How does Zadie Smith make the Clinton Corset Emporium come alive in the story? What kinds of sensual details--sight, sound, taste, smell, touch--are favored? How does Smith create the sense of movement, the crowded atmosphere of the story? How is NYC a part of the story? What makes this not just a story about a transgendered person, but a story about the city?
This is the first 3rd person short story we've read. How does that point-of-view shift the telling of the story compared to the previous two? The story is limited omniscient--we're limited to Miss Adele's thoughts and perspective. What is she like?
Speaking of Miss Adele, I wonder how reliable she is as a narrator? What do you think? Is the owner of the shop racist or transphobic? What do you think he's listening to on his radio? How much can we trust Miss Adele's assumptions about other people?
Do you know who these actresses are that Miss Adele refers to: Loretta Young, Vivien Leigh (Tara is a reference to Gone w/ the Wind).
I think this story points out how rich our city is. It's not just a NYC story, but a story about the Lower East Side. For your writing this week, I would like you to write a story--or a poem, essay, play, etc.--that is set in a specific neighborhood, one that you know. It can't be set in "Manhattan" or "Queens," but needs to be set in a much more specific location, one w/ real sensual details.
Also, some of you have expressed your dissatisfaction w/ online learning. There's nothing we can do about that, but the class doesn't have to continue the way it is currently. I made our content asynchronous (we don't all have to "meet" to do the work) b/c I assumed it would make things easier on you. However, it doesn't have to be this way. I could set up Blackboard Collaborate sessions during our regular class time on Tues. to discuss the readings if you'd rather. Likewise, I could set up individual group crit sessions so that your groups could "meet" too. If this sounds like something you'd like to do, then let me know.
In response to the 3rd person POV:
ReplyDeleteThe 3rd person point of view has an interesting function in this story. This is the window into some of her biographical information, and sheds light on her triggers originating way back from her childhood. This point of view is expressed as if it’s been hovering over Adele her whole life, it understands her family life back in Florida. It tells us she has a twin brother and implies a contentious relationship between them. It tells us she had a difficult relationship with her mother and father, and her parent’s dysfunctional relationship They weren’t actively present in the story, but they seemed intrinsic to how she experiences the world. Miss Adele doesn’t explicitly offer these details, unlike the other stories we read where William and Marion had full control of the narrative.
Another interesting sense I get is that this point of view is speaking on Miss Adele’s behalf, from a vantage point that has a clear insight into her psyche. It remembers when she was Darren Bailey, it tells you she has long had a temper. Beyond this, not much insight was given about the other characters inner lives. No explanation as to what language they were speaking, what the husband and wife were saying to each other or what was actually on that radio. As readers, we observe the external forces Miss Adele is subjected to, and would have to interpret their actions and intentions as they are presented.
Hi Steph:
ReplyDeleteThis is a great analysis of pov. It's a very close 3rd person pov (limited omniscient is the technical term). When we're in the "now" of the story, it's like we're a cameraman following Miss Adelle around. But in the moment you're talking about, it becomes exposition (what often gets called "telling," a necessary technique in all writing no matter what your teachers say; readers just don't want too much of it). This is something that only fiction/writing can do. Film has the clumsy flashback technique, but fiction takes us into Miss Adelle's mind. When films use voiceover narration, they're recognizing their limitations in this vein and they're
acting like fiction.