The PEx Short Stories discussions thread.

strandedstranger

I missed my Literature class where my teacher would assign loads of short stories for us to read and discuss during class. Since not everyone here has apt time to procure and read the same book but are still itching to at least read something and discuss to fellow Literature geeks, I will be posting titles (and if possible scanned copies) which we can discuss every day.

Each short story can be discussed for three days and can be extended depending on the interest of the people who will be posting in this thread.

For November 13, 2011:

In the Penal Colony (1914) by Franz Kafka
[highlight][Full Text Here.][/highlight]

For November 17, 2011

The Summer Solstice by Nick Joaquin
[highlight][Full Text Here.][/highlight]

For November 20, 2011

The Story of a Letter by Carlos Bulosan
I will post copies of the said short story here soon.

For November 23, 2011

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
[highlight][Part 1, Chapters 1 to 3][/highlight]

For November 24, 2011

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
[highlight][Part 1, Chapters 4 to 6][/highlight]

For November 25, 2011

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
[highlight][Part 1, Chapters 7 to 9][/highlight]

For November 26, 2011

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
[highlight][Part 1, Chapters 10 to 11][/highlight]

For November 27, 2011

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
[highlight][Part 2, Chapters 1 to 3][/highlight]

For November 28, 2011

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
[highlight][Part 2, Chapters 4 to 6][/highlight]

For November 29, 2011

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
[highlight][Part 2, Chapters 7 to 10][/highlight]

I just have one rule, if you will be borrowing another person's words, make sure you cite them accordingly but as much as possible refrain from reading analysis from the internet. It's fun to discuss these stories just like we do in the classroom.

Post your thoughts about the first short story.

EBAonyourwall

ngayon ko lang nakita to.

TS, this is a fine thread, but perhaps that sched is a bit too much for busy pexers. hehe

I'm currently reading White Nights. i'll read Notes from Underground after. i'm interested to share my thoughts about it in this thread.

EBAonyourwall

oh, i think translation matters. i'm now reading andrew macandrew's translation, it's fun so far. i just realized dostoevsky had a sense of humor.

na-encounter ko nun translation ni constance garnett. it's unreadable!

most people praise the translation of peaver-volokhonsky.

check this out and see the difference yourself:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~karamazo/translations.html#macandrew

brrrrr!!!

^ Fyodor is a god! :Dlol, Crime and Punishment was like my bible/horror book as a kid and it gave me such a compulsion that before college I'm fairly literate with his oeuvre including the Brothers K. di naman ako gaanong fan, onti lang. lol anyway, having sampled the different translations I say Dosto's humor is better captured by some, while virtually lost in Garnett's and the older texts. By default go for P-V except in 2 cases: David Magarshack for the short stories, and Jesse Coulson for Crime & Punishment.

EBAonyourwall

^ halatang super excited kang idiscuss si dostoevsky. go! share your thoughts about his works!

brrrrr!!!

I wish.. but Umm, I see this requires time and the use of something called a brain, which I both lack lol. I'm no scholar, just some poor ordinary fan.. :hiya:

strandedstranger

I want to bring this one up to the first page but let's do a reset instead of the schedule I posted.

For this week let's discuss: A ROSE FOR EMILY by William Faulkner.


[Text here]

Some guide questions I came up with:

(1) Is Homer gay? If so, which part of the text clues us his orientation?

(2) The word 'rose' was not mentioned until the latter part of the text. Is this intended by the author or is it just a coincidence? Why is the text titled as such? Second, what is the significance of a 'rose' to Emily? Is it metaphor for her?

(3) Comment on the nonlinear presentation of the story.

(4) None of the characters have been given lines in the story. Why are we presented with a single voice [omniscient pov] in the story?

(5) After Miss Emily’s death, what do we discover in the room “which no one had seen in forty years”? Why is the second pillow on the bed important? What does it show to us? Discuss Miss Emily’s motive for her action.

You can add up a few questions of your own to further this discussion. You can answer any of the questions above.

strandedstranger

(This is high school freshman short story so this is a relatively light short story to tackle, although you can discuss the social implications presented in the story.)

strandedstranger

Up!

Some of you might want to suggest a really good short story.

strandedstranger

Up for this!

ScribblerGeek

^And you stilll have the Book Challenge, man you already! lol. But I suggest The Last Leaf by O.Henry. Gave me goosebumps when I first read it twelve years ago.

elijahsnow

strandedstranger wrote: »

Up!

Some of you might want to suggest a really good short story.

Bumping up!

Suggestion: Murder Mysteries by Neil Gaiman
(Click for the whole story.)

iCool001

Sino po dito may idea kung ano yung wish nung bida sa "The Birthday Girl" ni Haruki Murakami?