"The Complete Gentleman" is an excerpt from Amos Tutuola's novel, "The Palm-Wine Drinkard," published in 1952. The Nigerian author has written a tale "The Complete Gentleman" is an excerpt from Amos Tutuola's novel, "The Palm-Wine Drinkard," published in 1952. The Nigerian author has written a tale based on the tradition of Yoruba folktales.
A woman follows "a complete gentleman" from the market. He is a man of beauty dressed in the finest clothes. As he walks home, he returns the rented parts of his body to their original owners--a foot here, a hand there--until the only thing left is his skull. The rest of the story involves the imprisonment of the woman, and the sorcerer/narrator's quest to free her.
The folktale seems to have the moral that the facade of beauty may hide something imperfect or dangerous. Appearances can be artificial and deceiving. This was an unusual folktale told by an imaginative storyteller.
On her deathbed, Harriott neglected to confess a sinful time in her past. The Biblical title, "Where Their Fire Is Not Quenched," suggests the second On her deathbed, Harriott neglected to confess a sinful time in her past. The Biblical title, "Where Their Fire Is Not Quenched," suggests the second half of this story after Harriott's death. Author May Sinclair has invented a claustrophobic version of being trapped in hell forever. Every path Harriott takes and every person she sees from her past lead back to one place.
Miss Chasty's first pupil was a flirtatious little boy. At seven years, he was alarmingly precocious and sometimes she thought that he despised his chMiss Chasty's first pupil was a flirtatious little boy. At seven years, he was alarmingly precocious and sometimes she thought that he despised his childhood, regarding it as a waiting time which he used only as a rehearsal for adult life. He was already more sophisticated than his young governess and disturbed her with preposterous conversations he led her into, guiding her skillfully away from work, confusing her with bizarre conjectures and irreverent ideas. . .
Florence Chasty is the "poor girl" of the title, a modest governess in a household with her student Hilary, his parents, and the servants. But there are hints that another element may also be sharing the home, and influencing Florence's behavior. She's getting blamed for things beyond her control. It's up to the reader's imagination whether the governess is getting a look into the supernatural of the past or the future.
A man at a London party tells an American woman that he needs to move out of his apartment because it has so many sad memories. The woman offers to reA man at a London party tells an American woman that he needs to move out of his apartment because it has so many sad memories. The woman offers to rent the attic rooms in her house. The home has beautiful gardens where the lodger writes a paper on Hardy's poetry. A silent boy with a beautiful smile comes to visit him in the garden or climb a nearby tree.
The lodger can see the boy, but he's invisible to the landlady. The probable identity of the boy and his backstory fill the rest of the tale. The meetings between the boy and the lodger in the garden were lovely, although sad. The lodger has an intuition that he knows what the silent boy is thinking. But the lodger lacked sensitivity in his actions with the landlady. He did not have a good understanding of the woman's emotional needs as she coped with a tragic situation.
The author's son was killed by a drunken driver, and that heartbreaking incident inspired this short story. I read this story with the Short Story Club from the anthology Black Water 2: More Tales of the Fantastic....more
I read "The Changling," a single story in this collection, with the Short Story Club.
Her mother does not believe seven-year-old Moreen when she sees I read "The Changling," a single story in this collection, with the Short Story Club.
Her mother does not believe seven-year-old Moreen when she sees a witch sitting on the gargoyle across the street. During the night, the witch comes for Moreen to transport her to fairyland, and a changling is left in her bed.
When Moreen eventually returns to her home in the human world, her home is different. The young Moreen is confronted with her older self in the changling version of Moreen. While many years have passed in the human world, time was different in fairyland. This is an unsettling fantasy story where the author plays around with time, locations, and reality.
Will people think this young child has special powers to see the supernatural world, or will they think she is delusional and mentally ill? Is young Moreen's life now predestined to follow in the steps of the changling's life? The story is fun because it leaves the reader with many questions to which we'll really not have any answers--it's fantasy!...more
"When Richard Bracquemont, medical student, decided to move into Room No 7 of the little Hotel Stevens at 6 Rue Alfred Stevens, three people had alrea"When Richard Bracquemont, medical student, decided to move into Room No 7 of the little Hotel Stevens at 6 Rue Alfred Stevens, three people had already hanged themselves from the window-sash of the room on three successive Fridays."
