Blog Assignment 5 : Reading a Short Story Collection

After much deliberation, I’ve decided to go with option one for my research paper: reading/analyzing two short stories from a collection written by a single author.  The author I’ve chosen is Alice Munro.  Though none of her work is currently on the Eng 102 syllabus, it has been in the past, and after discovering a collection of Ms. Munro’s short stories on the library reserve shelf and reading a few, I was hooked.  Like many of the other realistic short story authors we have studied in class, she writes what she knows or has observed in life. Many of her stories depict rural folks in small Canadian townships. Munro's stories are right up there with those of Alice Walker in emphasizing a strong feminine presence with heavy character and setting descriptions. Societal expectation of the genteel female role in the mid twentieth century seems to be a running theme in many of her stories, with the woman (or girl) protagonist always pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable. Various familial and romantic relationships are examined, as is the notion of small-town society’s rejection of anything or anyone who doesn’t fit the norm. Munro’s stories run the gauntlet of human emotion: love, hate, betrayal, envy, and sorrow, to name a few. Indeed, as we have come to expect from a realistic writer, she presents human life and all its complexities.

            My dilemma at present is that as I read more and more of the stories included in Alice Munro: Selected Stories, the collection I have chosen, I am finding it difficult to pick just two for analysis. In truth I am fascinated and intimidated by the clarity with which she weaves together plots, despite the fact that she often utilizes unconventional timelines, meaning she skips around in the telling of events in her stories (non-chronological). I am extremely appreciative of the fact that I can understand what is happening in the story right away (as this is not the case in my readings of some works by other realistic authors) but then I hesitate to judge her intent or moral as it were. I can see themes but am having trouble building an argument. Even now writing these words I am confused as to what I mean to say. So much for blogging for clarity!

Update:
Finally decided on .. "Walker Brothers Cowboy" and "Miles City, Montana." 

Blog Assignment 4 : Authors vs. Readers

Prompt: Instead of author’s opinions, readers should decide what a story means by closely reading the evidence in a short story. Do you agree or disagree?

Talk about loaded questions!  This one can be argued, and in fact has been argued, convincingly in either direction. In “Some Words With a Mummy” Edgar Allen Poe maintains that readers (in particular critics) take too much liberty in interpreting/dissecting an author’s words to the point of completely distorting his meaning.  “Resuming existence at the expiration of this time, he [the mummy/author] would invariably find his great work converted into a species of hap-hazard note-book—that is to say, into a kind of literary arena for the conflicting guesses, riddles, and personal squabbles of whole herds of exasperated commentators…so completely to have enveloped, distorted, and overwhelmed the text, that the author had to go about with a lantern to discover his own work.” Here the mummy is explaining the process of embalming philosophers alive with intention of periodically reviving them so that they may set straight the inevitable misinterpretations of their work during their decades at rest. Poe’s satirical tone, expressed through the voice of the mummy, is clearly a reflection of his frustration over this struggle between author and reader. Indeed, he intimates that even historical writing is unreliable, for despite the care authors may take in putting down accurate first-hand accounts of the traditions and culture of their time, no text is immune to the corruptive effects of readers’ opinions.

            John Updike articulates a similar exasperation with the presumptuousness of readers. In response to a barrage of questions from readers asking for an explanation of his “meaning” behind various texts, Updike rebuffs the assumption that writers (in particular, writers of realism) must have a meaning at all, maintaining that instead the intention may merely be to depict life in all its complexities, “that the absence of a swiftly expressible message is, often, the message …that what he [the writer] makes is ideally as ambiguous and opaque as life itself” (Updike 21). As another writer of realist prose, Ernest Hemingway is in agreement with Updike’s opinion of an author’s intention behind writing. In an interview entitled “The Direct Style,” Hemingway reveals his belief that “When you write … your object is to convey every sensation, sight, feeling, emotion, to the reader” (Hemingway 170). Again, the sentiment is that the duty of a writer is merely to portray commonplace scenarios as accurately as possible, to reflect the real world as a whole, with no hidden agenda necessarily implied. Indeed, Hemingway states, “As a writer, you should not judge [or impart judgment], you should understand.” Clearly, Updike’s and Hemingway’s opinions on the “meaninglessness” of writing go hand in hand with their writing styles as authors of realistic fiction, though Updike expresses a slightly more indignant tone on the matter (if I may presume to compare tones). For my two cents, I agree most readily with Hemingway. It is the responsibility of the author to convey to readers all the thoughts and sensations as accurately as he or she perceives them so that (and this is the part where Poe and I part ways) readers may take those details and derive their own meaning from them, their own explanations for a happenstance or epiphany in the story. Yes, each reader’s understanding of a story may be different, perhaps some more on point then others, but none will be wrong, because our interpretations of texts are drawn not just from the words on the page but also from how we as individuals relate to those words, taking into account our own life experiences. Effective writing should elicit an emotional response, which becomes the basis upon which a reader formulates “meaning” for the text.  So, despite some authors’ disapproval, as the case may be, the derivation of meaning must be a mutual undertaking, equally shared between author and reader.  

