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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
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- Reading responses are due Mondays and Wednesdays by midnight, no exceptions.
In "Crossing the River Zbrucz" by Isaac Babel, Babel tells a story in which a soldier has come back from World War II. The man has seen some pretty dark stuff like in his dream, which was caused by post traumatic stress from said World War. The dream consisted of the commander of the Sixth division shooting two bullets into a man's eyes, shooting the man's eyes out. He awakes from his dream because a pregnant woman sleeping next to him woke him up due to him kicking her dead father. That story was traumatic to say the least. In "The Baby" by Donald Barthelme, Barthelme told the story of an oppressive father that overly punishes his daughter all because she tore some pages out of some books. The kid was only around a year old! Starving his child, he held on to his tyrannical ways until he accepted the fact that his daughter would never learn and went on to be just as disobedient as his daughter. In "Marzipan" by Roberta Allen, Allen told what seemed to be a love story of a cocky Englishman and a pretty, skinny girl. However, the flirting and story telling turned into a sudden dark and depressing date. The date essentially ended due to the Englishman telling a "story" of how his mother killed herself in 1978. It was such a traumatic experience for the Englishman that he remembered the year it had happened. All these stories have trauma in common, as well as hits of reality, or reality checks.
ReplyDeleteSidney Carranco
In writing a short-short story, I found that there are many more guidelines than what I previously perceived. It is important when writing a short short that you pay attention to your characters, setting, dialogue, and view. We see this in Isaac Babel’s Crossing the River Zbrucs, when the author introduces us straight-forwardly to his situation. Babel leaves us with a surprise ending that almost leaves you breathless and characterizes himself as a bad person. We see his gradual disillusion and it becomes apparent that by the end he is now a living example that war is inescapable. Donald Barthelme’s The Baby shows when to use dialogue and begs the question whether we should use it. Although when describing his baby’s misbehavior, he never uses dialogue to speed up his story, it fits with his narrative since he is indeed talking about a baby. He instead tells us, but this takes time and in short short stories dialogue can often hurry the story in a way reporting cannot. We see this in Marzipan by Roberta Allen, when she uses the third person narrative while also using dialogue between the pretty girl and the Englishman. Additionally, she uses setting, the party, and spends most of the story gravitating to the Englishman and his desire to impress. We are validated in this by the ending, when he blurts out his mother’s suicide, knowing that his justifications are fueled by insecurity. This also plays into characterization when we sympathize with the Englishman. I found it inspiring that a short short can leave you guessing and does not have to have a definitive ending, shown in Crossing the River Zbrucs and Marzipan.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Campos
When writing a short fiction it's important to consider the elements of fiction such as structure and design, characters, dialogue, setting, and the point of view. All of these come together to shape the short short story and are fundamentals to it. In Babel's "Crossing the River Zbrucz", we get these intense descriptions of what went on between Russia and Poland. We get taken into the lives of these two Jewish women, and the Russian army officer. It's all such horrendous and gruesome details especially the last paragraph about the pregnant woman's father. I like that we are shown the gory details of this story rather than always keeping a happy ending because the author knew exactly what this was like and captured it in such a way for a reason. In Barthelme's "The Baby", this story discussed overly strict parents that were mistreating a baby by punishing her and having her stay in her room for many hours until she learned her lesson. It showed how crazy these parents can mix up discipline with mistreatment, and at the end the father decided the baby was never going to learn. The father got rid of the rules and allowed his baby to disobey, and even encouraged her by bending the rules with her. In Allen's story "Marzipan", there is a tale that takes a turn, but is so intriguing to read. This story made me feel as if things are more than meets the eye. I was taken aback by the man's last remarks about how he would find stories to tell at parties to meet girls or be less shy in the attempt to hide his pain and how much he's been hurt. This made me feel like I could be surrounded by so many people that know how to play a perfect role just like he did, but inside they're truly hurting. I thought it was clever that the scent of the marzipan is what caused him to remember his mother which brought the story full circle.
ReplyDeleteLianna Andrade
I never realized that short stories are mostly made up of fiction. While reading these few pages I realized that it’s more than just sitting down and writing whatever made up thoughts are in your mind. There’s actually structure, just like there is in creative nonfiction writing. I also noticed that short stories involve multiple things like starting in media res, having a protagonist, or using flashback in the short stories. I like that there are guidelines as to how to create dialogue, characters, making up the setting, and many other things. These types of things can really help a writer or the reader understand how to write these kind of stories and understand more in depth of how these stories are created.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read “The Baby” by Donald Barthelme, I was confused as to why the story was going in the direction it was, but I realized that in short stories it can go in either direction the author wants because of the way it’s set up. I enjoyed this story the most because it was confusing yet interesting and it left me with questions after I finished reading it.