That first sentence certainly gets the reader's attention. A weaver, Clarimonde, can be seen from Richard's window. (view spoiler)[She's similar to Arachne, a weaver in Greek mythology who was transformed into a spider. (hide spoiler)] A psychological web is drawn around Richard just like a spider would draw a web around a fly. Clarimonde plays a game where the infatuated Richard imitates the movements of this femme fatale. "The Spider" is a well-written story of terror and the supernatural.
"The Phoenix" is an allegorical story about how the consequences of greed can be tragic. People from a colonial power were going into a third world co"The Phoenix" is an allegorical story about how the consequences of greed can be tragic. People from a colonial power were going into a third world countries to obtain the phoenix and other rare birds. There's been a long history of many colonial nations exploiting third world countries, as well as exploiting nature, due to greed. However, the mythical phoenix got revenge. ...more
Isaac Bashevis Singer's single short story, "The Dead Fiddler," is set in an Old World Eastern European village where everyone knows each other's histIsaac Bashevis Singer's single short story, "The Dead Fiddler," is set in an Old World Eastern European village where everyone knows each other's history. A Yiddish couple have a daughter, Liebe Yentl, who will soon be married. After the teenage girl's betrothed unexpectedly dies, the mourning girl is possessed by two dybbucks. (A dybbuck is a wandering soul believed in Jewish folklore to enter and control a living body until exorcised by a religious rite.) One spirit is a ribald fiddler, and the other spirit is a woman who was sold into a brothel at a young age.
There is lots of bawdy humor and superstition in this story which is written like a Yiddish folktale. I probably missed some of the Yiddish references, but still found it to be an entertaining story.
Elizabeth Bowen's atmospheric short story is set in the bombed city of London during a moonlit night. A woman and a serviceman on leave remember the AElizabeth Bowen's atmospheric short story is set in the bombed city of London during a moonlit night. A woman and a serviceman on leave remember the Andrew Lang poem, "She," as they wish for an imagined deserted city where the couple could be alone. They would like to escape the reality of wartime during the Blitz, and experience a night of peace and love in the dreamlike lost city of Kor.
This is Andrew Lang's poem (inspired by H. Rider Haggard's adventure story, "She"):
She
Not in the waste beyond the swamps and sand, The fever-haunted forest and lagoon, Mysterious Kor thy walls forsaken stand, Thy lonely towers beneath the lonely moon, Not there doth Ayesha linger, rune by rune Spelling strange scriptures of a people banned. The world is disenchanted; over soon Shall Europe send her spies through all the land.
Nay, not in Kor, but in whatever spot, In town or field, or by the insatiate sea, Men brood on buried loves, and unforgot, Or break themselves on some divine decree, Or would o'erleap the limits of their lot, There, in the tombs and deathless, dwelleth She!
"The Bella Lingua" is a story about some American expatriates in Rome, and their feelings that they belong (or not) in the place where they are living"The Bella Lingua" is a story about some American expatriates in Rome, and their feelings that they belong (or not) in the place where they are living. Cheever lived unhappily in Italy for a year, and he nailed the portrayal of a stereotypical American tourist in Uncle George from Iowa.
Wilson Streeter is an American statistician taking Italian lessons from a young widowed expatriate with a fifteen-year-old son. The boy wants to live in America, a country he has never seen, but where he hopes he will feel comfortable since English is his primary language. He feels like an outsider when he is with native Italians since he also does not share their culture. The woman's Uncle George wants his niece and her son to come live in the Midwest town where the niece spent her unhappy childhood.
"The Bella Lingua" is story #26 in the collection "The Stories of John Cheever."...more
This is a story about both suburban Shady Hill, and the marriage of Charlie and Marcie Flint. Charlie has been off to Torino, Italy "where the girls lThis is a story about both suburban Shady Hill, and the marriage of Charlie and Marcie Flint. Charlie has been off to Torino, Italy "where the girls love peanut butter and the world is a man's castle" on several business trips. Marcie has been home taking care of their kids and joining various groups to stay occupied in Charlie's absence.
