The word choices used in Bullet in the Brain are supposed to shock you, wake and shake you up while reading. They are robust words used to grab your attention. The dialogue could be from any C movie found on late night television. Just when you are about to write the short story off you realize that you can't stop reading because you need to finish it. The short story has done it's job by pulling you into it's bad plot. When I say bad plot I mean overly cliched plot. The dialogue of the supposed bad guys is cliched but enough so that you believe you know what the writer was hoping to accomplish by doing so. The writer maybe leading you to ask "why"? Or, how is this story different, what makes it different?
Though I knew that Anders actions were going to get him in trouble, I never thought that the bad guys was actually going to shot him. I thought that perhaps he would just knock him out like in a lot of the bank robbery scenes found on television. Rarely do hostages actually get killed. I assume that is how the writer strayed away from the assumed action or cliche.
I agree with everything you say about Bullet in the Brain, but wish you had given specific examples to back up what you say. For instance, what "shocking" words does Wolff use in his story? And yes--not only does the cliché dialogue not ruin the story, it is what rescues the story from cliché by becoming the point of the story! The author makes lemonade out of lemons.
ReplyDeleteSo--this is a good start to your blog, but do keep up with your entries. Your "Whipporwill" critique should be up by now. Homework assignments aren't optional!
Keep your postings up; use the blog as your notebook. Write about anything--but write!
ReplyDeleteOkay?
You're really falling behind here. Do you want to tell me why?
ReplyDeleteThe blog is a serious part of your work as a student in my class.