Blog for uge fem.

For class we recently read "Hills Like White Elephants" (HLWE) by Hemingway, I have to say this was probably my favorite reading to have done for class so far. I really liked this story and its hard for me to be able to pin point exactly why I did. A lot of it I believe has to do with the fact that it was written in a very unconventional way as well the fact that there was so much symbolism in it that all connected back to the never stated discussion of an abortion.

Hemingway was able to craft a magnificently simple yet powerful story with HLWE. In most works of literature there is a lot more description and set up to the story, the text is usually filled with narration, Hemingway, however, choose to go in the opposite direction of that. He instead used manly dialogue, with very little description, to tell the story. I as surprised by how effective this turned out to be as I had originally thought that with the story being told this way I would have felt like I was missing important parts of the story. This was not the case at all, instead I felt the meaning was deepened because of how I was forced to focus on how the couple interacting with one another. Hemingway challenged the conventional format for short stories, took a risk, and it paid off extremely well. I really enjoyed how this story was told.

Usually in most stories, I feel like the abundant use of symbols gets annoying and over used quickly. I HLWE, I felt the complete opposite. The story focuses on a major issue between the couple, one that is never named out loud. Yet, the numerous phrases and context clues that point to it  make it unmistakable upon a close reading. I thought Hemingway employed the use of symbols in a new way, allowing them to all intertwine perfectly giving the story a tighter connection and more meaning, something that pleasantly surprised me.

This was the first story or piece of literature that I had ever read by Hemingway and I really like it, I plan to attempt to read more by him in the future.

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So, honestly I'm not completely sure what to write for this Blog post... On that note I'll just go with what we continue to talk about in class literary vs commercial fiction, specifically characterization. I never really thought that there was that big of a difference between the two when it came to how the characters are developed. I have been enlightened by our reading though that there is. 

Commercial fiction is based around wanting to tell a story, to entertain a reader, leaving little room for magnificently developed characters. Instead we are given static characters that are common, easily related to. This means that however fun the story is we are less than likely to remember any specifics about a character. 

However, literary is the opposite, giving us ever changing characters that perpel the story and make us question the events that are going on. 

I find this contrast interesting, especially as a writer. This had made me think about the things I write and what I focus more on, and honestly I feel I like playing with characters more. There is more that you can do with them, you can bend the situation to there will building around them. I like the idea of creating this individual with unique characteristics and ideas that when others read make them think. However my writing is not at all close to being literary or placed in a category with great literary writers, but I do aspire to har characters like theirs. 

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In class, we have been discussing quite a bit about the difference between literary and commercial fiction. This has gotten me started thinking about the books that I read and where they would fall into, as well as ultimately why I look to read a book.
At first thought, I would have said that most of what I read is pretty commercial fiction, with some balancing more towards the middle. The more I think about this though, the more I realize that this is mostly wrong. I do read some almost completely commercial fiction, but the majority of what I read probably falls in the middle of the spectrum with some straying closer on the literary scale.
I'm going to say that what I read is extremely literary, because a lot of it isnt or is really just for fun because I want to read it. But I do know that when I go looking for a good book, I want a mix of literary and commercial. I want an enjoyable story, something that is fun and relatable, but I also want something that is going to make me think.
Now, I'm not saying I want something that is going to make me question everything in the world and my own existence, but I do like authors that challenge my perceptions of life. I like when while I'm reading a book if I can step back and think that maybe not everything in life is exactly how I perceived it, that maybe things are a little more twisted and wicked than I thought.
This is very evident in one of my favorite books, A Clockwork Orange by Antony Burgess. The book has a story, one that snags my interest and keeps me reading, yet I can feel the deeper meaning that Burgess puts behind what he is writing. It has been several years since I read the book, and I admit I should probably give it a second reading soon, but I still remember that as I read it I began to question a lot about how society was set up, things such as government, and the prison system. I also began questioning the value that is placed on human life and to what extent should we be allowed to go to I order to "rehabilitate" criminals. The book was extremely thought provoking for me, and very much ventured onto the literary side of the scale.

I feel that I may have rambled slightly while writing this, but bottom line is I really do enjoy literary fiction, and sometimes even more so then commercial simply because I like the feeling of wonder and questioning that those types of books leave me with while reading them.