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Short Story Unit #1:. Author and Story Information. Countries Represented. Russia (Asia) Columbia (Latin America) Egypt (Africa) France (Europe). Author #1: Leo Tolstoy. From: Russia Birth: 1828 Death: 1910. Tolstoy Cont. Focus: Realist Fiction Famous Novels: War and Peace - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Short Story Unit #1:
Author and Story Information
Countries Represented
• Russia (Asia)
• Columbia (Latin America)
• Egypt (Africa)
• France (Europe)
Author #1: Leo Tolstoy
• From: Russia
• Birth: 1828
• Death: 1910
Tolstoy Cont.
• Focus: Realist Fiction
• Famous Novels: – War and Peace– Anna Karenina (Oprah Book Club Selection)
Tolstoy Cont.
• Born into wealth and nobility
• Traveled to Europe to escape stifling political repression in Russia
• War and Peace: said to be one of the greatest novels ever written!
Tolstoy Cont.
• Interesting fact: Tolstoy did not like Shakespeare!– I remember the astonishment I felt when I first
read Shakespeare…Not only did I feel no delight but I felt an irresistible repulsion and tedium…
Tolstoy on Religion
• Tolstoy believed that a true Christian could find lasting happiness by striving for inner self-perfection through following the Great Commandment of loving one’s neighbor and God rather than looking outward to the Church or state for guidance.
“The Long Exile”
• Written in 1888
• Published as a children’s story
• Setting: Russia/Siberia
The story of a man who is falsely accused of a crime and when given the chance to get even, makes a bold decision.
Author #2 Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• From: Colombia
• Birth: 1927
• Death: Still alive!
Marquez Cont.
• Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature, 1982
• One Hundred Years of Solitude (also Oprah book club selection…see a trend with good books???)
• Love in the Time of Cholera: movie, 2007
Marquez Cont.
• Interesting fact: The novel Memories of My Melancholy Whores (2003) was banned in Iran after 5000 copies were sold.
• (It’s the story of a 90 year old man who romances a teenage concubine)
Marquez Cont.
• Themes in Marquez’ stories:
– Reality– Solitude– Setting: small villages (usually his home town
of Aracataca, Columbia
“Tuesday Siesta”
• Written: 1984
• The story of a mother and daughter who fight the elements of setting to pay tribute to her son/brother in a town that could not be bothered to take the time to assist them.
Naguib Mahfouz
• From: Egypt
• Birth: 1911
• Death: 2006
Mahfouz Cont.
• Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature, 1988
• Explored the theme of existentialism
existentialism
• a philosophical attitude that stresses the individual's unique position as a self-determining agent responsible for the authenticity of his or her choices, not influenced by God or religion.
Mahfouz Cont.
• Born in lower class, Muslim family
• Great influence: The Egyptian Revolution of 1919. He watched British soldiers firing at demonstrators, men and women.
Mahfouz Cont.
• Writing Style: focused on psychological impact of social change on ordinary people
• Also dealt with politics, antipathy towards Islamic extremism, criticized radical Islam
“The Norwegian Rat”
• Published: 1984
• Setting: Cairo, Egypt (1970’s)
• A story about a rat infestation and how sometimes the solution is worse than the problem.
Guy de Maupassant
• From: France
• Birth: 1850
• Death: 1893
• Wrote: “The Necklace”
Maupassant
• Stories are characterized by their economy of style and efficient, effortless denouement.
• Delighted in clever plotting
• (simple writing, understandable endings)
Maupassant
• Considered one of the fathers of modern short story writing.
• Interesting fact: Guy de Maupassant was very fond of Shakespeare! And, Tolstoy respected Maupassant’s writings!
“The Piece of String”
• The story of a man who, in trying to hide the fact that he was cheap, made everyone think he was a fool and a liar.