24 questions

(1) When and where does the story take place?

(2) The sanitarium has a "unique arrangement"--explain it.

(3) The hospital personnel and the patients--how do they make use of the sanitarium's arrangement?

(4) Corte "progresses" from the seventh floor to the first. Explain how each of the transfers comes about.

(5) Corte is ill. Identify the details that support this conclusion.

(6) Describe Corte.

(7) At the beginning of the story, Corte is--what? At the end?

(8) What message does Buzzati (the author) convey with "Seven Stories"?

(9) We're told little about Corte, and only a few details indicate when and where the story takes place; moreover, the name of the sanitarium isn't given. What else are we told little or nothing about? What isn't identified?

(10) Explain how the sanitarium is designed--physically designed. What does this design make possible?

(11) Who is Dati? What are Dati's actions? Does Dati appear in the story--or is he merely referred to?

(12) "Seven Stories" is a metaphor--for what?

(13) What effects does Buzzati create with "Seven Stories"? That is, what emotions does "Seven Stories" cause its intended audience to experience?

(14) The narration of "Seven Stories": is it emotional--or matter of fact? How does the manner in which the story is told effect our perception of what goes on in the story?