What I found interesting about these short stories was the pacing. Despite the fact that these pieces are only a few pages long, each one had a different speed. “Reunion” seemed very quick and fast-paced. This was because of the rapid scenery changes as father and son hop from restaurant to restaurant. As they are doing this, we receive little information to cement us into the scene, such as setting or character descriptions. Thus, Cheevers spends very little time on any one specific element (expect the father’s personality flaws) so the story seems to fly by. “The Other Wife” goes at a more brisk pace than “Reunion,” or seems to anyway. There are no scene changes and the story is continuous. We receive some sensory details like what the ex-wife is wearing, what the restaurant looks like, and names for characters. This allows the reader to slow down and take in the ambiance of the story. It is less frantic than Cheevers’s story. “The Falling Girl” went the slowest for me. It has considerably more descriptive details than the previous sories, and also has multiple persceptives. We see through the eyes of an omniscient narrator that emphasizes different points of view as the story progresses. When the story opens, the story is more neutral and shifts to narration that more closely reflects Marta’s inner thoughts and emotions. As the story comes to a close, however, the narration shifts to the perceptions of the tenets of the building and how they perceive Marta. Additionally, this story drags out what is normally a very quick events and makes it seem like it is a drawn out process. Though the descent from a skyscraper would be over in less than 10 seconds in real time, this story makes it seem as if were hours, a lifetime, even.
I personally found it admirable that these writers were able to create such compelling stories in such small spaces, and that so much could be implied in so little. "Reunion" takes place over the course of only a few hours, but Cheever makes masterful use of "show, don't tell" by giving the reader a very good portrayal of the father through his increasingly negative interactions with the waiters. "The Other Wife" is similarly short in page length, but takes advantage of what is left unsaid between the husband and his new wife to imply the future of their marriage. Of all three stories, "The Falling Girl" is the longest and the one with the slowest pace--like Lori said, it drags out the "time" in the story purposefully, drawing its strength from the strangeness of the events and scenes it describes.
I also agree with Lori's comments on pacing. On that note, something I found interesting was that the each place takes place over a decreasing span of time, but increase in description and narration--"Reunion" has nearly no commentary, with mostly dialogue between the father and the various service workers they encounter; "The Other Wife" includes dialogue between two people, but much of the information for the readers also comes through character description; and finally, "The Falling Girl" includes barely any character-to-character dialogue, choosing instead to focus on the view from the protagonist's perspective.
While I enjoyed all three stories for the way they strongly connected with me on an emotional level, John Cheever’s “Reunion” resonated with me most. The simple, one-word title is extremely powerful as I had imagined this story to be a happy one, as most reunions are an opportunity to reconnect, but it turns out to be the exact opposite. Despite how calm the narrator is, I sense that the story’s experiences are very much rooted in emotion. The story possesses a beautiful circular symmetry. The story ends at Grand Central Station, where it also begins. For example, the first sentence is, “The last time I saw my father was in the Grand Central Station,” and the last one is, “‘Goodbye, Daddy,’ I said, and I went down the stairs and got my train, and that was the last time I saw my father.” The last sentence, especially, gives readers a feeling that Charlie has “closed” a chapter of his life and that he does have much more to mention about the subject.
We follow Charlie’s change in emotions from excitement that he has not seen his father for three years to a painful realization that his father is a flawed man who abuses alcohol. As the story progresses, we realize that this is more than just a meeting, making Charlie’s failed attempt to salvage a strained relationship ever more tragic. While Charlie never explicitly mentions his disillusionment as we receive limited perspectives, ironically, from his first person point of view, as father’s combative speech and behavior worsens (“I want to get a rise out of this chap”), we assume that Charlie distances himself further and further from his father until his curt goodbye. Charlie changes from calling his dad “father” to “daddy.” At the beginning of the story, Charlie is merely a son, but by the end, he becomes the adult as well.
There were two aspects of "The Other Wife" that struck me and made for compelling reading. The first was the rhythmic quality of the dialogue that the author achieved by being selective about when he chose to quote characters directly and when he chose to only reveal a single side of the conversation. This gave the story almost a poetic quality about it, which I thought worked well in the form of a short story. Furthermore, it allowed for characterization. For example, when Marc was first ordering, the author only revealed what Marc was saying, not how the waiter or anyone else was responding. This reflected how he was to some extent, oblivious to how what he was saying was increasing Alice's tension more and that he did nothing to address it (perhaps he did notice it and thought it was easier not to address it... ).
