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Tag Archives: short story
Heads of the Chula Student
Nafissa Thompson-Spires, in her short story “Heads of the Colored People: Four Fancy Sketches, Two Chalk Outlines, and No Apology,” presents, among other likewise individual characters, Riley, an engineering Caltech student who wore blue contacts lenses and bleached his hair—which … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction and Fact 2019
Tagged black, Chula students, essentialism, short story, stereotypes
5 Comments
“The Snow Child” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Angela Carter’s short story “The Snow Child.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“The House of the Famous Poet” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Muriel Spark’s short story “The House of the Famous Poet.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“Ping” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Samuel Beckett’s short story “Ping.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“Hide and Seek” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “Hide and Seek.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“Guests of the Nation” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Frank O’Connor’s short story “Guests of the Nation.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Virginia Woolf’s short story “Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“The Witness for the Prosecution” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Agatha Christie’s short story “The Witness for the Prosecution.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“Louise” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about W. Somerset Maugham’s short story “Louise.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“The Lady’s Maid” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Katherine Mansfield’s short story “The Lady’s Maid.” Reply below to share your ideas.
“The Moths” Conversation
Space for questions and answers about Helena María Viramontes’s short story “The Moths.” Reply below to share your ideas.
Posted in Reading and Analysis 2018
Tagged American, Chicana, family, Hispanic, literature, short story
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Open Windows
“What’s the briefest possible narrative that still allows for a satisfying read?” asks Steve Moss in his introduction to The World’s Shortest Stories (6). His challenge: fifty-five words, proposed in 1987 as a contest. He argues that Fifty-Five Fiction is … Continue reading
John and Mary
Margaret Atwood, in “Happy Endings,” presents us with John and Mary. Through several plot scenarios, she makes the argument that what matters is not Who does What, but How and Why. Jane Martin’s Beauty has a debate about what matters. … Continue reading
Posted in Study of Literature 2017
Tagged Happy Endings, Margaret Atwood, plot, short story, values, writing
4 Comments
Battles in “Defender of the Faith”
Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith” takes place at a “new front” during the last months of World War II (161). Focus on a “fight” in the story and show how characters acquit themselves on that “field of battle” (166). … Continue reading
Posted in Reading and Analysis 2016
Tagged Defender of the Faith, fight, literature, Philip Roth, short story, writing
16 Comments
Stillness in “Defender of the Faith”
While there are several confrontations at Nathan Marx’s “new front” in Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith,” are there also moments of what Charles Baxter calls stillness, which he says “is simply one of the hardest psychic conditions to get … Continue reading
Posted in Reading and Analysis 2016
Tagged Charles Baxter, Defender of the Faith, literature, Philip Roth, short story, stillness, writing
12 Comments
Drinks for Halfglass
Here is a list of works to explore for literature and film conversations. Some items will be introduced as a separate post but tagged “Halfglass” to enable image and video inserts and a discrete thread. Halfglass people, past and present, … Continue reading
My Education
This is an “Indian Education” by Sherman Alexie-inspired creative challenge. In your comment post to this blog entry, recount an experience you had during the week of January 11–17, 2016 and say what you learned from it. As Alexie does, vividly … Continue reading
Posted in Reading and Analysis 2015, Uncategorized
Tagged creative writing, education, literature, Sherman Alexie, short story
4 Comments
“The Things They Carried” in Thailand
We have discussed literature in terms of how it is a form of preservation. Since we are examining Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” this week as events in Thailand are playing out, the syllabus topic “How to Tell Truth … Continue reading
Warning Forms and Content
Last Monday we began our two-week discussion of Ethan Canin’s devious long story, “The Palace Thief.” Opening the narrative, Hundert the history teacher gives this explanation for eschewing warnings: “for a man of my calling learns quickly that all warnings … Continue reading
Posted in Reading and Analysis 2013
Tagged 235-2013b, Ethan Canin, reading and analysis, short story, The Palace Thief
2 Comments
Roundtable Conversation 