3 Review(s)

Closely examines five classic modern stories by acclaimed masters of the genre; through detailed commentary and annotations, the texts? multiplicities of meaning are revealed. ?Everything comes from somewhere?, says Salman Rushdie, and if the sagas of yore came from the ?great Story Sea?, modern tales well up from the depths of the human psyche and human experience. Narrative and Narration: A Study of the Modern Short Story closely examines five classic modern stories by acclaimed masters of the genre. Each text is preceded by a critical introduction and commentary on the writer, their life and works, historical context, fictional themes, literary influences and narrative techniques. Readers are offered a rich variety of readings and interpretations, revealing the texts? multiplicities of ?meaning?. Detailed annotations accompany each story. The narrator/teller of the modern short story uses multiple methods of presentation. Narrative and Narration displays the inherent flexibility of the form. Fragments of life and experience may be translated through mimesis (Bates? The Ox), dieresis (Mansfield?s The Fly), mixed narrative modes and prominent authorial intervention (Maugham?s The Lotus Eater), symbolism (Joyce?s Araby) or a complex frame narrator (Conrad?s The Lagoon). This collection is a must-read for students of English literature at the college and university levels. About the Author Jayati Gupta is currently Head of the Department of English at Presidency College, Kolkata and honorary guest faculty at the University of Calcutta. She specializes in eighteenth-century English literature and the European Enlightenment. Her postdoctoral research interests include travel writing, translation and culture studies. Table Of Contents Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction A Guide to Further Reading 1. JOSEPH CONRAD: THE LAGOON. Introduction and Critical Commentary. Annotated Text. Notes by Debashis Bandhyopyadhay 2. WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM: THE LOTUS EATER. Introduction and Critical Commentary. Annotated Text. Notes by Sanjukta Das 3. HERBERT ERNEST BATES:THE OX. Introduction and Critical Commentary. Annotated Text. Notes by Debalina Banerjee 4. JAMES JOYCE: ARABY. Introduction and Critical Commentary. Annotated Text. Notes by Samir Kumar Mukhopadhyay 5. KATHERINE MANSFIELD: THE FLY. Introduction and Critical Commentary. Annotated Text. Notes by Manu Auddy