In this story by Ron Carlson, a man regrets having used a censored version of a story about how he saved the life of a hiker to seduce a woman. The hiker was suffering from hypothermia and, trapped in a small tent during a blizzard, the only way to warm him up was to lay naked together in the same sleeping bag. Nature took its course and, although the hiker either isn’t bothered by what happened or doesn’t remember, the protagonist has trouble coming to terms with it. Themes include marriage/relationships, male bonding, fatherhood, betrayal, guilt. More…
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Fountains in the Rain
In this quirky story by Yukio Mishima, an arrogant young man courts, seduces and sleeps with a woman. He has no feelings for her, and does so purely for the “pleasure” of seeing the reaction when he says to a woman for the first time, It’s time to break it off!. Her immediate reaction is a river of tears. When he gets up to leave, she follows, still crying uncontrollably. To dump the tearbag, he decides to humiliate her in front of the royal fountains. The result is not what he expected. Themes include “manliness”, manipulation and deception, cruelty, love. More…
The Bunyip
Folklore is full of stories of fierce mythical creatures. North America has Bigfoot or the Sasquatch, Nepal and Tibet have the Yeti, and Australia has the Yowie/Yahoo and water-dwelling Bunyip. Bunyip sightings have been reported since the early days of settlement, and today’s story is one of the first literary accounts of the creature. A foolish aboriginal hunter tries to kidnap a Bunyip cub, secure in the knowledge that he can out-run its clumsy mother on land. He learns too late that the mother has magic powers that will change his people forever. More…
What I Have Been Doing Lately
This circular narrative by Jamaica Kincaid takes the form of a dream in which the narrator, woken by her doorbell and finding no one there, embarks upon a surreal journey. An interesting aspect of the story is that although delivered in the first person, the narrator’s identity is neither given nor defined. When asked the titular question by an unknown woman, she gives a slightly different version of the journey so far, suggesting either personal growth (greater awareness), or that she has experienced multiple iterations of the journey. Themes include reality vs. fantasy, loss and longing, motherhood, personal growth, identity. More…
The Drowned Giant
In this story by J. G. Ballard, the body of a giant man is dehumanized because of its otherworldly size. Left to rot on a beach, it first becomes a tourist attraction and later a source of exploitation as various body parts are taken for commercial purposes or as souvenirs. The narrator, who is clearly disturbed by the disrespectful way the body is treated, perceives it as having a transcendent, Homeric quality. This begs a fascinating question: What does it take to be considered human? Themes include humanity, identity, mortality, curiosity, fear (of a potentially superior race), fame, exploitation. More…