“living only for the moment, savouring the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms, and the maple leaves, singing songs, drinking sake, and diverting oneself just in floating,unconcerned by the prospect of imminent poverty, buoyant and carefree, like a gourd carried along with the river current:...
“The Honeymoon of Mrs. Smith” —As far as open endings go, this one is about as open as it gets. Shirley Jackson withholds the reveal. All we know is this: A middle-aged woman has always lived at home, caring for her father. Then her father died. One week ago she remarried. T...
borderline misanthropic mythic journeys. Annie Proulx has upended the Blow-in Dastard trope in several of her stories, notably “Heart Songs” and in “Negatives“, both from theHeart Songscollection. Well-heeled outsiders enter a poor, rural community, wreak havoc then move on, only to do th...