1. Compare and contrast the short story you choose in a given week to the novel we are reading that week. Consider differences in character development, plots, settings and themes. Consider how the length of the form, i.e. short story vs. novel, impacts the story. Which did you prefer in a given week and why.
This was the first time I have had to give any thought to which story I prefer. Previously I always picked the short story without hesitation. This week, I loved both stories and had a hard time choosing.
The differences character development is that The Virgin of the Small Plains didn't have a a true main character. I would assume the author would say that Abby was the main character since she appeared the most but she wasn't a typical main character. The Monks of the Abbey Victoria had an ordinary main character that they story revolved around.
One plot was a man that was conned into taking the fall for other men stealing a schedule of TV shows that they sold to the competitors for a premium. The other plot was about a nameless murder victim and the killers were discovered at the end of to story.
The settings were completely opposite. The Virgin of the Small Plains took place in a very small town in Kansas and The Monks of the Abbey Victoria took place in New York City.
The length of the story always makes me choose the the novel. I am more into the story because I know the characters. The short story was a close second because it was very clever and well written. It is the only short story that I liked that I read so far.
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
I attribute the amount of emotion included in the story to the gender of the author. The Virgin of Small Plains included well detailed emotions of how Abby felt when Mitch left and when he returned. It talked about how Rex never really got over Sarah.
The Monks of the Abbey Victoria talked about a husband cheating on his wife and he didn't seem to have he had any second thoughts about cheating on his wife. His only concern was about getting caught. I think that if a woman were writing the story, he would at least think about his wife and feel somewhat guilty for going out with another woman.
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
I liked this story because I did not expect for him to be set up and have to take the fall for the other men stealing the schedule. I never saw that coming so I was satisfied because it had a good twist at the end but it still explained it enough to where I didn't feel like I was left "hanging."
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
This was my favorite week of the story because The Virgin of Small Plains was my favorite story of the course. I also read The Monks of the Abbey Victoria which was by far my favorite short story. I have discovered that I typically prefer a female author of a male author which I did not know before this course. I didn't know how important the emotions were for me to be engaged in the story before I took this course.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Hothouse
1. Compare and contrast the short story you choose in a given week to the novel we are reading that week. Consider differences in character development, plots, settings and themes. Consider how the length of the form, i.e. short story vs. novel, impacts the story. Which did you prefer in a given week and why.
Hothouse was about a homeless man that was an escaped convict. I think that I would have liked Hothouse more if it were longer. I think that the character development was lacking a little which I felt was the reason why I didn’t feel sorry for John Kelly. I felt the reason why it was lacking was because of the shortness of the story. I actually preferred the short story this week because I felt that Mystic River was too dark for me. I feel like Hothouse could have had a lot of potential if it was a little longer and they gave a little more history of his life. It talked about how he murdered his wife and S.J. Rozan could have made you feel more sorry for John Kelly if story was a little longer. Rozen could have made it seem more the wife’s fault for cheating on him.
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
I felt that S.J. Rozan spent most of the story building up to the last two pages. I thought she did a good job of describing the setting in the little time she had. I also thought Dennis Lehane did a great job of making you feel attached to the characters. So far I feel like women are more known for making me more attached to the characters and Lehane is an exception.
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
I liked the story but I don’t feel like there was really a mystery in the story. I felt like it was just a short story, not a short mystery story. I was a little surprised that he died in the ending. I thought that they way the story ended, I realized that she had foreshadowed his death a few pages before so then I wasn’t surprised at all. I didn’t really feel satisfied or unsatisfied with this story, it was just lukewarm. I would have found the ending more upsetting if I were more attached to him.
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
I think Rozan could have added one extra page to show the relationship development between John Kelly and Doctor Morse. It also could have been better it told about Doctor Morse being upset that he was shot.
Hothouse was about a homeless man that was an escaped convict. I think that I would have liked Hothouse more if it were longer. I think that the character development was lacking a little which I felt was the reason why I didn’t feel sorry for John Kelly. I felt the reason why it was lacking was because of the shortness of the story. I actually preferred the short story this week because I felt that Mystic River was too dark for me. I feel like Hothouse could have had a lot of potential if it was a little longer and they gave a little more history of his life. It talked about how he murdered his wife and S.J. Rozan could have made you feel more sorry for John Kelly if story was a little longer. Rozen could have made it seem more the wife’s fault for cheating on him.
