This story from Algernon Blackwood about a canoe trip gone wrong is considered one of the greatest supernatural thrillers of all time. A feature is Blackwood’s ability to build and sustain terror through atmosphere alone. The canoeists camp on a small island among the idyllic, willow-lined channels of the swollen Danube delta. Their campsite sits on the boundary between the known world and another. A malevolent presence has become aware of their existence, and stalks the creeping willows looking for a human sacrifice. Themes include: the beauty and menace of nature, camaraderie, rationality vs. fear, courage, sacrifice, the supernatural. More…
Amnesty
In this story by Jose Dalisay Jr., a chance encounter on a bus contrasts the directions taken by two student revolutionaries during the Philippine’s Marcos dictatorship. One stayed true to the cause and has just been released from prison under a general amnesty declared by the incoming government. After six years in jail, she appears physically broken but emotionally strong. The other chose “survival”, privately supporting the cause but publically embracing and prospering under the corrupt system. He fears for his comfortable lifestyle. Themes include oppression, courage and remaining true to a cause, sacrifice, hypocrisy, guilt and regret, hope. More…
The Horse Dealer’s Daughter
At a simplistic level, this story by D. H. Lawrence can be looked upon as a traditional love story. However, with Lawrence’s reputation as a writer who explores human nature through psychological insight and sexual descriptions, it is highly unlikely he would write a story with such a straightforward message. Alternate interpretations include: 1) a tale in which a desperate, calculating woman tries to seduce a vulnerable man; and 2) a religious fantasy in which a near-death experience results in an epiphany that awakens feelings of love and desire. Themes include family relationships, patriarchy, misogyny, despair, death, rebirth, passion. More…
The Woman Who Came at Six O’Clock
The central theme of this early Gabriel Garcia Márquez story is perception of others. ‘Queen’, the six o’clock regular in José’s restaurant, is a prostitute. Queen’s customers see her as a sex object, to be used and sometimes abused. The police see her as an alcoholic miscreant who cannot be trusted. José, who professes platonic love for Queen, sees the vulnerable human being within. Queen, who claims to be disgusted by all men, sees the caring, kind-hearted José only as someone to be taken advantage of. Other themes: habit, murder, naïveté vs. worldliness, misunderstanding, reputation. More…
End of the Game
This Julio Cortázar story involves two “games”. One is the daily Statues role-play three adolescent girls perform to entertain passengers on a passing train. The second is also a game of pretend… ignoring the effect a debilitating disability will have on one of their lives. For the disabled girl (Letitia), Statues is the only physical activity in which she can match the others. They in turn are resentful of Letitia’s special treatment at home. When a boy on the train takes a special interest in Letitia, both games end. Themes: fantasy vs. reality, envy, guilt, confronting disability, coming of age. More…