In this atypical Edgar Allan Poe story there is madness, but not the destructive kind; death, but not the gruesome kind; and a spirit, but not a frightening one. Also unusual is Poe’s extensive use of poetic prose. His description of the idyllic valley may be an allusion to the Garden of Eden, leaving readers to wonder if the couple’s incestuous lovemaking beneath the serpent-like trees was the “apple” that destroyed their paradise. Themes: the beauty of nature, innocence, passion, love, death, moving on. Poe’s message: true love endures; despite the loss of a loved one, life must go on. More…
Ashes for the Wind
In this story by Hernando Téllez, a corrupt mayor and police in an unnamed town, aided by a local informer, are systematically expelling (and presumably taking over the land of) residents who voted against the incumbent government in recent elections. A man and his wife courageously, or foolishly depending on how you look at it, resist. When the authorities come to evict them, they lock their doors and windows… only to be burnt alive after the police torch their house. Themes include power and control, corruption, betrayal, brutality, courage and sacrifice, choices and consequences. More…
Unnecessary Things
The message of this story by Tatyana Tolstaya is the need to let go of things that are no longer important to your life. The protagonist, who is moving alone into a new apartment, finds the remains of her childhood teddy bear while rummaging through a cupboard in her parents’ house. The find brings back long-suppressed memories and results in a feeling of overwhelming nostalgia. Sleeping next to the bear that night, she decides it has to go. Themes include hoarding, the relationship between objects, memories and feelings, sentimentality, moving on. More…
Seven Floors
Dino Buzzati’s Seven Floors is an allegory of both the stages of life, and the futility of trying to fight bureaucracy. A slightly ill patient enters a ward on the top floor of a seven-story sanatorium. He learns that more seriously ill patients are progressively moved to lower floors, with the dying relegated to the dreaded first floor. Once caught up in the system, and against his perception of the severity of his illness, he makes the slow, inexorable progression to the bottom. Themes include the inevitability of ageing and death, institutional inflexibility, the unpredictability of life, fear. More…
Barn Burning
Barn Burning by William Faulkner is a story of how a ten-year-old boy rises above the intimidation and bullying of his embittered father. The father’s simmering anger stems from jealousy and lack of respect, fueled by an exploitative sharecropping system that keeps tenant families like his in perpetual poverty. He seeks retribution through senseless acts of arson (barn burning) against landholders he believes have slighted him. The boy, sensing the immorality of his father’s actions, has the courage to rebel and do something about it. Themes: family, class, alienation, exploitation, pride, anger, revenge, loyalty vs. morality, courage, betrayal. More…