From the Archives: “Clarity can be reached via winding paths, and the reading experience may be all the richer for the wandering”: Christina Ward-Niven wraps up her essay on defamiliarization with a discussion of Gina Berriault’s surprising language.
From the Archives: “The unexpected can actually move the reader from an automated kind of knowledge to a more complex kind of knowledge”: Christina Ward-Niven on point of view and characterization in Eudora Welty.
From the Archives: “By allowing strangeness into our familiar landscapes, we can surprise the reader into pausing, paying attention, and possibly recognizing some kind of familiar human truth in a new, illuminating way”: Christina Ward-Niven on odd narrative events in Chekhov.
“And a bobcat may somehow be involved. How can we not read on?”: Christina Ward-Niven takes a close look at the control of tension in Rebecca Lee’s “Bobcat.”
“A close examination of economy and endings in this collection reveals several craft choices made by the author that consistently bolster efficiency and surprise.”
“Why is intense, close connection so challenging to convey in fiction?”: Christina Ward-Niven looks to Miranda July, Rachel Cusk, and Stacey D’Erasmo to unpack narrative intimacy. Be sure to check out the first part of this essay, which appeared on Tuesday.
“Why is intense, close connection so challenging to convey in fiction?”: Christina Ward-Niven looks to Alice Munro and Stacey D’Erasmo to unpack narrative intimacy. Look out for part II of this essay on Thursday.