The second aspect of the story that I liked was how the author allowed the reader much creative freedom in drawing their on conclusions about Alice's thoughts at the end. What the author did not say was just as powerful, if not more, than what he did say. For me, the conclusion that Alice drew was a feeling that has crossed my mind before - are we getting sloppy seconds when we choose a mate that someone else has rejected? Or an item of clothing that someone in the store decided to throw back on the rack? However, it is impossible for me to reconcile this idea and reinforces to me that what each of us want and need are different to others. And that is what makes Alice's relationship with Marc's beautiful. I'm not sure if this was what the author intended, but his story stimulated enjoyable reflection that I think is the hallmark of a good story.
All of these stories were presented as short vignettes, limiting the breadth of options each writer could employ. However, I thought the brevity of these pieces enhanced their depth—Collete’s “The Other Wife,” in particular, used a simple, pedestrian encounter with Marc’s ex-wife to highlight Alice’s insecurities and her superficial thoughts. It is this short form style that allows Collete to portray Alice’s thoughts so insidiously. We see how quickly her impressions of Marc change over the course of the story, and though the last paragraph does not describe any action taken by Alice, we can extrapolate how their relationship will fare in the coming months and years. That so much is left up to the imagination is part of the power of the story; a single anecdote can feel so much more potent than a novel which spells out the entire narrative.
I really enjoyed all three of these selections. In Falling Girl, I particularly loved the changing perspectives. There is the perspective of dropping height as she falls from the top of the building, as well as the perspectives of various people. We first see the beauty of the city from the skyscraper, where we are in Marta’s perspective. I found the description of her view laced with a shadowy enchantment that sets the tone for how Buzzati approaches the telling of the story. The story addresses a heavy problem, but manages to cast the problem in a different context without losing its weight. The span of time that passes is at once slowly stretched but also paradoxical, where logically the time frame is under a minute, yet simultaneously, seemingly decades, as Marta ages from a girl to an elderly woman by the time she reaches the lower levels. I also enjoyed the way Buzzati alludes to socioeconomic stratification through his portrayal of wealthier people living on upper levels where they see the young women falling, and less-privileged people only seeing the elderly.
From my perspective, I thought that all of these stories did a great job of diving into a specific concern and emotion and developing it in a small space. My personal favorite of the three stories was "Reunion" because as I've mentioned multiple times before I am a dialogue person. I think that in this story the simple and repetitive dialogue reveals so much about the father. His constant rudeness and nagging simultaneously makes the reader feel bad for the son, while also understanding the reasoning for the divorce. Perhaps, we a side of the father is also unveiled where he is never satisfied, but also wants to please his son in the best ways he can. I think that I would have liked more opinions from the son based on his father's actions, but maybe the author intended for the reader to create their own reactions. Without hearing much from the son, it is almost as if the reader is in the son's place and the reader can create their own emotions and reactions to the father's behavior. Overall, I think that Cheever brilliantly crafted this piece in a way that made us feel emotionally connected to the characters in such a short period of time.
I loved these mini-short stories! All three were intriguing, but I was most taken by "The Falling Girl."
I don't think I ever would have come to this conclusion if we had not just been discussing Marquez, but I would argue that "The Falling Girl" is actually a prime example of Magical Realism. This takes place in a world we recognize - a city with sky scrapers and parties and girls who feel perfection is unattainable. Yet the second she jumps off, the magical elements of her strange descent begin to make themselves apparent. These elements are pleasant at first, but then evolve into more disturbing and disheartening images, like the many falling women. Even in her suicide, this girl cannot help but feel overshadowed, incompetent.
Also like Marquez, Buzzati sometimes writes in a kind of prose-poetry: the setting is a much poetic metaphor as it is description.
I think it's very interesting that both the first and second story ("Reunion" and "The Other Wife") both took place in restaurants. There's something about the intentionality of a meal and conversation together that lends it very well to a short story, because of the volumes of what can be said in that one time period. It also grounds it in a particular setting, and how those characters interact with that setting shapes what we think of their personality. Where they sit, what they order, how they interact with waitstaff, if they notice the other diners. I found those stories more effective than "The Falling Girl," though I enjoyed that story as well, because the method of using a vignette I found more engaging and revealing.