Blog Assignment 3: 'Authors' Note' on Essay 1

For the first essay assignment we were asked to discuss the writing style intrinsic to that of a classic fable and/or parable as compared to that of a modern short story. My discussion highlighted the fact that writers of fables tend to focus strictly on a basic plot (essentially eliminating any extraneous details) as a means of relaying an unobstructed and definite moral; whereas modern short story authors utilize a variety of literary elements (that is to say, thematic layering, vivid descriptions of character and setting, effective dialogue and epiphany), thereby composing prose that give an impression of greater depth, dimension and originality. In this way, modern short stories tend not to offer readers a distinct moral but instead present honest depictions of the realities of everyday life. To prove this thesis, I provided textual evidence from “The Appointment in Samarra,” a fable by W. Somerset Maugham and from Alice Walker’s modern short story “Everyday Use.”

Writing essay one was a challenge. I found what posed the greatest difficulty for me was remaining focused on my argument as to the format and style of, in particular, the modern short story and including only those details relevant to that thesis. Instead of speculating on/describing the themes put forth in the literary text, as has generally been my practice, in this case, I commented on the actual form of the story. I found I had to consistently bring my writing back from explications of theme, distractions that disrupted the organization of my essay and muddled my intent.

Having written this analysis will assist me in my readings of short stories going forward; I will keep in mind their inherent focus on realism as opposed to providing readers with single ostensible moral. While this knowledge won’t necessarily relieve the feeling of intimidation I commonly experience when attempting to interpret what is often highly sophisticated writing, I can at least rest assured that the author is speaking about something to do with everyday life.

P.S. Funny how easy it is to write an essay (of some hundreds of words) and then the next day completely forget what it is you've said. In the moment of creating I read and re-read my paper so many times, I felt bored with the familiarity of the thoughts but writing this authors note required an additional (hopefully final) glance over my words, which now seem like new again. I even found some weak spots in my argument that hadn't been notice before. I could patch up those holes but I probably won't bother, unless, of course, repurposing appears to be a viable option; satisfying an assignment in some future class with recycled words saves time and isn't technically plagiarism. Hey, in the interest of being honest....

Unassigned Sharing: A Writer's Lament

 Albeit cliché, I must be inspired to write. Only when the words flow from the internal monologue to fingers to computer keys as methodically and artfully as playing a piano concerto can my sentences be seamlessly mused into existence. When I am in this “zone,” writing is a pleasure. It becomes a game of eloquent expression and wordplay, a puzzle, if you will, with the goal being to state your argument with some pizzazz, some style. However, in anxious anticipation of the upcoming midterm exam I blog to you today not of those ideal moments of writing bliss but of the phenomenon un-affectionately known as writer’s block. It never fails to rear its ugly head right on cue, that “I’m drawing a complete blank” leading to overwhelming anxiety (that is to say, PANIC), and once that sets in, I can pretty much kiss any chance I had of passing goodbye.

Oh the torture! It intensifies while sitting for two hours in a suffocating classroom, clocks ticking, pencils scratching, pages turning, stomach churning. The pressure is on in this pressure cooker: what to write; how to explain; what I mean, what the author means; what is tone, style, metaphor; metaphor for life, death, the pursuit of happiness, of freedom, freedom from this hell called an exam, which tests my skill as a writer. Writing that was fun is now torture.

Don't Hate the Ordinary! Blog Assignment #2: Realism vs. Romance.

It always helps to start with a definition.

A romance, according to our dear old anthology, is “a narrative mode that employs exotic adventure and idealized emotion rather than realistic depiction of character and action…people, actions, and events are depicted more as we wish them to be (heroes are very brave, villains are very bad) rather than in the complex ways they usually are.”

