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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that contrasts and compares 2 versions of the same short story. In 1977, in his short story collection Furious Seasons, Raymond Carver included a story entitled "Mine," which he subsequently revised, with the revised and re-titled version, "Little Things" appearing in his 1989 collection, Where I'm Calling From. The two stories are virtually identical; however, comparing them reveals the logic of Carver's revision choices and it then becomes evident that the newer version, "Little Things," is the more compelling and dramatic narrative. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_kh2sscar.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
The two stories are virtually identical; however, comparing them reveals the logic of Carvers revision choices and it then becomes evident that the newer version, "Little Things," is the more
compelling and dramatic narrative. For example, consider the two opening sentences. In "Mine," Carver writes: "During the day the sun had come out and the snow melted into dirty
water...Cars slushed by on the street outside. It was getting dark, outside and inside" (Carver 92, as cited by McDermott). In "Little Things," this sentence is changed: "Early that day
the weather turned and the snow was melting into dirty water...Cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside
too" (Carver 152, as cited by McDermott). In the second version, Carver refers to weather in general, rather than focusing on the sun, which is a change that allows
the reader to make create more associations (McDermott). The use of the present participle creates a sense of an ongoing process, rather than actions that have been completed, which is
the effect of the past tense verbs in the first version and this choice creates a greater sense of tension and drama. In the revision, the choice to use the
word "turned" is extremely significant because this "suggests that the story will also be about a turning," an ongoing process of change (McDermott). The changes to the last sentence in
this opening paragraph referring to the oncoming darkness within also add to the tension and greatly add to the ominous tone that is obviously one of Carvers narrative goals.
Carver also made significant revision to the ending of this narrative. In "Mine," the ending reads: She felt her fingers being forced open and the baby going from
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