Ilene Guevara
In Isaac Babel’s ‘Crossing the River Zbrucz’ we see the trauma left on a soldier and the horros he sees as a soldier in Novograd. I love the imagery of the area, making me feel like i’m there to witness everything happening with my own eyes. It especially hurts my heart at the end reading about him waking up from his dream only to find out he was kicking the woman's dead father in his sleep. In Donald Barthelme’s ‘The Baby’ we see discipline in the form of a strict parent and kind of contradicting themselves between being a strict parent and mistreatment. As soon as I read the rule about each time she tore a page, I knew I wasn’t going to like the direction the story would be headed in. I didn’t for a while until the author had the epiphany things wouldn’t improve and decided to loosen their reigns and even rebel against her own rule and just enjoy the time between the two and make it a bonding experience. I found myself immediately relating a Korean song called “The Truth Untold” by BTS to Roberta Allen ‘Marzipan’. When translating the song, I could piece together lyrics to match instances in the story. “...I can’t show you a ruined part of myself Once again I put a mask again and go to see you...But I still want you...After I take off this foolish mask..But I know I can't do that forever I have to hide Because I'm a monster I am afraid I am shattered I’m so afraid That you will leave me again in the end Once again I put on a mask and go to see you.” This can be a parallel to Allen kind of putting on a facade when meeting girls and hiding the true pain he holds within. It seems to be constant cycle with him where he seems to know what to say, but lets pain take over. The line in The Truth Untold “I can’t show you a ruined part of myself Once again I put a mask again and go to see you” can relate to this cycle with every girl he approaches and how he puts on the facade all over again from scratch.
ReplyDeleteFaith Ortiz
I enjoyed reading this chapter about writing short-shorts, specifically how practical it will be for future pedagogical use. A few highlights were: Hemingway’s iceberg theory, understood clearly from Kim Edwards’ summation: “the idea…that what’s unstated must nonetheless exist clearly in the author’s mind for a character to have sufficient depth” (top of pg. 120). The “composite characters” (pg. 118), or those that are made from combinations of yourself, and other people in your life that you’ve observed, made sense to me in a literal way. I took a class on dental materials a few years back (another story!) and the usage of the terms amalgamation and composite made the concepts click in an abstract sense, since I knew the relation of the tangibles. The list on pg. 120 of questions to ask about main characters I found helpful, and I appreciate this insight now in life after stumbling to make characters in the past without much iceberg root. I also liked pg. 129, giving the Why of good place setting. That this is all to “highlight characters and their conflicts.” The breakdown of the differences between third-person omniscient and limited was very practical for future teaching, and explanations of tenses were simple and understandable (pg. 138). Zinsser’s comments on simplifying writing by cutting out excessive descriptions is good life advice, too (pg. 139), when it comes to all the clothes and junk that become cluttered in life, to say nothing of verbiage in essays.
ReplyDeleteNatalie Roeglin
Honestly, I thought that short-short fiction was going to be a piece of cake, but as I read this chapter I quickly came to the realization that there are so many rules for a story that is no more than 2,000 words. You have to take notice of every little detail because the word amount is so short, it’s a paradox of do’s and don’ts; you need detail but don’t over do the amount, add dialogue but make it short and all-telling. In my opinion, you either have this style down to a tee, or you struggle with finding the balance of its simplicity.
ReplyDeleteThe three authors that were showcased in this chapter inspired me to understand the genre better. Isaac Babel’s, Crossing the River Zbrucz, elevated the genre by showcasing detail, imagery, dialogue, and an ending that leaves the reader in a state of complete puzzlement. I was thrown off at first, but as I reread it I realized just how wonderful of a writer Babel is. His story is so unlike the other two that his left me the most inspired to write in this genre. It was raw and honest, while maintaining a sense of poetic relief, and then completely shutting out the beauty with its ending. I was caught off guard in the best was possible, and that ending line of dialogue is amazing! I love how open ended and haunting the girls statement was. Incredible.
As for The Baby by Donald Barthelme, I found myself questioning if he was really talking about a baby. At one point I thought he may be talking about their pet dog, and he was leading the audience to believe otherwise, but then I realized that it was just his sense of humor overpowering the story. I thought this story was fun and different, and it adds character to a genre that is known for its quick, eye-catching ability. Roberta Allen’s, Marzipan, left me wanting more. I had so many questions: what exactly was the young man going through, as well as the female? Allen could easily build off this short story and write an entire novel. There was so much backstory to be interpreted that it had me on the tip of my toes. The way Allen sprinkled in as much dialogue as possible was one of my favorite parts as well. Especially when the guy blurts out what happened to his mother. I think of the three, Marzipan is the perfect representation of what a short-short story truly is.
