Option A:

 At one point in the story Claire, commenting on her attempt to bring together two of her customers in the bookstores, writes in a letter to Donald, "So much for trying to corral people into couples . . . And who am I to try"? Coupling is clearly a concern of this story, a story that is filled with couples and with storytellers who are trying to bring them together. There are two storytellers in this story. Munro, the storyteller, stands behind it all, not identifying herself with any of the characters or as a presence in the narratives, although she too is busy corralling people into couples.

Write an essay on "The Albanian Virgin" as a story about storytelling, as the occasion for an established writer to think about stories--where they come from, what they do, and what they are good for. As a reader, you should find space in your essay to speak on your own behalf, or on behalf of your generation, readers of your age, positioned as you are. Speak about your sense of the story, where it comes from, what it does and what it is good for, and about stories more generally.

Note: This assignment is taken from "Assignment for Writing" on page 584 of Ways of Reading.

Option B:

The central characters in this story are women: Claire, Charlotte, and in Charlotte's story, Lottar. In the story of Lottar, the men are represented schematically--they drink, they shoot their guns, they kill each other, they don't work very hard. Lottar is concerned with escape, freedom. There is an invitation to read the story through its representation of men and women and you are asked to to think through the point of view of women.

Write an essay on "The Albanian Virgin" as a story about women.  If there is an argument here, what is it? And where is it? How is it arranged through the various characters and storylines? And if there is an argument, how does the story (or its author, Alice Munro) position you as a reader in relation to that argument? How are we to read it? What are we supposed to do with it?

Note: This assignment is taken from "Assignment for Writing" on page 585 of Ways of Reading.

Option C:

When did you first begin to suspect that the story being told in the hospital is autobiographical? Review the text carefully and discuss the evidence that shows that Lottar and the Franciscan are Charlotte and Gjurdhi. Then consider how they have changed in the transition. What does Munro seem to suggest about the nature of identity?

Write an essay in which you explain Munro's treatment of the issue of identity in this story.

Option D:

How many acts of stealing are committed in this story? What sorts of things do people resort to theft to aquire? Write an essay in which you illustrate and explain Munro's treatment of the theme of theft in this story.

Option E:

The name Claire implies enlightenment. What does she learn about herself in the course of her to marriage to a man who tells her she will "be a wonderful woman" once she gets her problems under control? What does she learn from her involvement with Charlotte and Gjurdhi? What are her problems and how does she come to terms with them?

Option F:

Munro has said that she has always been interested in "the way women circumvented the rules," and all of the women in these stories function within firm limits posed by convention, class, and gender. To what degree do such limits rule their lives? When Munro's women take risks, do they tend to be rewarded for it?

Option G:  

Munro leaves us in some doubt as to whether Charlotte is inventing the story of Lottar or telling about her own experiences. What is the purpose of such ambiguity? Do you yourself believe that Charlotte is telling the truth? What does Munro accomplish with this story's unconventional method of narration? Does she use it to enhance the sense of reality, to evoke a dreamlike quality, to create a mystery?Write an essay in which you account for Munro's use of narrative ambiguity in this story.

Option H:

 Why does Munro choose "The Albanian Virgin" as the title for this story? To what extent is Lottar the focus of the story? What does her life as an Albanian Virgin mean to Charlotte? How might it affect Claire?  How is the status of women among the Ghegs made to reflect on the lives of women back in Canada? Why do so few of the Gheg women decide to become "Virgins"? Write an essay in which you explain the significance of the tradition of "The Albanian Virgin" in this story.

Options C through H are adapted from questions available at www.readinggroupguides.com/guides.