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One of the features of Ishiguro’s Unconsoled is that it makes use of two forms of narration. The story begins with close first-person...

When I began this blog almost three years ago, I set out to write about particular features of stories I enjoyed, their narrational...

In Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Unconsoled, just who are those who are unconsoled? The definition of the word “unconsoled” is a person or group...

My friends, what of the narrational style of The Unconsoled? After all, that’s what I typically write about. Most simply put, Unconsoled...

This week, a new story, best beloved, Kazuo Ishiguro’s 1995 novel, The Unconsoled. It is, essentially, the story of a concert pianist,...

In a further refinement of our journey with Rachel Kushner’s The Flamethrowers, let’s look at some of the meanings the story contains. To...

What is the narrational style of Rachel Kushner’s The Flamethrowers? The first chapter begins in close third person and in simple past...

“Valera had fallen back from his squadron and was cutting the wires of another rider’s lamp.” So begins Rachel Kushner’s 2013 novel The...

In Amongst Women, John McGahern—like any writer—tells the story using a particular narrational style. Let’s consider the opening...

Who am I? That’s a question that self-reflective people ask themselves again and again as they move through life. The answer is more than...

Immediately after the section in Amongst Women that depicts the last meeting between Moran and McQuaid, there is a paragraph break. Then...

Last week, we started thinking about the structure of Amongst Women—the way it establishes a present time at the beginning when Michael...

This week, a new story, best beloved, Irishman John McGahern’s 1990 novel, Amongst Women. Great choice! Yay! Thank you. John McGahern is...

On the surface, Sun would seem to be about male bonding promoted by such activities as bullfighting, fishing, and heavy drinking. Brett...

Of all the male characters in The Sun Also Rises, Robert Cohn is conspicuous for having not fought in WW1, and so, is not technically a...

Well. Last week’s post caused quite a stir. It did say that the characters in Sun are largely static, that Sun lacks the transformational...

Some critics say The Sun Also Rises is Hemingway’s best novel. The writing, the style—something we will delve into more deeply—is...

“Kay, this week a new story, Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises. Whoa. Yes, best beloved, Hemingway’s first novel, highly...

As described last time, Mavis Gallant’s Forain begins with the funeral of Adam Tremski, an eastern European author whose writing Blaise...

This week, let’s continue our exploration of the stories of Mavis Gallant, focusing on Forain, her June 1991 piece published in the New...