Short Stories Round One: Social Commentary

we had good talks yesterday over cheese, crackers, authentic fresh hummus and pitas, brownies and wine. good eats. we did read around with edith whartons "roman fever," a first for book club. that lead straight into a conversation on mens vs. womens perspectives, the way we process and handle friendships. the societal role of women at this point in history and what wharton's statement was on this through her literature.
next we discussed the two pages of magic that was "breakfast" by john steinbeck. we all marveled at his ability to make you feel the bite of the early morning cold, the smell of fresh bacon, the taste of dark, bitter coffee and the feel of stiff dungarees. he is one of those few authors who can transport you to his world with such little effort. a-maz-ing.

"everything that rises must converge." this coversation followed much along the lines of rosies previous post, ie. the sons arrogance. we talked of the generational differences in cultural beliefs and how much eah of us are guilty of picking fights with our parent to prove not only the error of thier ways but the vast knowledge that we have of the world we live in. we also laughed a bit at o'conners love of the drastic twist endings that sometimes seem unnessecary.
"harrison bergeron" came next. we discussed the fantastical worlds that vonnegut creates, how he constructs places that we can all relate to to a certain extent, but turns it on its head, like seeing a reflection in a dirty or broken mirror. we discussed the social satire and sad humor that laced the entire piece.
last was "the curious case of benjamin button." this story was not really discussed as we could all no longer ignore the call of the roddy's pool. derek and i discussed it briefly on the way over. we enjoyed the weaving parrallels of the time periods, the generatrional commentary and highlighting that comes with his reverse aging and fish out of water characterization. also the humor that slowly digressed into a depressing ending.

all was good. food, community and enlightenment. good times. wish everyone could come.

-tim