ENG 263: The Love Story

The setting of a restaurant creates a kind of entrapment to the narrator and the man named Mr. Cohen. The store, Plantation Hunan, sounds like it could be a bustling place with lots of people. Yet, in the story, it is described as having only two people in the main area, with a divide between […]

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The characterization of Henry (senior) is done primarily through his view and actions towards others. In other words, through very little telling and mostly showing without any analysis of his actions. Strout trusts her readers to be able to develop their own thoughts and understanding of Henry. Besides the shifting between past and present at […]

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“She had a darkness that seemed to stand beside her like an acquaintance that would not go away.” The relationship between Olive and Henry is painful, but particularly painful in the screen adaptation. Because we didn’t have any reading for Thursday, I decided to watch the “Pharmacy,” episode of the miniseries “Olive Kitteridge.” Olive is […]

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In “Pharmacy,” Strout creates a complex story without using terribly complicated diction or syntax.  Her writing is very straightforward, yet elegant and a beautiful.  For instance, when Henry talks about his drive to work, Strout’s language puts you right into the scene and creates a very beautiful setting.  Another pro to this style is that […]

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“Pharmacy” by Elizabeth Strout has a sort of layered effect that adds depth to the story. In the present moment the story is about a man receiving a letter from an old employee about her present life. However, the story moves fluidly through time, which is impressive because it is a short story and still […]

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I think what I enjoyed is the connection done by Trout in regards to the death of Denise’s husband. You wouldn’t really see it coming until the moment Henry Thibodeau’s death comes along and then you remember that it is kind of hinted at in the introduction of Tony Kuzio. I think the lack of […]

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The structure of “Thirteen Wives” by Steven Millhauser is what stands out the most in the story, despite its strange, surreal content. Instead of a narrative, there is an introduction and then numbered paragraphs about each of the 13 wives. I think it’s the best way the author could have conveyed this situation and made […]

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Again, the first sentence of this story is particularly striking. Alice and Ian meet and reconnect at a funeral of their friends, something I found somewhat comical, especially considering the fact that Katinka was never particularly faithful to her significant others. But the element of the story morphs into the love story about Alice and […]

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I think it is interesting the O’Connor chose to withhold from the reader what Alice’s dissertation is about. I am unclear of the effect this has on the reader, but it seems significant – the story is a very close third, so this seems to be the greatest cause of distance between Alice and the […]

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The story is straightforwardly written by the author and it makes the story feel more simplistic, easy to follow, and allows the reader to focus more on the character. Ha Jin intertwines his Chinese culture with the English language. The story should be done like this because the setting is in Mao-era China. However, his […]

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