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....
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