Ringing the Changes

Ringing the Changes: Novelette by Robert AickmanThis story by Robert Aickman describes the frightening first night of a delayed honeymoon. The bride, much younger than the groom, wanted to spend their time in a remote coastal village neither had visited before. The moment they arrive, a church bell starts ringing continuously. It is out of tourist season, the streets are empty, the hotel staff act strangely, and there is a sickening, rotten smell in the air. Later, the bells of every church in the village begin ringing with urgency, heralding a macabre annual festival involving the walking dead. Themes: marriage, insecurity, isolation, class, fear, the supernatural.

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A Shocking Accident

A Shocking Accident: Short story by Graham GreeneGraham Greene’s short stories span many genres, from the serious to the farcical. In this comedy, a boy rationalizes his widowed father’s long absences from home by convincing himself that he is a mysterious adventurer. In reality, his father is a restless author whose unlikely death in an Italian “street accident” becomes an embarrassment the lad must carry into adulthood. Things change when he falls in love with a woman who shares a similar concern for the fate of animals. Themes: father-son relationships, perception, the unpredictability of life/death, communicating bad news, fear of ridicule.

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Land Deal

Land Deal: Short story by Gerald MurnaneAustralians recently voted (No) on a proposal to change their Constitution to recognize its First Peoples by establishing an advisory body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. In recognition of this, it seems appropriate to feature this acclaimed story by Gerald Murnane. It provides a surreal interpretation of an early (afterwards deemed void) “treaty” between men from overseas and representatives of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Aboriginal Nation. The Wurundjeri narrator rationalizes the events as a dream (or perhaps nightmare) within a dream that must one day end. Themes: manipulation, exploitation, indivisibility of the land, restoration.

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The Grandmother

The Grandmother: Short story by K. SurangkhanangI should start by saying that, as someone who spent twelve years teaching at a Thai university, this story by K. Surangkhanang is the opposite of my experience of Thai attitudes towards older family members and the aged in general. Rejected by four of her five children, a frail grandmother lives a miserable life. Forced to fend for herself selling dumplings, she walks for hours every day, facing rudeness and disrespect wherever she goes. The devout woman prays for death, hoping for a better life in her next incarnation. Themes include poverty, selfishness and ingratitude, disrespect, dignity, religious devotion.

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The Ghost of Michael Jackson

The Ghost of Michael Jackson: Short story by Ngugi wa Thiong'oThis story by Ngugi wa Thiong’o satirizes attempts to instill Western & Eastern religious values in post-colonial Kenya. In the process, it lampoons some widely documented scandals of the modern church and the growth of contemporary megachurches with fallen celebrity pastors. A charismatic parish priest flees when a psychic boy reveals some of his vices. His loving flock are so upset by the disappearance that they overlook the boy’s revelations and are overjoyed when the priest mysteriously reappears in the form of a resurrected Michael Jackson. Themes: childhood innocence, the supernatural, superstition, culture clash, religious rivalry, zealotry, hypocrisy.

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The Postmaster / Stationmaster

The Postmaster / Stationmaster: Short story by Alexander PushkinSet in early 19th century Russia, a fascinating aspect of his acclaimed story from Alexander Pushkin is its ambiguity. A beautiful, flirtatious girl leaves her impoverished village in the company of a passing army officer. When her distraught father tracks the officer to a distant city and finds them together, he concludes she is a “kept woman”. He returns home in disgust, turns to alcohol, and dies a lonely death. Years later a beautiful, obviously very rich woman weeps on his grave. Themes include class conflicts, poverty, moral corruption vs. romantic love, government bureaucracy, religion, misjudgement, loss, grief.

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April in Paris

April in Paris: Short story by Ursula Le GuinThe central theme of this Ursula Le Guin story is the alienation and loneliness brought about by obsession with work and lack of companionship. A 15th century French scientist, frustrated with being unable to prove a theory he had developed, decides his work is a waste of time. He experiments with black magic and is surprised when his first spell is a success, allowing him to teleport kindred spirits from the past and future to join him. Those who come are so happy in his reality that they have no desire to return. Other themes: the occult, connection.

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The Princess and the Tin Box

The Princess and the Tin Box: Short story by James ThurberIn addition to famous short stories such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Cat-Bird Seat, humorist James Thurber authored numerous “fables for our time”. Many of these satirize the fable/fairy-tale form and, in so doing, provide commentary on aspects of modern society. In this story, a king decrees that he will give his spoiled daughter’s hand in marriage to the prince who brings her the gift she likes the most. Readers are left wondering whether she makes the right choice. Themes: parental pressure/expectations, materialism vs. romantic love, realistic vs. “fairy tale” endings.

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