In this story by R. K. Narayan, an Indian “hermit” is both offended and titillated by the activities of a prostitute living opposite. His initial reaction is to label her a “monstrous” devil. However, imagining what she does night after night excites him to the point of obsession. There is a double irony here. The hermit, who has supposedly given up all pleasures, is consumed by desire. The prostitute, who regards him as a saint, respectfully seeks his blessing. It is not until this request that the hermit recognizes the woman’s humanity. Themes include spirituality, desire, self-righteousness, judging others, humanity. More…
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The Nose
Nikolai Gogol was a pioneer in absurdist fiction, writing this story almost eighty years before Franz Kafka’s iconic Metamorphosis. Gogol’s absurdism served an important purpose: social criticism. The Nose is a comical account of “Major” Platon Kovaloff, a vain, pompous and narcissistic municipal official who goes looking for his wandering proboscis. Kovaloff is so obsessed with improving and capitalizing on his social position that he feels emasculated without it. The story satirizes three aspects of Russian society: 1) the corrupt government bureaucracy; 2) its fixation on superficial signs of importance; and 3) how different social classes view and treat women. More…
Bliss
In this story from Katherine Mansfield, a thirty-year-old wife and mother who marvels at her joyful, upper middle-class life learns the meaning of the proverb ignorance is bliss. Throughout the story, which takes place over a single day, she seeks to identify the source of her happiness. Over dinner with some artistic friends, there is an indication that it may be linked to a new friendship with a female guest. Strangely, this results in her first ever strong sexual desire for her husband. Alas, her lust and bliss are soon shattered. Themes: happiness, modernity, sexuality and desire, deception, adultery. More…
The Town Musicians of Bremen
The Town Musicians of Bremen is a story about four animals that have worked hard all their lives. They are now too old to work and face either being badly treated or killed by their owners. One by one they leave their homes and set out together to become musicians in the town of Bremen. However, they never reach Bremen. During the journey, the animals come upon a house owned by a band of robbers. By working together, they are able to frighten the robbers away and live happily in the house for the rest of their days. More…
The Magic Sweet Shop
In this story by Enid Blyton, two children out playing in the woods follow a path they had not seen before. It leads to a small village in which there is a strange candy shop. They each buy five different colored sweets with unusual names: a Giant-sweet, Dwarf-sweet, Invisible-sweet, Spiky-sweet and Home-again-sweet. They then have some exciting adventures in which the candy they bought saves the day. As might be expected, the Home-again-sweet leads them home. When they take their mother to the path that led them to the village, they find that it is no longer there. More…