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
I felt that S.J. Rozan spent most of the story building up to the last two pages. I thought she did a good job of describing the setting in the little time she had. I also thought Dennis Lehane did a great job of making you feel attached to the characters. So far I feel like women are more known for making me more attached to the characters and Lehane is an exception.
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
I liked the story but I don’t feel like there was really a mystery in the story. I felt like it was just a short story, not a short mystery story. I was a little surprised that he died in the ending. I thought that they way the story ended, I realized that she had foreshadowed his death a few pages before so then I wasn’t surprised at all. I didn’t really feel satisfied or unsatisfied with this story, it was just lukewarm. I would have found the ending more upsetting if I were more attached to him.
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
I think Rozan could have added one extra page to show the relationship development between John Kelly and Doctor Morse. It also could have been better it told about Doctor Morse being upset that he was shot.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters and Eleven On Top
The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters
1. Compare and contrast the short story you choose in a given week to the novel we are reading that week. Consider differences in character development, plots, settings and themes. Consider how the length of the form, i.e. short story vs. novel, impacts the story. Which did you prefer in a given week and why.
Here I go again talking about how the short story was TERRIBLE. Short stories are just not my thing. The plot in “The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters” was actually really good for the first part of the story. Then it went to when they were older and the rest of the story bored the socks off of me. The story started off with two daughters that assumed their father murdered two people. I was very interested in finding out if there suspicions were correct. Then the story went to when they were older and they never talked about it again. All it talked about was their senile and violent father. I think that maybe a person with older parents would like this story more. I thought this was the worst story of all of them so far by a long shot. The character development was great in the first part and I started to feel like I was really beginning to know the characters. Then the story jumped ahead many decades and the main character was very different and cynical so I don’t know why he bothered with going into so much detail when she was a child. The plot was very good in the beginning and then just dropped off in the middle of the story. The setting was well described and in a family home with many marital problems between the problems. Then the middle aged daughter returned to take care of her very sick father that she had very much animosity towards. I am glad that “The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters” wasn’t a page longer. The story was such a let down because the main plot was never touched on for the second half of the story. I much prefer “Eleven On Top” to “The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters.”
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
Both of the authors this week were women. I assume that Joyce Carol Oates is a middle aged woman herself that has witnessed someone going through old age. I do not know how old she is but I assume she is older than Janet Evanovich. Either that or Janet Evanovich has stayed more in touch with her youthful side which makes her more appealing to me.
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
I am sure by the time you begin reading this section, you know that the story was not my style. J The first half of “The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters” worked very well for me. I was engaged and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. The second half of the story was what made it the worst I have read so far. I was left completely unsatisfied because they never touched on the murder mystery for the second half of the story. I guess they did a little but not very much. The father did say that he wanted to go to confession so a reader might infer that he wanted to confess to both murders. I did not assume that because who knows what he wanted to confess. The second half of the story was just about a daughter taking care of her very mean and senile father. That is not a mystery in my opinion. I felt like I had to make myself finish this story and I was very glad that it was over. I was completely unsatisfied with this story due to the second half. I also thought the title was very misleading because when I read the title, I assumed it would be about someone that was born blind and had children that were still young.
On another note, I thought “Eleven On Top” was the best book that I have read for this course. I was surprised that Stiva was posing as Spiro. I didn’t even pick up that it might be him until it was spelled out for me. I was still assuming it was Spiro until Stiva admitted to be pretending to be Spiro. I was very satisfied with this story. The only thing that would have made it even more satisfying is if they told us which guy she picked in the end. Then I would give it an A+ instead of an A.
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
I really enjoy reading the novels for the course. I did not feel overwhelmed with the amount of reading this week. I do not like reading the short stories because I feel that I am wasting my time because every one of them has been a let down so far.
5. Add anything else that you think is relevant to the course and your experience. I'm not looking for anything specific here, only what may be important to you. If you don't have anything to add in this category, that's okay. I won't deduct points and it won't hurt your grade. However, interesting, compelling thoughts or observations can enhance your grade.
