Joyce Carol Oates's Short Stories Between Tradition and InnovationJoyce Carol Oates's short stories demarcate her position as an author straddling the realms of a passé literary tradition and of modern innovation. Oates stresses the importance of contemporizing conventional devices and genres rather than breaking with tradition. An in-depth discussion of her «re-imaginings» of classic short stories, her transformation of specific short story genres, and her construction of «cycles» as a means of expanding the dimensions of the short story demonstrates the influence of literary precursors and her own autonomous aesthetic. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 9 |
REIMAGININGS OF OLD MASTERS | 15 |
OATES AND TRADITIONAL SHORT STORY GENRES | 59 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
able action aesthetic affair American Annie appear approach attempts aware become begins body bonds characters closely collections communication concerned consciousness conventional critical Crossing cycle dead death depicts desire dream effect elements emotional enters existence experience expression external extraordinary father fear feels fiction final forces formal genre girl Gothic human individual initiation inner insanity isolation James James's Joyce Carol Oates Kafka's knowledge literary Lived look lover marriage means MICHIGAN mind narrative narrator nature needs never Oates Oates's past pattern person perspective physical Plot point of view possibility present Press protagonist psychological rational reader reality recognition reflects relation relationships remains Renee represents result reveal sense sequence setting short story situation social society strains structure takes technique terror thematic theme things Thoreau thought tion tradition Turn vision woman writing