In the old days, a social or historical approach to analysis focuses on investigating the context surrounding a text and how the text reflects the ideas and attitudes of the time in which it was written.
1) What attitudes or assumptions about social or cultural forces (e.g., religion, gender, class, etc) were prevalent during the time the work is set and when it was written? How might these have influenced the work?
2) What economic, political, or historical events (e.g., war, laws, leadership, government policy, etc) occurred during the time the work is set and when it was written? How might these have influenced the work?