Short Story Criticism

Short Story Criticism

Introduction

David Leavitt was a famous American novelist born in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Yale University. He served as a professor at the University of Florida, as well as, the University of Arkansas. He has been the author of many novels, as well as, literary masterpieces in fiction and non-fiction. He is entitled by the New York university library as “the literary lion”. His work encompasses the fantasy and depiction of irony with the touch of realism. He has existentialist approach towards the paradigms of life. His most recent publication is “the Indian clerk” that has good reviews from critics. The writer has earned great respect, whereas, his work mostly advocated homosexuality, which is, itself a controversial subject.

The book 'a Place I have never been' was a series of short stories published in the United States, in the year 1990. The book contains short stories pertaining to the subject of homosexuality, with exception of one story,”spouse night”. The Spouse night pertains to the story of an old couple who are tied together in grief and sorrow, and therefore, fall for a relationship. The book was an acclaimed best seller, and advocates the acceptance of same-sex relationships, in a fictional and fantasizing context (Staff, pp. 5-8).

The book has ten short stories pertaining to love, and pain of losing, as well as, other emotions regarding the homosexuality and social belonging in love and relationships, and it was awarded by the Lambda Literary award for Gay fiction. The paper discusses literary criticism of one of his stories that is “spouse night”. The story depicts anticipation of grief and disaster, and further fantasizes the togetherness of an in grieved couple that is brought closer by the difficulties of time and destiny, and they finally fall for each other. The paper discusses literature review for respective fictional criticism, as well as, personal analysis at the end. The analyses pertain to the research of scholars mentioned in the literature review.

Discussion

The background

The story pertains to a couple who is in Middle Ages. The couple comprises of a cancer survivor, as well as, a widow. The cancers survivors are combating life's battle, whereas, her widowhood keeps looking for her lost love and partner, her husband who was missing and not found yet. The couple develops an unexpected relationship with immense love and belonging, and hence, they fall for each other. The couple had the innate tendency to overcome grieve and combat with loneliness. The story has element of romance and fantasy, as well as, the craving for staying together. The story builds a fictional depiction of a deep inner human desire that lasts unless it finds the one to love and die for. Both the characters are tied together through empathy they feel towards each other since they are going through the same sorrow and personal disaster (Leavitt, pp. 159).

Literary criticism

Implication of contemporary literature

The story depicts a situation of contemporary romance, that is, it is pertaining to the after effects ...