Kimberlee Salas
"Marzipan." Roberta Allen. A thematic nonfictional narrative centered around false personas engineered to mask the depressing truths people hide from themselves and from others. The characters are made nameless, referred to only by their outward appearance; it is a symbolic gesture toward the characters, one that allows any reader to avoid referencing an entire character by name only - it allows the reader to expand upon the character by their label and mannerisms. The marzipan is not just food, for its taste comes sweetly with a bitter aftertaste to follow. The marzipan is symbolic to both characters, just as the Englishman is a bold, forthcoming man accompanied by a complex riddled with grief for his dead mother; and just as the girl has a penchant for normalcy, yet suffers from an eating disorder; it is a man versus society conflict with each. Both conform to society as a pleasantry to others, yet repress themselves as a displeasure to themselves. Personally, I think what is rather interesting to contemplate on... is the idea of the mask being an extension of ourselves, so much that it is a figurative representation of our desire to appeal to others while discarding the shameful distasteful qualities we hold; there is also this: How much can empathize when one or both discard the mask?
ReplyDelete“Crossing the River Zbrucs.” Isaac Babel. A short detailing of the horrific outcomes war has brought onto the land and the people who dwell in it. There is a voice that speaks on those who caught in the conflict, those who almost certainly have nothing to do with the conflict, and those who pay for having nothing to do with the conflict. The conflict, the conflict, the conflict. For the soldier, the conflict is near-apathetic for him, for the conflict is one the soldier lives with internally; it is the conflict that haunts his dreams, it is the conflict that he fantasizes, and is never anything he expected nor anything he may wish could be expected less of. The narrator is established as an aggressive fellow, perhaps even brazen, as he is willing to scream insults to the impoverished suffering townsfolk taking refuge in a shoddy building, unbeknownst of the extent to their suffering. By the end of the story - and I did take a peak at this sort of answer - the narrator has become the understanding from the reader. The conclusive paragraph does not follow with the narrator’s answer, for the drop-down effect of the woman’s reveal of her father’s death would be brittled down if the narrator would respond. The story accomplishes everything, and leaves it to the reader to suddenly feel aghast, much how the narrator might likely be despite his previous demeanor.
Gary Tolar
“The Baby.” Donald Barthelme. A satirical piece on parental guidance and neglect batched into extreme measures with seemingly good intentions. It is essentially a narrative driven through a theme of an infatuation with one’s own parental authority; I say infatuation because this line - “That is one of the satisfying things about being a parent — you’ve got a lot of moves, each one good as gold” - details a parent absolutely self-assured they’re right even when their previous plan went awry.
DeleteThis is a tale of parental authority attempting to instill adult logic in a toddler’s world, where causality is far beyond the child’s grasp; this is also a tale of unintentional hypocrisy, detailing a parent who wishes to prepare their child for the world, but does so by locking their child away from it. These lines are especially important: “But I pointed out to her that the baby had a long life to live and had to live in a world with others, had to live in a world where there were many, many rules, and if you couldn’t learn to play by the rules you were going to be left out in the cold with no character, shunned and ostracized by everyone.” (David Starkey. Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief (p. 110).) As a repercussion to their disciplining of the child, the child begins to act out, channeling their repressed frustration into violently tearing pages out of books. The parent, now realizing it would be incredibly extreme to go further, instead decides to have the child act out and even joins in on their activities; while the crisis seems solved, the parent is only mitigating the trauma they have brought onto the child, especially since the parent has now stoop to the base desires a child has.
Gary Tolar
Short-Short Fiction seemed like it would be simple, concise, and straightforward. Writing short-short story, requires you to include elements of fiction, such as structure/design, character, dialogue, setting, and point of view, tone, and style. It is important present these elements in distinct and direct manners, due to the fact that you are limited on the number of words, or number of pages. Upon reading Isaac Babel’s “Crossing the River Zbrucz”, I was slightly confused with the ending. I enjoyed the amount of description placed into the first and second paragraphs because it gave me a visual of the setting he was in. I found the sentence in which he stated “The orange sun is rolling across the sky like a severed head…” to be quite interesting. His choice of words emulated an eerie tone for the story. When I read Donald Barthelme’s story “The Baby” I was highly captivated. The introduction brought me in, and his use of vivid descriptions of the events that were occuring, always had me on my toes, ready to see what was going to happen next. I was a bit confused on whether his punishments were real or not. For a baby, these punishments were cruel, so it made me ponder over the idea that there might be a deeper meaning of this story. At the end he accepted hi child’s actions, but why was tearing books out of pages such significant burden for him.
