Monthly Archives: April 2008

REVIEWS: Cathedral – Nuances of Conversation

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Susan

Cripes–I’m only on page 3–and there’s so much to go into that I’m going to have to drop some of the lesser points. The visit begins with tension: So when the time rolled around, my wife went to the depot … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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REVIEWS: Cathedral – Character Prejudice & Empathy

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Susan

Even as I believe the basic character flaw–and that which is to be overcome to form story–is not so much bias against the blind man but rather the narrator’s feelings of exclusion from a portion of his wife’s life (and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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REVIEWS: Cathedral Reinforcement

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Susan

As I said, I could likely have gone from those two first paragraphs to a conclusion, and the thought of a dozen pages in between seems extraneous, but there is a subtlety about Carver’s story that make the reinforcing of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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PEOPLE & REALITY?: Dylan Wins Prize

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Susan

Dylan Wins Prize: Congats to 2008 Pulitzer Prizer winner Bob Dylan:  Special Citation. A Special Citation to Bob Dylan for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power. Other 2008 winners … Continue reading →

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REVIEWS: Cathedral – Story

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Susan

I realize that the whole story has really been told in these first two paragraphs–all but the resolution.  The following twelve pages simply expand the narrative to the ultimate conclusion: how he is changed to overcome his prejudice and resentment. Continue reading →

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REVIEWS: Cathedral – Character & Showing

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Susan

What seems to be the main problem the narrator has with his wife’s blind friend is not his blindness–though that is the focus of the change brought about in the empathy of the narrator–but rather his feelings of being an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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REALITY?: More craziness with tax dollars

Posted on April 7, 2008 by Susan

Because of a decrease in requested budget funds, one elementary school in Shelton CT is no longer willing to make their facilities available after a certain hour, around 4 pm, to save on utilities and payroll.  This means that the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: And Big Government

Posted on April 7, 2008 by Susan

It was only a matter of time until Connecticut realized that despite its 6% sales tax it was still losing some of it to the internet shopping style so many of us enjoy. But Connecticut is a genius with making … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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REVIEWS: Cathedral by Raymond Carver

Posted on April 7, 2008 by Susan

Basically a story of human nature in resentment and jealousy, feelings of being an outsider, and how they are overcome and changed by face to face confrontation. In this first person pov, a man gives us a setup of what … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Borderline of Author/Story

Posted on April 7, 2008 by Susan

Excellent points being made by Dan Green over at The Reading Experience on separation of a writer from his work. In his post, A Nicer Chap, Dan comments on Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s decision not to read anymore of this author’s books … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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WRITING: Mood

Posted on April 6, 2008 by Susan

Not. Just, not. Continue reading →

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REALITY?: Sauerkraut Soup

Posted on April 6, 2008 by Susan

It’s something I haven’t made in a long, long time.  It was a favorite of mine that my mother made.  Boil pork ribs until tender, to the water add a can of cut (with scissors) sauerkraut and a can of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: Perfect Example & Tropic of Cancer

Posted on April 6, 2008 by susan

We naturally recall other readings when we come across something similar, and one would think that these two books are just about opposites but then, there’s much that’s relative to both. In Perfect Example, John Porcellino portrays his own adolescence … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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WRITING: Story

Posted on April 5, 2008 by Susan

It was on the twenty-seventh day that trouble started.  Jerome was cold and hungry, weak.  Tom and he had talked the days and food away and there was nothing new to say.  The silence put the thought into their heads.  … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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WRITING: Transfer of Information

Posted on April 4, 2008 by Susan

Interesting concept: the output of the creative mind can get misinterpreted, misspelled and change in meaning In yet another going-over of A Bottle of Beer, this sentence was questioned: As Yolanda dozed, half in the world of the sun and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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