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May 24, 2007
alice munro II
My pure delight in Alice Munro's short stories continue. This time Andy picked up her newest collection for me: The View From Castle Rock. This collection of stories, almost a memoir, begins with Munro building upon the historical records of her Scottish relatives and then moves on to stories built from her own memories. These stories are not only captivating themselves, but also contribute to an intriguing larger narrative. Munro describes the process of writing these stories as
"exploring a life, my own life, but not in an austere or rigorously factual way. I put myself in the center and wrote about that self, as searchingly as I could."
As I read the latter half of the book, I found myself oddly relating to her story. Not necessarily in the specifics of her circumstances, but rather her specific emotions. Most of these connections were made in the moments in her story when she realizes she doesn't fit into the life she grew up in. In the story What Do You Want To Know For she writes:
I notice something new in the readiness of both this older woman and the energetic younger woman in the log house. They do not seem to find it strange that anybody should wish to know about things that are of no particular benefit or practical importance. They do not suggest that they have better things to think about. Real things, that is. Real work. When I was growing up an appetite for impractical knowledge of any kind did not get encouragement ... If you had to learn history or foreign languages to pass out of school it was only natural to forget that sort of thing as quickly as you could. Otherwise you would stand out. And that was not a good idea.
art , processing | By charity | 08:06 PM
Comments
Did I tell you that after you blogged about Alice Munro I went out and bought Runaway and then went out and bought everything else of hers I could get my hands on? Well, I did, and I thought of you while I read it all. Thanks for the recommendation. She is, indeed, fabulous. I haven't gotten Castle Rock because I keep waiting to find it in paperback. Did you buy a hardback or is the paper edition out yet? I am only being cheap because I have seriously bought everything else she ever wrote in the last four months and I am going to go broke.
Posted by: Haley at May 31, 2007 10:52 AM
no, i didn't know that! i'm glad you have enjoyed her as well. andy actually picked it up from the library, so we haven't bought it yet, but have it on the list!
Posted by: charity at May 31, 2007 05:24 PM