collection of animal fables, such as Aesop’s Fables?

Discuss Kipling’s use of humor and wordplay. Where and why does humor appear in the text?

Choose two or three stories to contrast and compare. What themes and/or literary techniques do they share? Where do they diverge?