American Literature

School of Foreign Languages

Xue Ling

Writers for study

Katherine Anne PorterErnest HemingwayEugene Glastone O’NeillJoseph Heller

Katherine Anne Porter

Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980) was born in Indian Creek, Texas and educated at home, in private schools, and in an Ursualine convent. Though she began to write stories as soon as she could, she made no attempt to publish until she was past thirty.

Literary achievements First book of stories: Flowering Judas (1930) Collections of her short stories:

Hacienda: A Story of Mexico (1934)

Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939)

The Leaning Tower and Other Stories (1944)

The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (1965),

winning the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book

Award. Novel: Ship of Fools (1962)

Stream of consciousness The narrative method whereby certain novelists

describe the unspoken thoughts and feelings of their characters without resorting to objective description or conventional dialogue.

The ability to represent the flux of a character’s thoughts, impressions, emotions, or reminiscences, often without logical sequence or syntax, marked a revolution in the form of novel.

Text analysis

1.General understanding of the story

2.Writing style: Stream of consciousness

- interior monologue

- dislocation of time

- free association of thoughts

3.Theme

Questions to ponder

What are the qualities the Granny possesses which help her live successfully?

Does Granny have any weaknesses? If so, what are they?

What are the major causes of Granny’s acute pain in her heart?