It is time for me to get back on the ball and write some stuff that is actually pertinent to class (but, did I even fall off the ball in the first place, or did I just take it on a detour through the jungle?)
Barthelme was pretty sweet. I liked his stories better than Novakovich. Novakovich was good, but it was like "oh, I am reading a story...wow." Barthelme is like "snap crackle pop, bitches!" You know, shit like that.
There's my book laying on the desk. If you look closely you will see that some of the pages are dog-eared (or cat-eared for you more intelligent folk). These dog/cat-eared pages mark the stories that I thought were exemplary and good. They were good.
These stories include: Game, Alice, The Dolt, The Glass Mountain, The Sandman, A Manual for Sons, and The School. I liked these stories.
I wasn't shocked to read Barthelme. I wasn't taken aback. I did not say "he must be on drugs" or "now I want to do crack". I didn't think that at all.
I am never shocked. You cannot shock me. Last year, in "Intro to Fiction", we read George Saunders. Someone said that it would be weird. I thought it was not. It was creative. It was extraordinary. It was major leauge, not some youth soccer team.
I am not shocked by anything. Try to shock me. If you succeed, you will be rewarded with a small sum of money.
Back to our friend Barthelme, man of four wives...
Barthelme is fun. It is good clean fun. He is a good guy. I don't see his writing as random at all. It is very organized, concise. It is full of life.
His techniques, you ask. Look in "Game". See the repetition. I like repetition. Repetition is good.
Look at "The Glass Mountain". Observe that it is a list, 1) to 100). A list is always good. Dean's List is good. A list of groceries is good. It gives you something to look forward to.
In the last sentence I wrote, I ended with a preposition. You are not supposed to do that. Well, you are not supposed to speed either, but I do it anyway.
If the police try to get me, I will run.
Pot, not marijuana, but coffee.
No parking, but I break the law.
Sporting the jersey. On the Phone. In the wind.
At work. Deep in thought.
Desperado, bitches!
Double bogie : (
Road signs are often confounding!
Just like Cortez
They were THIS BIG!
Across the table
My desk, where good things happen
Golfing it up.
5 comments:
I just have to say Charles. The picture of you at your desk looking like you are doing work, yeah that one, I took that picture. Why? Because I rock...and you rock, so together we could blow this whole world up!!!
Excellent entry. Why do you suppose so many students respond to nonlinear or unconventional stories with comments like "The writer must be on drugs"? Why are so many readers interested only in literature that reconfirms their original paradigms rather than literature that strains them? Like you, when I read something I don't quite understand that seems like it has something worth my time to experience, I get excited rather than frustrated. We are the sum of our experiences, right? So we can't grow and change without (in this case, literary) experiences that push us, that are outside our comfort zone. Of course, I suspect that in your case I'm preaching to the choir.
Ultimately, I think that all of the stories I assiged have the potential of teaching us something about craft and expandung our horizons in terms of what a story can accomplish.
Out of curiosity, do you see any techniques in Barthelme that you would consider trying in your fiction?
By the way, ignore that I'm posting this at 4 on a Sunday morning.
I also like Barthelme, more now that we've talked about his stories in class. When I read some of them on my own, I felt inadequate as a reader; someone on the outside of all his inside jokes. It helped to discuss, though I just felt even dumber because I couldn't figure stuff out on my own. It wasn't that way with all of them- The School, Views of My Father Weeping, Captured Woman, I liked, I got it...even if it took me a minute. I think I agree with MD that it's more enjoyable to be challenged by stories like these, and it's more rewarding when you find the meaning you're searching for. It's like -Wow, I'm not as dumb as I felt at first yay! I wish I was crafy and creative enough to do this on my own. My creativity pales in comparision to yours Charles, and I can see some of you writing as "Barthelmesque."
I think the reason I personally struggled with the stories at first is because I didn't realize they were packed full of jokes. I'm very found of satire, but I didn't realize it was splashed everywhere until we talked in class. I should have understood. His style reminded me of yours. You're funny. The thoughts just didn't connect in my head.
I'm also pro-repetition.
There are many things from Barthelme that I would like to use in my own writing, but I am always scared of stealing techniques. I would like to have my own style (other than bad), and not simply be some bastardized parrot regurgitating bits and pieces of things that I have learned from various authors. I guess I shouldn't worry about this and should just try to write good stories, but I'm pretty good at worrying about stuff so I tend to do it a lot.
Post a Comment