Deconstructing the components of literary fiction is interesting, but I'm wondering if writers pay much attention to a check-list how to present meaning to a reader.
My favorite example of "missed meaning" is Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants. When the instructor said it was about a couple discussing abortion, my first reaction was a dumbfounded , "It is?" What the hell does a white elephant (even if we attribute the meaning of that as a gift one can't afford to maintain and good manners demands it not be returned or sold), have to do with a gal being pregnant? (Unless it means she's gonna get as big as an elephant by the time 9 months passes.)
The "sparse dialog" supposedly contained the symbolism that the reader was to grasp because of the word "operation." To me, it could have been a brain tumor they were discussing. I suppose abortion was no-no topic, if explicit, in Hemingway's day, okay ... but conscious obtuse-ness, even repeated, is still going to leave some readers wondering why they kept reading when it was obvious it makes no sense. (Of course, this makes novel writing sound very esoteric and, by extension, not meant for the hoi polloi.)
In the passages you quoted, I kept thinking of my time in Imperial Valley where the tree leaves don't change color and fall; if a palm tree sheds "leaves', you're likely to get a concussion not think deep thoughts. All the more reason to be specific about the audience you're trying to reach ----the one that shares your frame of references. Hence, the development of niche genres?
But, I do think it makes sense to become aware of the process, techniques and needed to infuse writing that is meaningful, if that's a writer's goal. Looking forward to further discussion!
That was Hemingway’s invention of the iceberg theory, the tame conversation that's really about abortion. One of his big things and I think most heavily employed on screenwriting dialogue these days (and world building).
Funny, until your comment I was to obtuse to understand the title "Hills like White Elephants" refers to an unwanted gift and thus the unwanted child.
Thanks for this discussion and the way you used Hemingway to illustrate your point. I've been "practicing" this technique in my short stories. I want that symbolism accessible to the readers without clobbering them over the head--"Look at this. It's important to the meaning of this story!"
Deconstructing the components of literary fiction is interesting, but I'm wondering if writers pay much attention to a check-list how to present meaning to a reader.
My favorite example of "missed meaning" is Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants. When the instructor said it was about a couple discussing abortion, my first reaction was a dumbfounded , "It is?" What the hell does a white elephant (even if we attribute the meaning of that as a gift one can't afford to maintain and good manners demands it not be returned or sold), have to do with a gal being pregnant? (Unless it means she's gonna get as big as an elephant by the time 9 months passes.)
The "sparse dialog" supposedly contained the symbolism that the reader was to grasp because of the word "operation." To me, it could have been a brain tumor they were discussing. I suppose abortion was no-no topic, if explicit, in Hemingway's day, okay ... but conscious obtuse-ness, even repeated, is still going to leave some readers wondering why they kept reading when it was obvious it makes no sense. (Of course, this makes novel writing sound very esoteric and, by extension, not meant for the hoi polloi.)
In the passages you quoted, I kept thinking of my time in Imperial Valley where the tree leaves don't change color and fall; if a palm tree sheds "leaves', you're likely to get a concussion not think deep thoughts. All the more reason to be specific about the audience you're trying to reach ----the one that shares your frame of references. Hence, the development of niche genres?
But, I do think it makes sense to become aware of the process, techniques and needed to infuse writing that is meaningful, if that's a writer's goal. Looking forward to further discussion!
That was Hemingway’s invention of the iceberg theory, the tame conversation that's really about abortion. One of his big things and I think most heavily employed on screenwriting dialogue these days (and world building).
Funny, until your comment I was to obtuse to understand the title "Hills like White Elephants" refers to an unwanted gift and thus the unwanted child.
Thanks for this discussion and the way you used Hemingway to illustrate your point. I've been "practicing" this technique in my short stories. I want that symbolism accessible to the readers without clobbering them over the head--"Look at this. It's important to the meaning of this story!"