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Alan Bray
- 7 days ago
- 5 min
Dog - My Lord You
We have to talk about the dog. A central part of James Salter’s My Lord You concerns a large dog who appears in many scenes, shadowing...
Alan Bray
- Nov 23
- 4 min
Time For Rascals - My Lord You
One of the characteristics of James Salter’s writing style is the way time makes big leaps, a feature that is especially evident in his...
Alan Bray
- Nov 16
- 5 min
My Lord You
Today, a new one, James Salter’s 1994 short story My Lord You. The story was originally published in the September, 1994 issue of Esquire...
Alan Bray
- Nov 9
- 4 min
You Looking At Me?
Last time, we looked at the (long) opening scene of William Trevor’s A Bit On the Side. Let’s continue. Onward! A key element to the...
Alan Bray
- Nov 2
- 6 min
A Bit On The Side
This week, the adventure continues with William Trevor’s 2004 short story A Bit On the Side, published as part of the story collection of...
Alan Bray
- Oct 17
- 4 min
The Abyss - Anything Is Posiible
First, here's a no doubt surprising but at the same time evident deviation. My usual habit is to publish a new installment of this blog...
Alan Bray
- Oct 12
- 5 min
Is That A Polyphony I Hear? - Anything Is Possible
‘Kay, during our time discussing Elizabeth’s Strout’s Anything Is Possible, I know that you’ve been itching to suggest that the structure...
Alan Bray
- Oct 5
- 4 min
The Hit-Thumb Theory - Anything Is Possible
Let’s continue our exploration of Elizabeth Strout’s Anything Is Possible. Last time, we began looking at a prime structural feature of...
Alan Bray
- Sep 28
- 5 min
Transformative Hunt
Last time, we began discussing Elizabeth Strout’s Anything Is Possible, focusing on how the nine stories are linked by theme and...
Alan Bray
- Sep 21
- 4 min
Anything Is Possible
This week, a new one, Elizabeth Strout’s 2017 book Anything Is Possible. Dena recommended Elizabeth Strout to me; I’ve read Olive...
Alan Bray
- Sep 15
- 4 min
Has This Been Foreshadowed?
First, by way of apology, sorry that I didn’t publish a post yesterday as has been my habit for more than two years. Everything is all...
Alan Bray
- Sep 7
- 5 min
The Interpreter of Maladies
This week, a new one, Jhumpa Lahiri’s 1999 short story, The Interpreter of Maladies. It was originally published in Agni magazine and...
Alan Bray
- Aug 31
- 3 min
Aaron Burr Leaves The Building
This week, I’d like to begin with an admission of error—no, I’m not joking. As Baby’s father says to Johnny in Dirty Dancing, “When I’m...
Alan Bray
- Aug 24
- 4 min
Dream A Little Dream Of Me
In Eudora Welty’s First Love, a twelve-year-old boy, Joel Mayes, encounters Aaron Burr and Harman Blennerhassett, two figures, as we saw...
Alan Bray
- Aug 17
- 4 min
First Love
This week, a new story, First Love, written by last week’s author, Eudora Welty, and first published in 1942. First Love is classic...
Alan Bray
- Aug 10
- 5 min
Saying It
What can be said about No Place For You, My Love? It is beautifully written, breathtaking. But the story remains enigmatic. Two strangers...
Alan Bray
- Aug 3
- 5 min
We're Not In Kansas Anymore
Last time in our discussion of Eudora Welty’s No Time For You, My Love, I threatened to get into the manner in which Ms. Welty presents...
Alan Bray
- Jul 27
- 4 min
No Place For You, My Love
This week, a new story, No Place For You My Love, by Eudora Welty, originally published in the September 12th, 1952 issue of the New...
Alan Bray
- Jul 20
- 4 min
You Have To Go Back To Go Forward
What we have been shown in William Trevor’s melancholy After Rain is that Harriet, the protagonist, has an epiphany while coming out of...
Alan Bray
- Jul 13
- 5 min
Baby The Rain Must Fall
This week, let’s continue looking at After Rain by William Trevor. During the first scene that shows the protagonist, Harriet, having...