Like Rosie, I was also most taken with "The Falling Girl," although "Reunion" struck very close to home. The way the story handled the excitement and promise of suicide as an entertaining spectacle was particularly interesting because of the changing perspectives. Reading just Marta's point of view, her interactions with people on balconies on her way down seem like psychotic projections of how she wished she could be. But by dropping facts about the apartments being expensive and people hoping to see the beautiful young jumpers, Buzzati creates a completely different world. Instead of being a symptom of the falling girl's depression or psychosis, the world becomes a disease itself, with the falling girl as its symptom, steeped in hedonism and frighteningly willing to concede responsibility to young, lonely people.
I particularly enoyed "The Falling Girl" because of how open-ended it was for interpretation. I felt that there was a lot of reverse perspective at certain points in the story. For example, the whole idea of starting the story at dusk and ending it in the morning was atypical for me. Likewise, I thought that possibly instead of suicide, the girl could have been overcoming something tragic but as a way wherein she was rising. She may have been taking the rising action of the story and then transitioned into the falling action as a sort of resolution or overcoming of something at the end of the story. A lot of the story's resolution was up for interpretation which, I believe made it super intriguing to read.
I really enjoyed these stories! I felt like the small space allowed the author to develop the angst in the stories to a maximum, without having to provide the reader with relief. This heightened emotional charge made the endings potent.
I think my favorite was ending was actually "The Other Woman." Thought the story was short, you could feel the growing distance between the couple throughout the meal. The dialogue at the outset in regard to ordering set the stage for the growing anxiety in the woman. I think I liked the ending, because we knew the inevitable and yet it hadn't happened. I admire the level of art and skill required by these shorter stories to give you a window into the characters that tells you much more than that single moment.
I am excited to talk about "The Falling Girl," because I am intrigued to here people's ideas about its fullness significance. Without knowing the entirety, I still love its commentary on by-standing and normalization. I think the fact that the author chose for only the women to be the ones falling and made the fall occur through what it appears to be a lifetime overnight was quite incredible!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting about these short stories was the pacing. Despite the fact that these pieces are only a few pages long, each one had a different speed. “Reunion” seemed very quick and fast-paced. This was because of the rapid scenery changes as father and son hop from restaurant to restaurant. As they are doing this, we receive little information to cement us into the scene, such as setting or character descriptions. Thus, Cheevers spends very little time on any one specific element (expect the father’s personality flaws) so the story seems to fly by. “The Other Wife” goes at a more brisk pace than “Reunion,” or seems to anyway. There are no scene changes and the story is continuous. We receive some sensory details like what the ex-wife is wearing, what the restaurant looks like, and names for characters. This allows the reader to slow down and take in the ambiance of the story. It is less frantic than Cheevers’s story. “The Falling Girl” went the slowest for me. It has considerably more descriptive details than the previous sories, and also has multiple persceptives. We see through the eyes of an omniscient narrator that emphasizes different points of view as the story progresses. When the story opens, the story is more neutral and shifts to narration that more closely reflects Marta’s inner thoughts and emotions. As the story comes to a close, however, the narration shifts to the perceptions of the tenets of the building and how they perceive Marta. Additionally, this story drags out what is normally a very quick events and makes it seem like it is a drawn out process. Though the descent from a skyscraper would be over in less than 10 seconds in real time, this story makes it seem as if were hours, a lifetime, even.
ReplyDeleteI personally found it admirable that these writers were able to create such compelling stories in such small spaces, and that so much could be implied in so little. "Reunion" takes place over the course of only a few hours, but Cheever makes masterful use of "show, don't tell" by giving the reader a very good portrayal of the father through his increasingly negative interactions with the waiters. "The Other Wife" is similarly short in page length, but takes advantage of what is left unsaid between the husband and his new wife to imply the future of their marriage. Of all three stories, "The Falling Girl" is the longest and the one with the slowest pace--like Lori said, it drags out the "time" in the story purposefully, drawing its strength from the strangeness of the events and scenes it describes.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Lori's comments on pacing. On that note, something I found interesting was that the each place takes place over a decreasing span of time, but increase in description and narration--"Reunion" has nearly no commentary, with mostly dialogue between the father and the various service workers they encounter; "The Other Wife" includes dialogue between two people, but much of the information for the readers also comes through character description; and finally, "The Falling Girl" includes barely any character-to-character dialogue, choosing instead to focus on the view from the protagonist's perspective.
