Add a comment with your reflections on this author.
2 comments:
Emma (Bennett)
said...
Raymond Carver is difficult to do for AAT, but I think that it is worth it. His writing style is something I have never read before and I think that it was very beneficial for me to experience a challenge in reading. His books are all short stories and he writes in ways that can be confusing at times. My suggestion would be to read at least two of the stories and get a feel of the style before you choose to do him. I read the books Cathedral, Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, and What We Talk About When We Talk ABout Love. These books went well together and I think that there are many theses that can be taken out of the stories. All stories cannot be written about, so this actually made it easier to form my paper. I could choose the ones that I wanted and if I couldn't find a connection or a good quote I would just look in the other stories. Carver's writing is very abstract at times and he often leaves cliffhangers, so if you are someone who likes a solid ending I would definitely not choose Carver. He is the author you either love or hate, so read a couple of the stories and try to decide. They are short so they shouldn't take too long to read. He is now one of my favorite authors, but it took a whole book to realize that I liked him.
Julio Martin Marin: Raymond Carver is an interesting author to read. He is a short story author. His writing style puts you right in the middle of the story from the start, and it allows the reader to interpret the events for himself. You can form your own opinions about the text, since Carver just narrates the plot and sits back to let you enjoy and relax. As sampling material I read the first three stories from Will you Please be Quiet, Please? I found them to be very interesting and amusing, but halfway through the book, the stories started to become increasingly boring. He narrates random events that could happen to anyone on a day to day basis. And these situations often involve family matters or romantic issues. Most of his narration takes place in California, where he was born. I also read Cathedral, What we Talk About When we Talk About Love, a collection called The Augustine Notebooks, and Where I’m Calling From. I would recommend reading at least two short stories from three of the books to get a feel of what his writing is like. I think you will enjoy his commentary on normal life, identity, and relationships. Some of his themes involve love, desperation, reflection, struggle, and alcoholism. His stories are intense and I recommend reflecting on the endings, since he always leaves you with a cliffhanger. Overall, I neither loved nor hated Carver, but he did open my eyes and switch my perspective on everyday occasions. Since the books are made up of short stories it is easy to just pick and choose which ones fit with your thesis. In conclusion, if I could pick a new author I would not pick Carver again. This is because even though his commentary on life is intriguing at times, I never got sucked in by it like some other books. If you choose him, make sure you are ready for a nonchalant read.
Now that you have written your essay, we ask that you reflect on the reading portion of the experience and write 100-150 words about your author.
Think of what you write as advice for someone next year and beyond, someone who (like you were doing last fall) is thinking about choosing your author - and maybe even the same three books - to read for the assignment.
2 comments:
Raymond Carver is difficult to do for AAT, but I think that it is worth it. His writing style is something I have never read before and I think that it was very beneficial for me to experience a challenge in reading. His books are all short stories and he writes in ways that can be confusing at times. My suggestion would be to read at least two of the stories and get a feel of the style before you choose to do him. I read the books Cathedral, Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, and What We Talk About When We Talk ABout Love. These books went well together and I think that there are many theses that can be taken out of the stories. All stories cannot be written about, so this actually made it easier to form my paper. I could choose the ones that I wanted and if I couldn't find a connection or a good quote I would just look in the other stories. Carver's writing is very abstract at times and he often leaves cliffhangers, so if you are someone who likes a solid ending I would definitely not choose Carver. He is the author you either love or hate, so read a couple of the stories and try to decide. They are short so they shouldn't take too long to read. He is now one of my favorite authors, but it took a whole book to realize that I liked him.
Julio Martin Marin:
Raymond Carver is an interesting author to read. He is a short story author. His writing style puts you right in the middle of the story from the start, and it allows the reader to interpret the events for himself. You can form your own opinions about the text, since Carver just narrates the plot and sits back to let you enjoy and relax. As sampling material I read the first three stories from Will you Please be Quiet, Please? I found them to be very interesting and amusing, but halfway through the book, the stories started to become increasingly boring. He narrates random events that could happen to anyone on a day to day basis. And these situations often involve family matters or romantic issues. Most of his narration takes place in California, where he was born. I also read Cathedral, What we Talk About When we Talk About Love, a collection called The Augustine Notebooks, and Where I’m Calling From. I would recommend reading at least two short stories from three of the books to get a feel of what his writing is like. I think you will enjoy his commentary on normal life, identity, and relationships. Some of his themes involve love, desperation, reflection, struggle, and alcoholism. His stories are intense and I recommend reflecting on the endings, since he always leaves you with a cliffhanger. Overall, I neither loved nor hated Carver, but he did open my eyes and switch my perspective on everyday occasions. Since the books are made up of short stories it is easy to just pick and choose which ones fit with your thesis. In conclusion, if I could pick a new author I would not pick Carver again. This is because even though his commentary on life is intriguing at times, I never got sucked in by it like some other books. If you choose him, make sure you are ready for a nonchalant read.
June 16th, 2015
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