Tag Archives: literature

Surrealism and Sarcasm in Aimee Bender’s Fiction

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Fred Bubbers

The stories in Aimee Bender’s first collection of short stories, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, published in 1998, contain, to varying degrees, surrealism and sarcasm. In her best stories, these are not mere affectations but are pathways to deeper, … Continue reading →

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The Road Not Taken: Parallel Narratives in The Remains of the Day

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Fred Bubbers

In Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day, it is 1956 and aging butler Stevens’ new American employer, Mr. Faraday, urges him to take some time off and offers him the use of his car. Faraday is leaving for … Continue reading →

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Cold Opens and Backstory in Ann Hood’s Fiction

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Fred Bubbers

Ann Hood’s “Total Cave Darkness” begins in present tense, and in medias res with a dramatic confrontation between a mother and daughter. Martha, a recovering alcoholic is calling her mother from a pay phone while watching her shirtless lover, a … Continue reading →

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