"Appropriations of Culture"

I had plans of blogging about this story, but do not have access to it. When I receive said access, I will edit this post with my response. Shame, I was rather looking forward to this piece.

"Araby"

Upon first read, I didn't really get this story. I still don't fully understand the point of it, but I can at least appreciate the language. Some passages I really liked "Air, musty from having been long enclosed, hung in all the rooms..." The last passage I thought was very poetic. "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger." His need to go to this bazaar is rather unclear to me. I understand infatuation but the object of said infatuation is hard to identify with.

"Tapka"

Firstly I'd like to state that as I have a Lhasa Apso; this story was depressing. On the technical side of things, it was very well written. I particularly enjoyed the dialogue. It had that short, snappy sentence structure that I really enjoy. I loved the change in Rita's character, and the venomous way she said liar at the end. Pacing, I will admit I thought was a little off. The beginning of the story before Tapka was introduced dragged a bit. I found myself caring very little for any of the characters outside of Tapka and Rita.

"A Wall of Fire Rising"

I never expected the ending. Sure I saw the hints of the father's sadness, but I never suspected such a grand conclusion. The author's pacing was brilliant, slowly at first but rising quickly into a crescendo of color and senses. I loved the character of Guy and the way he tried to deal with his family in the best way that he could, until it eventually became too much. The story started slowly, but finished on a definite high note, great work.

"Gogol"

I'll be the first to admit that I didn't read this story when assigned. I won't try to vacate myself with pointless excuses and instead will focus on the story at hand. I enjoyed this story far more than I expected to. The author had a very sharp and definitive voice, similar to that of his character. I enjoyed the subtle changes from present to past tense when he moved to the train memory. Here the reader is presented with such a fully formed character in such a short amount of time. Taking the train accident alone, you see how impractical and obsessed the character is. I find it fascinating when writers can craft such intricate characters in such a small amount of time, perhaps because I struggle with the act myself. His language is sparse, rejecting flowery language but still providing that nuanced sense of detail. I must reiterate that I really enjoyed this story, it is definitely worthy of publication in such a journal as the New Yorker.

"Nativity, Caucasian"

I'd never before been exposed to Allan Gurganus. So to read his work was a real treat for me. At first glance I thought I wouldn't enjoy this too much, but something about the story captivated me. I think it had a lot to do with his language, and his technical prowess. Here's a comic story but written very elegantly and lyrically. There was a passage on page two that begins "One yard above the Persian..." that just blew me away. That whole paragraph had such a wonderful flow to it. Also on the very last page where the two women went back to the kitchen to clean up the mess, the way he phrased that was very beautiful. I definitely had a good time reading this piece, and would like to read some more of his work.

"Brother Grasshopper"

I can say that I am a fan of John Updike. I'd read some of his other work in previous classes and I think he is a very talented writer. I related to this story particularly well in fact. I understand the character Fred's desire to have a brother, and I like the way he describes his father's relationship with his sibling. Updike's description of Carlyle and the color of his eyes and his impassive demeanor was very elegant in my opinion. There was a sense of lyricism to that passage that I quite liked. Later on in the story I started to sense that is was in fact more Carlyle's story than Fred's. I enjoyed the ending very much so, and the death of Carlyle was properly dramatic.

"The Lady with the Dog"

I honestly can't say I'm a fan of Chekhov. And this story did little to change my mind. I respect as a writer, and for what he did for the writing world, but his stories tend to bore me. Here I had little interest or care for the Dmitri or the women he is after. Sure, the technical aspect of the writing is nice, and I'm sure I could learn a lot from it. The plot however, moves too slowly for me, and focuses too much on the mundane. Added with the fact that the central characters are wholly unlikeable just adds to it. Perhaps I should read some of his other work to get a better sense of his abilities, but "The Lady with the Dog" just doesn't impress me much.

Royal Beatings

At first I was a bit hesitant to read Munro due to describing her stories as dealing with "real life." I get enough real life every day, and so when I read I like to take a little break from the woes of reality. "Royal Beatings" surprised me however, and it had a lot to do with the stories inside of the story. If that sentence makes any sense at all. Flo's stories about the butcher and the men that whipped him were zany and more than a little morbid, and they added a lot of character to the story. There was a real sense of depth with Flo's character that I really enjoyed, and honestly didn't really expect. It felt more like her story than Rose, though Rose was a carefully crafted character. I enjoyed the way that the father stayed aloof, but I loved his allusions to famous artists and thinkers. I think most of all, I enjoyed Munro's use of language. The way here passages were composed were very poetic in nature, and it made the story such a pleasure to read. No wonder she's considered the leading fiction writer in Canada. First rate work here.

Comment Response to "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

I've read some of O'Connor's work before, and so I was accustomed to the type of characters that she normally works with. The Old and Strong Women who's ways are completely different from the modern society she lives in, and the son who tries to come to terms with this fact, but never fails to fully remove himself from his mothers reign. Its something she writes often about, but although this story had some similarities I hadn't really anticipated the ending. I really enjoyed it however, and the fact that the killer maintained his civility really added some gravity to the situation that I thought was fascinating. The ending was bleak, and it was a subtle shift from the feeling of awkwardness from the beginning. Excellent work, and far better than I had anticipated.