Tuesday, June 19, 2007
timelessness
Something about the description in the first story (the descriptions of dress, maybe, or the use of trains) made me visualize that the setting was supposed to be at least a few decades ago, maybe the '60s. As I keep reading, I have that sense of timelessness, that these stories could be set almost any time since the early 20th century. Do you visualize the stories in terms of today or otherwise?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Excellent point, hon. I had noticed that, too, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I definitely had the sense that the first story was supposed to take place in the past, maybe because Johanna was a housekeeper and the way the girls talked about sex, but it's hard to pinpoint. Other stories definitely had a more "modern" feel, but when you get down to it, it's sort of difficult to place them. "Nettles" was clearly set sometime in th 1960s or 1970s, when the women's movement was going strong. Some of the stories reference war. "Queenie" definitely places itself by reference to fashion. But I think Munro is generally very careful not to date her stories; she creates an atmosphere that suggests a time and place, but she doesn't weigh down the narrative with a lot of details like popular songs or brands or types of cars, etc.
Also, the 1960s in a story set in rural Canada vs. set in a city would have a lot of variation. The 1960s in some backwood would probably feel a lot like the 1940s.
I agree. Munro did a good job of not making these stories dated.
I also tend to picture these stories in the past somewhat. Not a particular decade, really, just the general past. I picture everything in a very muted color palette, like an old movie.
Post a Comment