Realism, on the other hand, is “an attempt to reproduce faithfully the surface appearance of life, especially that of ordinary people in everyday situations.”

Judging by this definition, it would appear that, when asked the question Is popular writing (romance) always more entertaining than “realistic” short stories? one would answer an emphatic YES, particularly when considering modern society’s growing preference toward sensationalism in film. Who wouldn’t want to read a story of heroism, intrigue, violence, adventure, sensuality and/or all of the above before that of the story of a day in the life of Joe Schmoe?

Well, I beg to differ. As favorably as I look upon a good sex scene I would argue that the literary techniques and the style employed by Ernest Hemingway in his realistic narrative “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” were more appealing than those utilized by Kate Chopin in her romance “The Storm.” Though it pains me to side with a depressive alcoholic before a “pave the way” feminist such as Ms. Chopin.

            In “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” Hemingway certainly doesn’t sugarcoat what is life’s ultimate realism: death. As is quintessential of realistic narrative the setting is a commonplace café (albeit clean and well-lighted, of course) in Spain circa the 1930s and the main characters are befitting the scene: two waiters (one older, one younger) and an older deaf gent (aka the customer). For the most part Hemingway utilizes a simple, unadorned dialogue between the two waiters to tell the story. The main topic of conversation is the old deaf customer who regularly remains at the café drinking far into the night after all the other customers have gone home to bed. The younger waiter begrudges the fact that the older customer consistently holds up closing: “He’ll stay all night,” the younger waiter says to his colleague. “I never get into bed before three o’clock. He should have killed himself last week” (Hemingway 143). From this statement, readers gain an appreciation of the younger waiter’s impatience and insensitivity, something Hemingway may be suggesting is not atypical of youth and inexperience. The older waiter appears much more aware of the plight of the older customer, identifying with the loneliness, depression and hopelessness that might lead one to attempt suicide. The café represents a sanctuary for both the older customer and the older waiter, a place for them to find solace and comfort, a place to escape feelings of desolation, which are most prevalent in the late night hours; “This is a clean and pleasant café. It is well-lighted. The light is very good…” (Hemingway 144). At home, both aged men would be lying in bed alone, darkly contemplating their own mortality, whereas the younger waiter goes home to sleep soundly next to his equally youthful wife. Clearly Hemingway is emphasizing matters of unavoidable truth, as realism so often does: aging and ultimately death are human conditions that are inevitably faced alone. The absoluteness of this message is evident also in the fact that readers never learn the names of the three main characters; by not giving his characters names Hemingway seems to suggest this theme applies universally. Hemingway offers no idealizations about life, as might be the case in a romantic text. The older customer and the older waiter are forced (symbolically perhaps by the younger waiter) to go home, resigned to their loneliness. “Now without thinking further he [the older waiter] would go home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it is probably only insomnia. Many must have it” (Hemingway 145). The emotion in this piece is raw and intense, effectively expressed to the readers through simple dialogue (both externally between the waiters and internally within the thoughts of the older waiter) and through a few instances of short first-person narration—no extravagance or exaggeration required. Though the seemingly ordinary setting, plot and characters in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” may be far from romanticized, its relatable and thought-provoking themes provide, in my mind, an intensely entertaining story.

            Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” ends on a much cheerier note, as incongruous as that might seem in a story about an adulterous affair. Alls well that ends well for the straying wife, Calixta, her cuckold of a husband, Bobinot, the debonair neighbor and paramour, Alcee, and his newly (and happily) independent spouse, Clarisse. Even Bibi, Calixta and Bibinot’s four-year-old son, maintains his youthful purity in the end, untainted by adult melodrama. Such is a romance, often written in a charmingly poetic style and filled with exaggerated emotion heedless of practicality. Calixta and Alcee’s affair begins during a torrential storm. Alcee is obliged to seek cover in Calixta’s home while, as fate would have it, her husband and son are kept away, waiting out the pouring rain at the local market. Chopin arranges the ideal scenario for a lovers’ tryst and describes the passionate encounter in overly dramatic and drawn-out detail: “Her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the first time its birthright, was like a creamy lily that the sun invites to contribute its breath and perfume to the undying life of the world…When he touched her breasts they gave themselves up in quivering ecstasy, inviting his lips. Her mouth a fountain of delight. And when he possessed her, they seemed to swoon together at the very borderland of life’s mystery” (Chopin 110). Unlike Hemingway’s “less is more” style of writing, Chopin goes on at great length, utilizing seemingly endless amounts of figurative language to say the two had sex. This is in line with romantic writing; it seems to thrust the reader into the unquestionably passionate scene, no doubt far from an ordinary rainy afternoon. Then as the clouds part, so do the lovers, and with the return of the sun their lives are set back on course, albeit a little more blissfully: “Calixta, on the gallery, watched Alcee ride away. He turned and smiled at her with a beaming face; and she lifted her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud” (Chopin 111). The day ends well for Bobinot, too, for despite his fears, Calixta does not scold him for returning their son, Bibi, home a muddy mess; in fact she joyously greets their return, pleased just to know they emerged unscathed from the storm. The assumption here is that Calixta’s newly forgiving disposition is evidence of her guilt over the affair, but no negative repercussions befall our lovely protagonist; the day ends happily over a scrumptious family dinner. Alcee also finds happily ever after; his wife, Clarisse, who is away with the children in Biloxi, is most agreeable to his suggestion that she extend her holiday. Clarisse is relishing her newly found independence and is in no rush to return home: “Devoted as she was to her husband, their intimate conjugal life was something which she was more then willing to forgo for a while” (Chopin 111). Clearly, this is a perfect ending for all the characters involved, but it is by no means realistic: “So the storm passed and everyone was happy” (Chopin 111). Life rarely works out so seamlessly, but that is what romantic authors such as Chopin mean to offer readers, an escape into an extraordinary and idealized story-book world. Implicit in this literature is the notion that we get enough of the complex in our real lives; why read about the same in fiction? Entertainment is not always about what’s grand, however; more often it’s about what readers (or viewers in the case of film) can identify with most. While Ms. Chopin’s language is elegant and sophisticated, pleasing to the ear, I’d rather read Hemingway’s plainer and more cryptic narrative if in interpreting his text, I am illuminated to truths about myself and about the world around me.

ME! and my exploration of fables vs.modern short stories..

Hello Class! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Anne Dellwo, but my hiking buddies call me Dell-whoa! because I enjoy taking on ambitious challenges when it comes to adventure in the outdoors. I am an avid hiker, skier and newbie rock climber and ideally aspire to be able to incorporate those activities into my future career.
I don't have a "five-year plan" at this point; I am just trying to get through college one assignment at a time while working part time as a legal assistant. I dropped out of school for several years due to my inability to handle the stressful moments that come part and parcel with classes: exams, essays, reports and whatever else professors decide to throw at us. I worked in various jobs during my time off but eventually came to realize that without a bachelor's degree I'm never going to be able to find that career that I love to wake up and go to every day. More important to me then money or position is finding that niche in the professional world that fits me just right.

Now (cue stress), for my first essay, in which we are asked to contrast the literary elements of a fable or parable with that of the more modern short story, I've chosen to write on "The Appointment in Samarra," by W. Somerset Maugham, as representing the fable, and "Everyday Use," by Alice Walker to exemplify the modern short story.
If I am honest, I suppose, I chose "Samarra" because I was intrigued by the idea of the character of death as being portrayed as a woman. "Everyday Use" was a clear choice for a counter piece as it also depicts a very strong feminine presence and alludes to an underlying religious theme, the latter being most evident at the end of the story when mother Johnson has her epiphany with regard to her daughters.
As we might expect of a fable, "Samarra" is the less realistic of the two texts; after all, death does not frequent any grocers market I've been to lately. Also indicative of its literary style, "Samarra" comes forth with a clearly implied moral: "haste makes waste." Whereas "Everyday Use" describes a moment in time of an average family of southern black women. The characters would have been particularly common during the time of writing, considering the historical and political happenings during early 1970's. As is typical of the style of a short story, Walker relays images of everyday life and its conflicts and resolutions; her intention or "moral" is neither explicitly stated nor easily detected by the reader.

WELCOME ONE AND ALL! Let the critical thinking commence...

Hmmm.. Where to begin?
I'm a first time blogger but excited to utilize this new form of communication, ready to share my thoughts on literature with my fellow Eng 102'ers and anyone else that happens upon my blogspot. Hoping that standard rules for grammar and syntax can be left for essay assignments and that here I can let my words flow freely, though haven't gotten the final go ahead from my professor on that tidbit. I guess TBD.. resolution will surely be obvious from the style of my next posting.. dry and grammatically correct or filled with emphatic exclamations!!! and honest opinion.