The Village Council was discussing the pros and cons of establishing a library in Shady Hill. There was a group that was opposed to the library because it would make exclusive Shady Hill attractive to development. Marcie makes her own decisions, and stands up to a bully. When Charlie comes home, he's totally irresponsible using ant poison. Marcie has reached a point where she knows she really does not need Charlie around, but the ending is ambiguous.
Some people in Shady Hill have more interests than just attending cocktail parties, such as the ones that want to build a library. Even Charlie's view of Shady Hill ranges from sarcastic diary entries to uplifting moments watching the children play in the sunshine while remembering his own childhood. I liked Cheever's writing in this story.
"The Trouble With Marcie Flint" is #25 in the collection "The Stories of John Cheever."
"The Door" was written in 1939 at a time the world was undergoing changes as the Great Depression was ending and World War II was starting. The narrat"The Door" was written in 1939 at a time the world was undergoing changes as the Great Depression was ending and World War II was starting. The narrator in this work feels very frustrated by a world that is constantly changes its rules.
He uses a metaphor of lab rats in a psychology experiment that learn to jump at a square card (or a door) with a circle in the middle in order to get food. But then the researchers change the rules, and the rats feel totally frustrated that their learned behavior no longer works.
The narrator said that prayers and religion were taught to be the right door when he was young. Then love and marriage were the correct door. A beautiful home was later considered the right door. The narrator is confused as the doors for success continue to change. He's disturbed as society's rules keep changing in the rat race of life to the point of having mental health issues. It's an interesting, but very strange, story....more
"It's a Good Life" is a horror story about three-year-old Anthony Fremont who has omnipotent superpowers. People in town have to pretend that everythi"It's a Good Life" is a horror story about three-year-old Anthony Fremont who has omnipotent superpowers. People in town have to pretend that everything is "good" all the time because Anthony might change things with worse results. As the story moves on, the reader becomes more and more aware of the full extent of Anthony's powers.
The town is like a totalitarian regime--with a creepy little child making all the decisions, and people pretending that everything is wonderful in order to survive. This short story was adapted into an episode of "The Twilight Zone" in 1961.
"It's a Good Life" is in the collection "Black Water 2: More Tales of the Fantastic" which I'm reading with the Short Story Club....more
"An Invitation to the Hunt" was first published in the March 1960 issue of the San Francisco Review. It's best not to read any reviews of this story b"An Invitation to the Hunt" was first published in the March 1960 issue of the San Francisco Review. It's best not to read any reviews of this story before reading the story so you don't spoil the ending.
E.M. Forster was inspired to write the story when he went on a yearlong tour of Italy in 1901 with his mother following his graduation from Cambridge.E.M. Forster was inspired to write the story when he went on a yearlong tour of Italy in 1901 with his mother following his graduation from Cambridge. They stayed at pensiones that accommodated English middle-class tourists. He carried a small notebook and made notes of their expressions. This was very useful when writing the dialogue of an obnoxious English tourist narrator in this story. When he was in Rabello, on the hills overlooking the sea, he got the idea for "The Story of a Panic."
When the tourists are on a picnic, there is a visitation from the mythological Pan. The god infuses a fourteen-year-old boy with a love of nature and leads to a sexual awakening. It's a well-written story that has some mythological and Biblical references. There is also some humor in the dialogue of the tourists.
"The State of Grace" is a humorous story about M. Duperrier who was so pious that God crowned him with a halo when he was still alive. The halo bother"The State of Grace" is a humorous story about M. Duperrier who was so pious that God crowned him with a halo when he was still alive. The halo bothered his wife because she did not want the neighbors to be talking about them. So Duperrier started covering it with a large hat tilted at a rakish angle. But eventually he was seen removing his hat, and his wife demanded that he get rid of the halo. She had a plan:
"It's perfectly simple. You only need to sin."
You'll have to read the story to see how it ends. "The State of Grace" is in the anthology, "Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Fiction," which I'm reading with the Short Story Club. Marcel Aymé is a French writer known for his irreverent humor. ...more
Even people with extraordinary talents need to live at the right time and place to achieve greatness. "The Curfew Tolls" is an alt-history short storyEven people with extraordinary talents need to live at the right time and place to achieve greatness. "The Curfew Tolls" is an alt-history short story that is cleverly written. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
I'm reading this selection from the anthology, "Black Water," with the Short Story Club....more
Loading...