While I enjoyed all three stories for the way they strongly connected with me on an emotional level, John Cheever’s “Reunion” resonated with me most. The simple, one-word title is extremely powerful as I had imagined this story to be a happy one, as most reunions are an opportunity to reconnect, but it turns out to be the exact opposite. Despite how calm the narrator is, I sense that the story’s experiences are very much rooted in emotion. The story possesses a beautiful circular symmetry. The story ends at Grand Central Station, where it also begins. For example, the first sentence is, “The last time I saw my father was in the Grand Central Station,” and the last one is, “‘Goodbye, Daddy,’ I said, and I went down the stairs and got my train, and that was the last time I saw my father.” The last sentence, especially, gives readers a feeling that Charlie has “closed” a chapter of his life and that he does have much more to mention about the subject.
ReplyDeleteWe follow Charlie’s change in emotions from excitement that he has not seen his father for three years to a painful realization that his father is a flawed man who abuses alcohol. As the story progresses, we realize that this is more than just a meeting, making Charlie’s failed attempt to salvage a strained relationship ever more tragic. While Charlie never explicitly mentions his disillusionment as we receive limited perspectives, ironically, from his first person point of view, as father’s combative speech and behavior worsens (“I want to get a rise out of this chap”), we assume that Charlie distances himself further and further from his father until his curt goodbye. Charlie changes from calling his dad “father” to “daddy.” At the beginning of the story, Charlie is merely a son, but by the end, he becomes the adult as well.
There were two aspects of "The Other Wife" that struck me and made for compelling reading. The first was the rhythmic quality of the dialogue that the author achieved by being selective about when he chose to quote characters directly and when he chose to only reveal a single side of the conversation. This gave the story almost a poetic quality about it, which I thought worked well in the form of a short story. Furthermore, it allowed for characterization. For example, when Marc was first ordering, the author only revealed what Marc was saying, not how the waiter or anyone else was responding. This reflected how he was to some extent, oblivious to how what he was saying was increasing Alice's tension more and that he did nothing to address it (perhaps he did notice it and thought it was easier not to address it... ).
ReplyDeleteThe second aspect of the story that I liked was how the author allowed the reader much creative freedom in drawing their on conclusions about Alice's thoughts at the end. What the author did not say was just as powerful, if not more, than what he did say. For me, the conclusion that Alice drew was a feeling that has crossed my mind before - are we getting sloppy seconds when we choose a mate that someone else has rejected? Or an item of clothing that someone in the store decided to throw back on the rack? However, it is impossible for me to reconcile this idea and reinforces to me that what each of us want and need are different to others. And that is what makes Alice's relationship with Marc's beautiful. I'm not sure if this was what the author intended, but his story stimulated enjoyable reflection that I think is the hallmark of a good story.
All of these stories were presented as short vignettes, limiting the breadth of options each writer could employ. However, I thought the brevity of these pieces enhanced their depth—Collete’s “The Other Wife,” in particular, used a simple, pedestrian encounter with Marc’s ex-wife to highlight Alice’s insecurities and her superficial thoughts. It is this short form style that allows Collete to portray Alice’s thoughts so insidiously. We see how quickly her impressions of Marc change over the course of the story, and though the last paragraph does not describe any action taken by Alice, we can extrapolate how their relationship will fare in the coming months and years. That so much is left up to the imagination is part of the power of the story; a single anecdote can feel so much more potent than a novel which spells out the entire narrative.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed all three of these selections. In Falling Girl, I particularly loved the changing perspectives. There is the perspective of dropping height as she falls from the top of the building, as well as the perspectives of various people. We first see the beauty of the city from the skyscraper, where we are in Marta’s perspective. I found the description of her view laced with a shadowy enchantment that sets the tone for how Buzzati approaches the telling of the story. The story addresses a heavy problem, but manages to cast the problem in a different context without losing its weight. The span of time that passes is at once slowly stretched but also paradoxical, where logically the time frame is under a minute, yet simultaneously, seemingly decades, as Marta ages from a girl to an elderly woman by the time she reaches the lower levels. I also enjoyed the way Buzzati alludes to socioeconomic stratification through his portrayal of wealthier people living on upper levels where they see the young women falling, and less-privileged people only seeing the elderly.