I really am trying to get my posts in earlier in the week but I was not able to finish the book until yesterday. Yes I realize that we are suppose to read it the week before but I do not feel like that is a realistic time frame for a person with a job and taking another course. I promise I really am reading as much and as fast as possible. I happen to read about the same pace as a snail!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Proof of God by Holly Goddard Jones
1. Compare and contrast the short story you choose in a given week to the novel we are reading that week. Consider differences in character development, plots, settings and themes. Consider how the length of the form, i.e. short story vs. novel, impacts the story. Which did you prefer in a given week and why.
I prefer Guardian Angel rather than “Proof of God.” The charcater development in “Proof of God” was unclear. The character couldn’t decide if he was gay or not. It was very hard for me to relate to. I wanted him to just come out and say he was gay instead of inferring it during the whole story. The plots were similar because they had more than one plot which made it quite confusing. In “Proof of God,” there were two plots. The first plot was about how he had feelings for his male friend. The second plot was when he and his friend accidentally murdered a girl while they were raping her. As far as charcter development, I want a character that has already found himself/herself. I find those stories much more engaging. The setting of “Guardian Angel” was in Chicago with people who had already made a life for themselves. “Guardian Angel” was set in a college town with characters that were still searching to find themselves which made it hard for me to enjoy.
I have concluded that short stories just don’t work for me. I really dislike “Proof of God.” I find out very hard to get into and enjoy. They are just to quick to really to really get you captivated and make you guess what is going to happen next. In “Guardian Angel,” I felt like I really got to know the characters which the foundation for an excellent story. In “Proof of God,” I never felt sorry for the main character even though I think I was suppose to. “He looked at that word, the big one on the hood: FAG.” (Page 76 of The Best American Mystery Stories)
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
This week, both of the authors were female. I did notice that Sara Paretsky included a lot more emotions than the male authors which I appreciated. That is how I feel that I know the characters better and really feel that I can relate to them. “The impulse to smash his face in was so strong that I just pulled my fist back before it connected.” (Page 82 of Guardian Angel)
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
I was completely unsatisfied with the whole story of “Proof of God,” especially the ending. It was sad that justice was not served in this story. He got away with helping with murder by denying it because they only had his friend’s word against his. I was also unsatisfied with the ending of “Guardian Angel.” I felt like it was so confusing and not everything was explained. I wanted it to spell out every detail so it didn’t leave me trying to piece some things together.
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
I feel that every week we get closer to the right book for me. I like that this one included a lot of emotions so I could really get into the story. I just wished that story moved a faster pace so I wasn’t bored in parts of the story. I really feel like that I have begun to really think about what I am reading and getting a lot of more out the stories I read since I am analyzing them more.
I was also really annoyed that the title "Proof of God" didn't fit the story at all. You would think that God would be mentioned more than twice in the story if they were going to call the story "Proof of God." I thought the title made the story sound interesting and I was exremely disappointed with this story.
5. Add anything else that you think is relevant to the course and your experience. I'm not looking for anything specific here, only what may be important to you. If you don't have anything to add in this category, that's okay. I won't deduct points and it won't hurt your grade. However, interesting, compelling thoughts or observations can enhance your grade.
I think this is still a crazy amount of reading. I think that a better pace would be to read a book every two weeks. You could reflect on what you think you will happen during the middle of the story on the weeks that you aren’t finishing books. The amount of reading is still overwhelming me.
I prefer Guardian Angel rather than “Proof of God.” The charcater development in “Proof of God” was unclear. The character couldn’t decide if he was gay or not. It was very hard for me to relate to. I wanted him to just come out and say he was gay instead of inferring it during the whole story. The plots were similar because they had more than one plot which made it quite confusing. In “Proof of God,” there were two plots. The first plot was about how he had feelings for his male friend. The second plot was when he and his friend accidentally murdered a girl while they were raping her. As far as charcter development, I want a character that has already found himself/herself. I find those stories much more engaging. The setting of “Guardian Angel” was in Chicago with people who had already made a life for themselves. “Guardian Angel” was set in a college town with characters that were still searching to find themselves which made it hard for me to enjoy.
