tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161136885462262525.post8290151131581068618..comments2024-03-09T00:19:36.011-08:00Comments on Reading the Short Story: Elizabeth Strout's Anything is Possible Wins Story Prize, But Does One Read The Separate Pieces as Stories or Chapters?Charles E. Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11642048806407593585noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161136885462262525.post-41674376617085952082018-10-19T04:22:13.129-07:002018-10-19T04:22:13.129-07:00I completely agree with the issue about story cycl...I completely agree with the issue about story cycles being rather deceptively called novels or 'fiction' - properly speaking a story should stand on its own without benefit of the reader's prior knowledge of the characters and or a specific place and period in time. <br />I had no idea that 'Olive Kitteridge' was a sequence of stories and assumed it was a novel. Perhaps I was deceived by the TV mini series? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161136885462262525.post-25070983168775067022018-05-02T08:25:09.885-07:002018-05-02T08:25:09.885-07:00Hello Charles,
Great blog: I've just discovere...Hello Charles,<br />Great blog: I've just discovered it and it's a wonderful resource for anyone who shares your passion for the short story. I've read your books and essays and used them in my teaching for years. I am a short-story writer myself (just three published so far) and wrote my thesis on the short-story cycle. I teach the short story more than any other form and have recently taught some courses focusing specifically on the short-story cycle. I share your 'pedantry' regarding definitions and taxonomies and wish that publishers would use the term 'cycle' or 'sequence' rather than novel. I enjoyed 'Olive Kitteridge' but wasn't so fond of 'My Name is Lucy Barton', although I do love Strout's writing style. I'm looking forward to 'Anything is Possible' and will return to your analysis when I've read it. I hope you're feeling better! <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com