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective, I thought that all of these stories did a great job of diving into a specific concern and emotion and developing it in a small space. My personal favorite of the three stories was "Reunion" because as I've mentioned multiple times before I am a dialogue person. I think that in this story the simple and repetitive dialogue reveals so much about the father. His constant rudeness and nagging simultaneously makes the reader feel bad for the son, while also understanding the reasoning for the divorce. Perhaps, we a side of the father is also unveiled where he is never satisfied, but also wants to please his son in the best ways he can. I think that I would have liked more opinions from the son based on his father's actions, but maybe the author intended for the reader to create their own reactions. Without hearing much from the son, it is almost as if the reader is in the son's place and the reader can create their own emotions and reactions to the father's behavior. Overall, I think that Cheever brilliantly crafted this piece in a way that made us feel emotionally connected to the characters in such a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteI loved these mini-short stories! All three were intriguing, but I was most taken by "The Falling Girl."
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever would have come to this conclusion if we had not just been discussing Marquez, but I would argue that "The Falling Girl" is actually a prime example of Magical Realism. This takes place in a world we recognize - a city with sky scrapers and parties and girls who feel perfection is unattainable. Yet the second she jumps off, the magical elements of her strange descent begin to make themselves apparent. These elements are pleasant at first, but then evolve into more disturbing and disheartening images, like the many falling women. Even in her suicide, this girl cannot help but feel overshadowed, incompetent.
Also like Marquez, Buzzati sometimes writes in a kind of prose-poetry: the setting is a much poetic metaphor as it is description.
I think it's very interesting that both the first and second story ("Reunion" and "The Other Wife") both took place in restaurants. There's something about the intentionality of a meal and conversation together that lends it very well to a short story, because of the volumes of what can be said in that one time period. It also grounds it in a particular setting, and how those characters interact with that setting shapes what we think of their personality. Where they sit, what they order, how they interact with waitstaff, if they notice the other diners. I found those stories more effective than "The Falling Girl," though I enjoyed that story as well, because the method of using a vignette I found more engaging and revealing.
ReplyDeleteLike Rosie, I was also most taken with "The Falling Girl," although "Reunion" struck very close to home. The way the story handled the excitement and promise of suicide as an entertaining spectacle was particularly interesting because of the changing perspectives. Reading just Marta's point of view, her interactions with people on balconies on her way down seem like psychotic projections of how she wished she could be. But by dropping facts about the apartments being expensive and people hoping to see the beautiful young jumpers, Buzzati creates a completely different world. Instead of being a symptom of the falling girl's depression or psychosis, the world becomes a disease itself, with the falling girl as its symptom, steeped in hedonism and frighteningly willing to concede responsibility to young, lonely people.
ReplyDeleteI particularly enoyed "The Falling Girl" because of how open-ended it was for interpretation. I felt that there was a lot of reverse perspective at certain points in the story. For example, the whole idea of starting the story at dusk and ending it in the morning was atypical for me. Likewise, I thought that possibly instead of suicide, the girl could have been overcoming something tragic but as a way wherein she was rising. She may have been taking the rising action of the story and then transitioned into the falling action as a sort of resolution or overcoming of something at the end of the story. A lot of the story's resolution was up for interpretation which, I believe made it super intriguing to read.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed these stories! I felt like the small space allowed the author to develop the angst in the stories to a maximum, without having to provide the reader with relief. This heightened emotional charge made the endings potent.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite was ending was actually "The Other Woman." Thought the story was short, you could feel the growing distance between the couple throughout the meal. The dialogue at the outset in regard to ordering set the stage for the growing anxiety in the woman. I think I liked the ending, because we knew the inevitable and yet it hadn't happened. I admire the level of art and skill required by these shorter stories to give you a window into the characters that tells you much more than that single moment.
I am excited to talk about "The Falling Girl," because I am intrigued to here people's ideas about its fullness significance. Without knowing the entirety, I still love its commentary on by-standing and normalization. I think the fact that the author chose for only the women to be the ones falling and made the fall occur through what it appears to be a lifetime overnight was quite incredible!