I have concluded that short stories just don’t work for me. I really dislike “Proof of God.” I find out very hard to get into and enjoy. They are just to quick to really to really get you captivated and make you guess what is going to happen next. In “Guardian Angel,” I felt like I really got to know the characters which the foundation for an excellent story. In “Proof of God,” I never felt sorry for the main character even though I think I was suppose to. “He looked at that word, the big one on the hood: FAG.” (Page 76 of The Best American Mystery Stories)
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
This week, both of the authors were female. I did notice that Sara Paretsky included a lot more emotions than the male authors which I appreciated. That is how I feel that I know the characters better and really feel that I can relate to them. “The impulse to smash his face in was so strong that I just pulled my fist back before it connected.” (Page 82 of Guardian Angel)
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
I was completely unsatisfied with the whole story of “Proof of God,” especially the ending. It was sad that justice was not served in this story. He got away with helping with murder by denying it because they only had his friend’s word against his. I was also unsatisfied with the ending of “Guardian Angel.” I felt like it was so confusing and not everything was explained. I wanted it to spell out every detail so it didn’t leave me trying to piece some things together.
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
I feel that every week we get closer to the right book for me. I like that this one included a lot of emotions so I could really get into the story. I just wished that story moved a faster pace so I wasn’t bored in parts of the story. I really feel like that I have begun to really think about what I am reading and getting a lot of more out the stories I read since I am analyzing them more.
I was also really annoyed that the title "Proof of God" didn't fit the story at all. You would think that God would be mentioned more than twice in the story if they were going to call the story "Proof of God." I thought the title made the story sound interesting and I was exremely disappointed with this story.
5. Add anything else that you think is relevant to the course and your experience. I'm not looking for anything specific here, only what may be important to you. If you don't have anything to add in this category, that's okay. I won't deduct points and it won't hurt your grade. However, interesting, compelling thoughts or observations can enhance your grade.
I think this is still a crazy amount of reading. I think that a better pace would be to read a book every two weeks. You could reflect on what you think you will happen during the middle of the story on the weeks that you aren’t finishing books. The amount of reading is still overwhelming me.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Invisibles by Hugh Sheehy
The Invisibles by Hugh Sheehy
Quick Summary: A high school girl who thinks she is “invisible” to others is the main characters. Her two best friends are boyfriend and girlfriend and were abducted when they were at Lover’s Lane. At the end of the story, they find the killer but it does not seem to be for certain in the girl’s mind that they have the right guy.
1. Compare and contrast the short story you choose in a given week to the novel we are reading that week. Consider differences in character development, plots, settings and themes. Consider how the length of the form, i.e. short story vs. novel, impacts the story. Which did you prefer in a given week and why.
The character development in Black Betty is a little slower than in “Invisibles.” Then again it has to be in a short story because time does now allow a long character development. In “Black Betty,” Easy is introduced in the beginning and doesn’t seem to vary much in character. The plots are actually strikingly similar, they both involve missing people. They both seem to be dead but there is no or little evidence to prove it. The settings are complete opposites, “Blacky Betty” takes place in Los Angeles which is a very large city and “Invisibles” takes place in a very small town. The themes are different because “Invisibles” has all Causasian people and “Black Betty” has mostly African American characters.
I think the length of “Invisibles” really sold the story short of its true potential. I was really hooked in the beginning of the story and wanted to know what happened. Then the last page didn’t really wrap up what happened to the girl’s missing mother.
I would have to say that I pick the short story this week because I found it captavating from the very beginning. I thought that “Black Betty” was a little to slow for me. I need some more exciting things to happen in order for me to call it a “page turner.”
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
Both of the stories were written by males. I thought that Hugh Sheehy did a very good job of desribing a teenage girl that felt lost in the world in “Invisibles.” I really felt that I understand how she was feeling even though I never felt as though she did in high school. I thought he did a great job of constantly desribing the characters feelings to let you truly get into the story.
Easy Rawlings seemed odd to me because he was never seemed attached to any woman. It didn’t even seem as though any of his past lovers had left him remorseful at all. When he talked about an ex-wife and the reason why they divorced is that he never told the truth, he didn’t even seem sorry. I did like how he would think of his children before he acted. I thought that made him seem like a respectable man.
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
The mother disappeared a long time ago and there were two teenagers that disappeared recently. They were thought to have to the same murderer. You would think they would say they found the mother’s body when they found the other two. They didn’t confirm that they ever found the mother’s body which I thought was a real bummer. I wanted them to come out and say they found the mother’s body or used dental impressions to prove it was her: but instead it said “What if my mother was one of the bodies they’d found, one of those so decayed it would never be identified?” I want a story to spell out every detail in the end and not leave me wondering when I am finished. The other detail that frustrated me is that it didn’t seem that they it was they were 100% sure they had the right guy. It said “Then the station broadcast footage of the police arresting the man who murdered my friends, he wasn’t anyone I recognized.” This story left some details unexplained and were left a little fuzzy. I really wish the author spent the last page explaining that instead of how he did.