ReplyDeleteValerie Jackson
When it comes to writing short stories, there is a lot of things that we must take into consideration to make it worthy of reading. In comparison to creative nonfiction, short stories are fiction. The first essay called “Crossing the River Zbrucz” was very confusing for me to read. It was hard to understand what was going on in the beginning. There is not enough background story to know exactly what the main character in the story is doing or who exactly he is. The second story “The Baby” was entertaining to read. In comparison to the first story, the characters and over all theme of the story is clear. I like how Donald uses a scenario that can happen to anybody in real life as a parent, but then adds her own twist to it by putting in exaggerations to the story that make it fiction. The part where Donald says “…which put her alone in her room for as much as sixteen hours at a stretch” was where she gives the story the fictional twist saying how a baby goes locked in a room for so many hours straight that it interferes with feeding. The last story “Marzipan” was a lot of dialogue. With almost no backstory to the characters, we still get a good picture of them with the way that they talk and the things that they say. The Englishman in the story is portrayed as a weird single man trying his best to pick up women at the bar with lines he practices beforehand.
ReplyDeleteFrancisco Rosales
Several factors must be taken into consideration at the writing of a short story. This style of writing does not provide much for the author to be able to create long exposition, so it is important to be concise. Also, creating characters is important, one must know them well, as well as their desires. Due to page constraints, a writer of short fiction must be able to present as much information in as short of time as possible. Will the be round, or flat? Does their name have a deeper meaning which contributes to the story? In addition, dialogue can be included, but not overused. Characters, as well as scene are important in creating a world which the reader will enter and live in momentarily. Scene creation and references should be well done, and researched if it is a real place. Tone, style, and point of view should also be considered when creating a short work, as they may add more to your story, or make your story that much less. In total, there are several factors which go into play when creating a short work, in addition to other factors not mentioned in this post. Careful consideration of person, place, setting, tone, style and presentation must be considered when creating a short work.
ReplyDelete- Jose Montoya
With the intro to writing a short story I enjoyed that there was a bit more guidelines yet you are able to let the imagination work. I also enjoyed the bit of J. R. R. Tolkien it gave me a bit more courage to write because he is one of my favorite authors. The structure made me feel a bit better because instead of going based on a memory with nonfiction you make another world, which I enjoy. Isaac Babel “Crossing the River Zbrucz “ was a good war story it was dark but still kept the reader interested. What I thought was weird how it was all a dream to him that was crazy. Marzipan by Roberta Allen, was a twist way to remember a mother. The man was flirting with a girl and being very confident with himself and with a snap he remembered that his mother loved the marzipan and suddenly it no longer tastes the same. I found each story have the trauma with each other whether it is dreams, life, and just bad judgment.
ReplyDeleteAndi Marie Rubalcava
There is more structure that goes into writing a short-short story than I had anticipated. Seeing as most of the story is made of fiction, I believe that it was simply just writing what came out of your head then cleaning it up into the finished product. The characters, the dialogue, the settings, and so on; they all need to follow their own set of guidelines to make it a short-short story. Though, reading through these guideline, I don't see them any different that what writers normally try to do: make their characters more human, create convincing dialogue that is both spoken and silent. Despite that, writing these types of stories do come with a specific set of rules, like the creative nonfiction, that keeps the writer from completely flying off the handle. They not only help the writer develop their elements into something better and more believable, but they also help explore the genre itself while also discovering what makes these short-short stories different than the others.
ReplyDeleteIt's after reading this do I believe that writing short-short stories is one of the hardest things to do. Sure we look that the word count and other restraints and think, "No problem." But once we write a story and become properly invested, we find it hard to stop. These writers not only have to condense all of their information to fit the limit, but they need to do it in a way that doesn't make the characters or any of the other elements seem less-than or rushed. Reading their finished works is easy, but it's only when we try for ourselves that we learn how difficult writing this type of story really is.
Teresa Villarreal
Some key examples stated on writing the short-short story such as narratives, poetry, drama, prose, prose poem, creative nonfiction, genre fiction, and a backstory are several examples on creating a short-short story. There are key elements of knowing fiction such as the structure and design, character, dialogue, setting, and a point of view. Crossing the River Zbrucz by Isaac babel is an interesting essay due to the fact that his parenting skills weren’t as efficient since the kid was constantly tearing pages out regardless of the punishment and pain they were receiving. The end was even more interesting due to the fact that he couldn’t “beat them so he joined them” and that’s exactly what he did. In the essay Marzipan by Roberta Allen, gives background information on who Allen is being the author of the essay. I absolutely loved this essay, the fact that he thought and felt in control and his mother’s memory came back uncontrollably subconsciously and that amazes me that the fact it overcame him so dramatically, seeing the marzipan triggered him into a traumatic memory that led him to remember his mothers’ suicide. The fact that I his mother hadn’t died he would’ve tasted that marzipan so sweet and nourishing, instead it’s a bitter taste to even look at. The checklist on page 115-116 is very useful to use for whenever we are having trouble with structure and design, guidelines and checklists are always helpful to full achieve the best essay we can potentially fulfil. There are more checklists to view on pages: 122, 128, 132. 140, and 142 on helping the story be structured the best it could possibly be.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Ruiz