SH Comments
Reged: Feb 16 2004
Posts: 1056
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This thread is for comments about Happily Ever Awhile, by Ruth Nestvold.
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George Potter
Unregistered
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An extremely enjoyable story. Humorous and moving in perfect ratio, and told with poetic grace.
Superb job!
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SarahP
Regular reader
Reged: Mar 08 2004
Posts: 29
Loc: Iowa City, Iowa
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Usually retold fairytales really float my boat. Not this time, I'm afraid. It just felt...limp, halfhearted, and rather more Told rather than Shown.
Part of the fun of retold fairytales is reading about characters who become more than their fairytale archetypes. Ruth did that beautifully in "Princes and Priscilla," which was published here a while ago. But for this reader this story feels bland and forgettable partly because the characters don't even achieve archetype, but remain one dimensional.
Anyway, I don't want to universally condemn retold tales. If I come across a fresher retelling or reimagining, I will read it with great pleasure.
I recommend Steph Burgis's "Giant" as an example, at Lone Star Stories.
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George Potter
Unregistered
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Quote:
Usually retold fairytales really float my boat. Not this time, I'm afraid. It just felt...limp, halfhearted, and rather more Told rather than Shown.
Part of the fun of retold fairytales is reading about characters who become more than their fairytale archetypes. Ruth did that beautifully in "Princes and Priscilla," which was published here a while ago. But for this reader this story feels bland and forgettable partly because the characters don't even achieve archetype, but remain one dimensional.
Anyway, I don't want to universally condemn retold tales. If I come across a fresher retelling or reimagining, I will read it with great pleasure.
I recommend Steph Burgis's "Giant" as an example, at Lone Star Stories.
You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but I think you miss the point. This is not a 'retold' fairy tale in any sense. It's an elegiac post-mortem for a fairy tale, where happily ever after is shown to be the victim of the crawling little personal tragedies that infect the lives of real people. Yet, the author does not let her characters wallow in despair, but shows that the true path to happiness is getting over the little things and accepting that *gasp* life isn't a fairy tale. :P
As for 'told rather than shown', like all cliches, it fails in the face of talent. R.A. Lafferty, one of the finest short story writers to grace our species, made a style out of telling more than he showed. Some of his best work, like 'Eurema's Dam', 'All Pieces Of A River Shore' and 'Continued On Next Rock' are jaw-dropping examples of narrative where not all that much happens plot wise. It's his wise voice and spot on observations that fires the engine of the stories. :)
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SandraM
Unregistered
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This story is beautifully told but is, I agree, more summary than scene. I loved the writing, but found myself irritated that the fairy tale setting was the only speculative element. A woman accepts her husband's infidelity without voicing an objection and then rejects the (what seems to be) truer love of the minstrel to keep her home and status intact. It's not the kind of story I'd want *my* daughter to embrace . . . but then again, I always thought Cinderella married too quickly anyway :-)
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SarahP
Regular reader
Reged: Mar 08 2004
Posts: 29
Loc: Iowa City, Iowa
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Hey, I don't think I actually did miss the point. I did 'get' the story, what it's supposed to be, but it did not work for me.
(As a note, 'retold fairytale' means to me (and is used by many readers and writers in the genre as shorthand to refer to) any story that draws on fairytale archetypes, plots, and settings, and reimagines them in some way in order to help the reader to think about the old material in new ways. If you've read Ruth's "Princes and Priscilla," you'll see a story where those good things happen.)
You have, however, put your finger on one of the reasons the story didn't work all that well for this particular reader. To paraphrase, 'the author shows that the true path to happiness is accepting that life isn't a fairy tale.' Well, yeah. To this reader, that didn't feel like much of a revelation.
And while I appreciate the reference to Lafferty's work, I don't see that you've actually demonstrated how Ruth's story effectively uses Telling rather than Showing.
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George Potter
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Quote:
You have, however, put your finger on one of the reasons the story didn't work all that well for this particular reader. To paraphrase, 'the author shows that the true path to happiness is accepting that life isn't a fairy tale.' Well, yeah. To this reader, that didn't feel like much of a revelation.
To the reader, no. The revelation was meant for the character. :)
To return to a Lafferty example, take 'Eurema's Dam.' The reader is well aware -- hilariously, almost tragically aware -- throughout the bulk of the narrative that the main character is an exceptional being; a veritable treasure of a being. It is the character himself, and those he surrounds himself with, who belittle and mock him. His final revelation is triumphant, endearing, and a little bit chilling.
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And while I appreciate the reference to Lafferty's work, I don't see that you've actually demonstrated how Ruth's story effectively uses Telling rather than Showing.
Pardon me. It wasn't my intention to do so. I was simply pointing out that 'telling rather than showing' is not always a bad thing. For a more modern example, take David Marusek's spectacular 'The Wedding Album'. 90 percent of the story takes place in a single virtual room, and the characters self descriptions and ponderings are the meat of the tale. A war and fundamental social revolution is glossed over in one scene and a second hand explanation! Or Sturgeon's 'A Saucer Of Loneliness' -- a man and a woman meet on a beach, the woman tells a story and the man makes a little speech. That's all that happens, yet, despite hundreds of readings, I still finish that story with a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes, and a goofy grin plastered on my face.
Of course, the main word you used was 'effectively' and that decision is entirely subjective and a matter of each reader's opinion. You finding it not effective is perfectly valid.
I don't mean to be antagonistic, and apologize for the clumsily chosen words about 'not getting it.' I'm rather enjoying this intelligent literary discussion, and sincerely thank you for your replies. :)
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SarahP
Regular reader
Reged: Mar 08 2004
Posts: 29
Loc: Iowa City, Iowa
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To the reader, no. The revelation was meant for the character.
'Kay. But I'm a selfish reader. What's in it for me, is what I want to know.
I was simply pointing out that 'telling rather than showing' is not always a bad thing.
For sure. I totally agree. However, I don't see how this particular story uses this particular device particularly well.
This is kind-of interesting actually, something I hadn't thought about before. I wonder if retold/reimagined fairytales, because they are received and so dependent on archetype, must Show rather than Tell in order to transcend their origins? Otherwise the retelling can't show us anything new. Hmmm.
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George Potter
Unregistered
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Quote:
This is kind-of interesting actually, something I hadn't thought about before. I wonder if retold/reimagined fairytales, because they are received and so dependent on archetype, must Show rather than Tell in order to transcend their origins? Otherwise the retelling can't show us anything new. Hmmm.
Good point, and it is an interesting theory. It might have something to do with the fact that the classic tales are very often 'told' to us as children, and the classic style is in parable form, that presumes a narrator telling the story. It's not unreasonable for the modern reader to want a more modern, 'shown' style -- if only to underscore the fact that it is indeed a modernized version.
By the way, and off topic, I stumbled across 'Winged Victory' a week or so back on Lone Star Stories and only now connected you with it. I just wanted to mention that I enjoyed it very much.
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