Overall I would say that this short story did not work for me. With a new ending that explains what also happened to the mother, I think this story would possess a lot of potential.
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
I am still enjoying reading mystery novels and calling that homework! I find this much more intersting exciting than reading a typical text book. I am still waiting to find a book that I consider a “must read” that I will recommend to my husband who also loves to read. I want a book that is unpredictable and makes me not want to put it down. I have enjoyed the books but feel like I am left wanting a little more out of them when I am finished.
5. Add anything else that you think is relevant to the course and your experience. I'm not looking for anything specific here, only what may be important to you. If you don't have anything to add in this category, that's okay. I won't deduct points and it won't hurt your grade. However, interesting, compelling thoughts or observations can enhance your grade.
Holy Cow, this is a lot of reading!!! Can anyone recommend a good speed reading teacher? J
Quick Summary: A high school girl who thinks she is “invisible” to others is the main characters. Her two best friends are boyfriend and girlfriend and were abducted when they were at Lover’s Lane. At the end of the story, they find the killer but it does not seem to be for certain in the girl’s mind that they have the right guy.
1. Compare and contrast the short story you choose in a given week to the novel we are reading that week. Consider differences in character development, plots, settings and themes. Consider how the length of the form, i.e. short story vs. novel, impacts the story. Which did you prefer in a given week and why.
The character development in Black Betty is a little slower than in “Invisibles.” Then again it has to be in a short story because time does now allow a long character development. In “Black Betty,” Easy is introduced in the beginning and doesn’t seem to vary much in character. The plots are actually strikingly similar, they both involve missing people. They both seem to be dead but there is no or little evidence to prove it. The settings are complete opposites, “Blacky Betty” takes place in Los Angeles which is a very large city and “Invisibles” takes place in a very small town. The themes are different because “Invisibles” has all Causasian people and “Black Betty” has mostly African American characters.
I think the length of “Invisibles” really sold the story short of its true potential. I was really hooked in the beginning of the story and wanted to know what happened. Then the last page didn’t really wrap up what happened to the girl’s missing mother.
I would have to say that I pick the short story this week because I found it captavating from the very beginning. I thought that “Black Betty” was a little to slow for me. I need some more exciting things to happen in order for me to call it a “page turner.”
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
Both of the stories were written by males. I thought that Hugh Sheehy did a very good job of desribing a teenage girl that felt lost in the world in “Invisibles.” I really felt that I understand how she was feeling even though I never felt as though she did in high school. I thought he did a great job of constantly desribing the characters feelings to let you truly get into the story.
Easy Rawlings seemed odd to me because he was never seemed attached to any woman. It didn’t even seem as though any of his past lovers had left him remorseful at all. When he talked about an ex-wife and the reason why they divorced is that he never told the truth, he didn’t even seem sorry. I did like how he would think of his children before he acted. I thought that made him seem like a respectable man.
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
The mother disappeared a long time ago and there were two teenagers that disappeared recently. They were thought to have to the same murderer. You would think they would say they found the mother’s body when they found the other two. They didn’t confirm that they ever found the mother’s body which I thought was a real bummer. I wanted them to come out and say they found the mother’s body or used dental impressions to prove it was her: but instead it said “What if my mother was one of the bodies they’d found, one of those so decayed it would never be identified?” I want a story to spell out every detail in the end and not leave me wondering when I am finished. The other detail that frustrated me is that it didn’t seem that they it was they were 100% sure they had the right guy. It said “Then the station broadcast footage of the police arresting the man who murdered my friends, he wasn’t anyone I recognized.” This story left some details unexplained and were left a little fuzzy. I really wish the author spent the last page explaining that instead of how he did.
Overall I would say that this short story did not work for me. With a new ending that explains what also happened to the mother, I think this story would possess a lot of potential.
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
I am still enjoying reading mystery novels and calling that homework! I find this much more intersting exciting than reading a typical text book. I am still waiting to find a book that I consider a “must read” that I will recommend to my husband who also loves to read. I want a book that is unpredictable and makes me not want to put it down. I have enjoyed the books but feel like I am left wanting a little more out of them when I am finished.
