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Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
“Brokeback Mountain” is a heart-wrenching short story in part because of its density and one-sitting experience. This is an amazing feat. I mean, it’s so short, right? Normally you need the build-up of an entire novel to induce such strong reactions in readers. Or at least the soundtrack, cinematography and expert acting of a film. Annie […]
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Fabulism In Children’s Literature
FABULISM: WHAT IS IT? In fabulism, fantastical elements are placed in an everyday setting. It’s called ‘fabulism’ because authors are playing with realism by making use of elements of fable. For the definition of a fable, see here. COMMON FEATURES OF FABULIST FICTION The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter is a collection […]
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55 Miles To The Gas Pump by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
“55 Miles To The Gas Pump” by Annie Proulx is a concise retelling of “Bluebeard” in a remote, rural American setting.
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Annie Proulx’s The Governors Of Wyoming Short Story Analysis
“The Governors Of Wyoming” by Annie Proulx is a short novella — one of her concise sagas — divided into parts. WADE WALLS Our characters are introduced, as well as the dynamics between them. From the title we know to pay close attention to Wade Walls. Renti — chews fruity gum, a small grubby woman […]
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Secrets, Liars and Lies In Storytelling
Liars are everywhere in stories. Stories themselves can be considered giant lies (which tell a deeper truth). The trope of the mask is a part of all this. Certain genres demand a ‘mask’, or, lying. That’s because entire genres are about finding out the truth: The cinema cannot show the truth, or reveal it, because […]
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Pirates in Art and Storytelling
It is absolutely bizarre that we romanticise criminals the way we romanticise pirates but there we have it.
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Strays Like Us by Richard Peck Storytelling Tips
Strays Like Us is a 1998 middle grade novel by American author Richard Peck. (155 pages) Peck not only understands the fragile emotions of adolescents, he also knows what kind of characters will pique their interest. In this tender novel, he paints a richly detailed portrait of Molly, a drug-addict’s daughter sent at the age […]
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A Lonely Coast by Annie Proulx Short Story Analysis
The first thing that feels different about “A Lonely Coast” in the Close Range collection by Annie Proulx is the voice. This short story begins in second person point of view, then switches to first in the second paragraph. The previous stories of this collection were all written by a third-person unseen narrator with an […]
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The Magical Age of Twelve
Being alone is a newness to a twelve-year-old child. He is so used to people about. The only way he can be alone is in his mind. There are so many real people around, telling children what and how to do, that a boy has to run off down a beach, even if it’s only […]
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Storytelling Tips From ‘Anne With An E’
I’m a big fan of Anne Of Green Gables, the 1980s TV miniseries and also of Breaking Bad, so I anticipated Moira Walley-Beckett’s 2017 re-visioning of Anne Of Green Gables with great enthusiasm. I’m not disappointed. ‘Anne With An E’ is great. (It seems I’m not in good company by saying that.) There’s much to learn from […]
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Annie Proulx’s “Pair A Spurs” Analysis
“Pair a Spurs” is a short story by American author Annie Proulx, published in the collection Brokeback Mountain and Other Stories. SETTING “Pair A Spurs” by Annie Proulx is set on a couple of Wyoming Ranches in the late 1990s SURROUNDING CULTURE Rather than open with landscape, sky-scape and weather, this time Annie Proulx opens […]
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Stream of Consciousness and Interior Monologue
Stream of consciousness and interior monologue are two modes of narration. They are similar, and in fact, both might be used within a single work.
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Neo-Regionalism And Realism In Literature
Regionalism is a largely American term which refers to texts that concentrate heavily on specific, unique features of a certain region including dialect, customs, tradition, topography, history, and characters.
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Westerns, Anti-Westerns and Neo-Westerns
Western is a genre set primarily in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th century in the Western United States, the “Old West”. Before WW2, these stories were a celebration of American expansionism.