Some Questions about Our Readings in Fiction
With this document open in Word, re-save it with your name in the file title.
Then simply type in your responses to the questions below. (Please use a font style or
font color distinct from the questions.) Save the document frequently as you work.
When finished, post it as an attachment to our “Virtual Workshop and Completed
Exercise Drop-Box” area.
Raymond Carver’s "Cathedral"
1) You’ve no doubt noticed, right off the bat, Carver’s distinctive PROSE STYE. How
would you describe it? Consider his diction (word choices), sentence length and
structure, point of view, and tone of voice. What effect do you suppose he’s
after? How might style reinforce what his story is ultimately about?
For an interesting look at very different prose styles, be sure you’ve read our
“Samples of Prose Style” page at:
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/CreativeWriting/323/Style.htm
2) The story’s characters:
a. How would you describe the narrator and central character of
"Cathedral"? What kind of guy is he? What does he value? What does he
fear? How educated is he? What’s his fundamental problem? Explain and
support your answers.
b. How would you describe the narrator's wife? Be specific and provide
examples.
c. How would you describe Robert? Quote some passages which reveal the kind
of person/character he is.
d. Each of the above characters is fascinating, surprising, interestingly flawed—
especially the main character (the narrator).
How does a writer create a good character? As you work on your own stories
(or if you feel you are primarily a fiction writer as opposed to a poet or
dramatist), consider that a good character is:
a. COMPLEX—not fully understandable, three-dimensional, and in flux;
b. DISTINCT—you can tell the person apart from other characters (first-time
fiction writers are often weak in this area; their characters tend to be generic
and you really can’t tell one human being from another);
c. VIVID—brought to life through WELL-CHOSEN, SPECIFIC, SENSORY
DETAILS, as well as distinctive dialogue and actions.)
What ELSE, would you say, makes a good character in fiction?
3) What questions, established early on in "Cathedral," create the story’s narrative
suspense? What is it you want to find out? What keeps you reading? (If you don’t
understand what a “narrative question” is, you need to watch our recent Power Point
presentation in Blackboard.)
4) Are the narrative questions in "Cathedral" answered in the end? (Again, for a
discussion of what “narrative question” means, see our recent Power Point
presentation.) What do you make of the story’s final scene(s)? What’s happening,
really?
5) What does Carver’s story—it’s prose style, themes, characters etc.—suggest for
possibilities in YOUR OWN STORIES?
Tim O’Brien’s, “How to Tell a True War Story”
1) How would you describe the plot of this story? Remember that “plot” is the sequence
or order of events. Is this story’s plot chronological or linear? Episodic? Circular? A
montage? What plot devices is this writer using? Flashbacks? Framing? Multiple
plots? False endings?
2) The title of this piece suggests that the story will ultimately explain or give
instructions for telling a true war story. So—how does one tell a true war story?
What are the particular difficulties, according to this narrator, in telling the events of
war? What is this narrator saying about “truth” and how we understand it?
2
5) Do you happen to know anyone in Iraq or Afganistan (or anyone who has been on
active duty there)? Do you know anyone who has been in any other war?
War fiction is a VERY old genre, going all the back to Homer’s Greek Iliad, as well as
the old English poem, Beowulf. Consider your own experience as a soldier, as a friend or
relation of someone who has gone to war, or even just as a citizen of a nation which is
virtually always at war. Give those experiences, what “war story” might you write? What
are some war story ideas?
6) What does O’Brien’s story—it’s plot structure, narrative voice, images, etc.—suggest
for possibilities in YOUR OWN STORIES?
Dave Eggers’, “After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned”
Write a developed paragraph response to this story, drawing on anything and everything
you’ve been learning from our course materials so far:
Charles Baxter’s, “The Cures for Love”
Virtually every successful literary artist writing today will tell you that READING—
reading a lot and reading carefully—is the best way to become a good writer. I’ll add to
that: it’s important to read AS A WRITER. That is, read as though you were writing the
piece yourself, or at least looking over the writer’s shoulder. This will help you to notice
the sometimes amazing and brilliant choices a writer has made. Simply studying a
particular ADJECTIVE a writer chose in a particular spot, or a metaphor he added, or a
bit of character description or action—all can alert you to the kinds of maneuvers and
processes which good writers employ.
As you did for the Eggers story, write a good paragraph response to Baxter’s piece. This
time, focus on how this story reads from a WRITER’S vantage point. That is, going
through the story sentence-by-sentence, think about the choices the writer has made each
step of the way. What choices, in each given instance, would YOU have made? Why do
you suppose the writer made the choices HE made?
3
Final question: do you have any thoughts, observations, or questions after listening
to or viewing any Blackboard audio-visual lectures on these stories?
Don’t forget to save this document with your name in the title, then post to
Blackboard!
4