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Ghost Stories Are Not About Ghosts
What’s the point of ghost stories? A really good and scary ghost story focuses me. It pulls me from my ordinary, self-focused fears and connects me with something older and more mysterious. Claire Cronin at Rumpus The ghost story was designed for the short form. It emerged a long time ago, from folklore and oral […]
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A Country Killing by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
“A Country Killing” may sound a bit like the title of a cosy mystery set in Surrey but no, this is a story by Annie Proulx, about coercive control and domestic abuse, set in the poorest demographic of New England in the 1990s.
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Halloweensie 2018: Delight Night
No Tricks, No Treats. Felina Nightbone used jagged teeth to rip sticky tape. She affixed the cardboard sign to her letterbox. “Right. I’m off to bed.” She shut the iron gate. Inside she snuffed candles. Still they came, giggling in ridiculous dress-up. They thought she’d carved the pumpkins for them. They thought this house had […]
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The Wer-Trout by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
Do you like the idea of river fishing, without the annoying realities? One option is an afternoon plumped in front of Deliverance, starring the late Burt Reynolds. Another option is Annie Proulx’s short story “The Wer-trout”
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King Bait by Keri Hulme Short Story Analysis
“King Bait” is a short story by Keri Hulme, author of The Bone People, which won the Booker Prize. The setting is a magical realist New Zealand.
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Runaway by Alice Munro Short Story Short Story Analysis
“Runaway” is the first short story of Alice Munro’s 2004 collection. It was also published in The New Yorker, where you can read it online. “Runaway” makes for a great mentor text for the following reasons: Nuance of human motivations. The desire is at the ‘complex’ end of the spectrum — our main character doesn’t […]
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In The Pit by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
“In the Pit” is a short story by Annie Proulx, included in the Heart Songs collection. “In the Pit” is a good example of a story with no Anagnorisis for the main character. If anyone has a revelation, it’s the reader. Character arcs are not compulsory. In real life as in fiction, sometimes people simply don’t […]
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The Juniper Tree Fairytale Analysis
“The Juniper Tree”, as told by the Grimm Brothers, is a horrible tale. I don’t have a problem with gruesome.
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Playfulness In Storytelling and Art
As God contains all good things, He must also contain a sense of playfulness — a gift he has shared with Creatures other than ourselves, as witness the tricks Crows play, and the sportiveness of Squirrels, and the frolicking of Kittens. Margaret Atwood PUTTING ON A SHOW PARTY GAMES PLAYING AT THE SEASIDE PLAYING GROWN-UPS […]
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Cat Skin by Kelly Link Analysis
“Cat Skin” is a short story by Kelly Link, included in the collection My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, published 2010. Link says in her paragraph at the end of the tale that this is a brand new fairytale, based on on none in particular, but owes a debt to “Catskin“, […]
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The Unclouded Day by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
“The Unclouded Day” is a short story by Annie Proulx, first published 1985, included in the Heart Songs collection. Rich and poor, city and rural bump up against each other. This story is an excellent example of two narrative techniques in particular: Santee has both an outside opponent and one from within his own group. […]
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On The Antler by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
“On The Antler” is the first short story in Annie Proulx’s Heart Songs collection, published 1994. This was before Proulx moved to Wyoming, so these are set in an imaginary setting aligned with rural New England. This is where the author spent the early portion of her life (Connecticut, Maine, Vermont.)
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Fairytales and Modern Storytelling
This is my collection of fairytale links. I’m interested in fairytales from a writing perspective. How do fairytales help us to create contemporary stories?
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Transmogrification In Storytelling
Transmogrification in storytelling has a long history. Today it can be seen across different types of story in many permutations.