5. Add anything else that you think is relevant to the course and your experience. I'm not looking for anything specific here, only what may be important to you. If you don't have anything to add in this category, that's okay. I won't deduct points and it won't hurt your grade. However, interesting, compelling thoughts or observations can enhance your grade.
Holy Cow, this is a lot of reading!!! Can anyone recommend a good speed reading teacher? J
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Best American Mystery Stories - Mist by James Lee Burke
The Best American Mystery Stories - Mist by James Lee Burke
The story was about a drug addict trying to clean herself up. She didn't seem that dedicated to drying it, it was more her sponsor pushing her. Then the roles reversed.
The story was about a drug addict trying to clean herself up. She didn't seem that dedicated to drying it, it was more her sponsor pushing her. Then the roles reversed.
1. Compare and contrast the short story you choose in a given week to the novel we are reading that week. Consider differences in character development, plots, settings and themes. Consider how the length of the form, i.e. short story vs. novel, impacts the story. Which did you prefer in a given week and why.
I did not find either of these to by my style of book. I like books that put everything out there. I found the Maltese Falcon a bit confusing in the beginning. I do prefer the Maltese Falcon over Mist. The differences in the character development is you felt like you got to know Sam Spade better even though he was a mysterious character. The difference of the plots were murder verse someone trying to get clean from drugs. The difference in the settings was the Maltese was set in the 30's and Mist was set in present time. The Maltese Falcon was set in San Francisco and Mist was set somewhere in Louisiana. The Maltese Falcon was much more suspenseful and Mist was much more narrative.
I much prefer the Maltese Falcon to Mist. I felt much more attached to the characters in Maltese Falcon because I felt that I knew them better. Mist was too short so I never really felt like I was "into" the story. Maltese Falcon kept me guessing and even thinking about it when I wasn't reading it (while I was at work), trying to understand some of the details. I felt that Mist was just a quick read and it was over before it even really got started. I was not wondering what would happen next in this story.
I definitely think that a novel leaves a much bigger impact because the story and characters have more time to develop. When I read a novel, I am filled with questions until the end.
2. Do you attribute any differences between the short stories based on the gender of the author? If so, explain what differences you observed.
Both authors this week were men. I thought they both did not include very much emotion in their stories. It was much more cut and dry. I feel that a woman would have given you more details of how they were feeling at the time. I thought that a woman might run a little more with the romance with Brigid in Maltese Falcon instead of making her out to be a damsel in distress.
In Mist, I think the author needed to spend more time making you side with the main character. It just seemed that she had so many problems and never even tried to help herself. I never felt sorry for her. He needed to spend more time getting the reader attached because I felt like she kind of brought everything on herself because of her poor choices. I also found it a little unlikely that a woman that lost her lover and child would turn to drugs. In the story, she turned to drugs and alcohol. I would have found it more believable if she were just an alcoholic.
3. Review each short story. What did you like or dislike and why? Did the mystery in the short story work for you, i.e., were you challenged, surprised, satisfied or unsatisfied by what happened in the end.
Mist left me very unsatisfied because it never felt like a mystery. Nothing was stolen and no one was murdered. The end of the story was was the worst part because it left the reader hanging. I guess prefer a story that spells out the ending. I do not like stories that leaving you wondering after you finish which is what Mist did.
4. Reflect on the rest of the course, including your thoughts, reactions, observations, etc about the online discussion, the novels and anything else that strikes you as relevant to the course and your experience. DO NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE POSTED IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS.
I am enjoying this course because I love mysteries. CSI and Law & Order are my favorite shows.
Mist left me "reactionless." (I made up a new word) :) It was one of those stories that you read and never thinking about again after you finish. I am looking forward to reading a different short story to see if I will like it. I wonder if all short stories will bother me because I never feel like I can get into them or if it was just that story.
I am taking this course plus another online course for Spring 1. I am wondering what in the world I was thinking because I am suppose to be reading 2 novels and a short story every week. Then I also have to watch 1 movie a week. I am dyslexic which makes me the slowest reader of all time, therefore I am spending every free minute reading! I am not complaining, I just wish the course was a little longer so we had more time to enjoy the stories instead of feeling so rushed.
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