Harold Bloom (1930–2019)

A better title would be What to Read and How. Bloom was probably a wonderful teacher, but if so, his charm shines through only in spots in this memoir of Bloom's favorite books, stories, and poems. Instead of fulfilling the (real) title's promise, he dives right in to discussing the joys of Turgenev. And at least for this eclectic reader, he doesn't quite make his case: Turgenev may be great, but in Bloom's telling, he sounds forbiddingly rarefied. All through, the pleasure I got in reading this book came from reading Bloom's descriptions of books I've already read, and only rarely from reading his thoughts on unfamiliar works. It's often interesting, but Bloom writes without allowing the possibility of other interpretations and responses.… (plus d'informations)

The Short Story: A Personal Reminiscence

"A story like a bird of the mountain can carry a name beyond the clouds, beyond even time itself. Willie Maugham said that to me many years ago." Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors, p. 3

Ever since my early reading years, stories have played a significant role in my life, beginning with the stories of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. My genuine inspiration to enjoy stories came from a young girl's observations in a book that is still one of my favorites, and it starts on the first page with this idea:
" . . . what is the use of a book without pictures or conversations?"

In Alice in Wonderland, Through the looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, Lewis Carroll's philosophy goes beyond the comprehension of children and points to a type of romanticising the child along the philosophical lines of the Romantics. Or, to put it differently, these works engage in criticism that goes beyond the pleasure and fantasy of a child reader like myself. Furthermore, Alice's encounter with Humpty Dumpty also brings into question the nature of and use of words. I found Carroll's comments to perhaps suggest a Wittgentsteinian perspective when considered thoughtfully.

This leads me to consider the nature of short stories in a more contemporary manner, focusing on the inherent ambiguity that often presents itself in stories from writers as disparate as Chekhov and Cheever. They examine themes from the standpoint of eternal vs. temporal reality through reflection on the lives of people like myself and others I have known, despite the fact that they may be geographically and culturally apart.

There are moments when I feel that reading stories and listening to "Goldberg Variations" are similar in that both give me a sense of the multiplicity of voices. Instead of reacting by thinking about different "isms," I find it helpful to try and find the meaning that short stories have ingrained in their humanity. This can be found in an approach like that of John Updike, whose style can be as subtle as James Joyce's in "Dubliners," or in an allegorical approach like that of D.H. Lawrence in "The Man Who Loved Islands."

A thought to conclude with in a perhaps not too ambiguous manner comes from the pen of Lydia Davis in her short short story "Hand":
"Beyond the hand holding this book that I'm reading, I see another hand lying idle and sightly out of focus---my extra hand."… (plus d'informations)