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Short Fiction Review
Josh: 26. I agree completely that you say some titles are the clue to understading a story's underlying theme or meaning. It's cool to look at a good story like it is a puzzle, and often times the title can be the missing piece that makes everything come together and the picture apparant.

-Ethan, the last three

Short Fiction Review
Julian: 30. I know exactly what you mean when you talk about re-reading or re-watching something in order to pick up on its subtleties. I don't, however, think you can even compare the first exposure to the second, third and so on. When you go over something again, your perspective completely changes because you know what the end is going to be. So rather than looking for clues that would lead you to discovering what will happen next, you look at all of the actions and sitiations and try to relate them to the ending of the story. When I watch "Fight Club" I don't try to figure out what will happen at the end like I did the first time. Instead I look for clues and symbolism that i might have missed the first time, like you said. Still valuable, but an altogether different experiance.

Short Fiction Review
Paolo. 29. Let me just start by saying that you're way to smart for the rest of us, we should all be in remedial English classes compared to you. Anyway, I think you're right in saying that interpretive stories give us insight into a truth about humanity. Since human beings are the only conscious life form that we can understand and interpret, there isn't much left to think about other than ourselves and our situations. For example, it would be pretty hard for a story to interpret the thoughts and emotions of a brick, since it has no consciousness. So rather than looking for things around us to analyze, we turn inward and look at ourselves.

Short Fiction Review
3. What use does the story make of chance and coincidence? Are these occurences to initiate, to complicate, or to resolve the story? How improbable are they? An author's use of chance and coincidence can be analyzed in many ways. Story's that are chiefly escape literature tend to use coincidence and chance to drive the plot or to get from point A to point B; when an event is needed, it happens. Stories that are largely interpretive often times use these devices for a more important purpose. Chance and coincidence can be sprinkled throughout a story in order to bring about a discussion of fate, which can usually really get the reader thinking. In this way, an insightful author can use chance and coincidence to complicate the story to an incredible degree while still maintaining the story's integrity regarding its main purpose or theme.

4. How is suspense created in the story? Is the interest confined to "What happens next?" or are larger concerns involved? Can you find examples of mystery? Of dilemma? Well crafted suspense can make the reader stay on the edge of his or her seat for the entire story. It can be used to make us wonder; to make us ask "What happens next?" and keep us guessing. But suspense can also be created by other means that don't have the reader asking "What happens next?" In "The Destructors" Trevors character creates suspense because we don't know what he's thinking or what he's going to do. It makes not only the other characters, but the reader nervous because of the uneasy feeling evoked by uncertainty. The suspense created in that particular story definately involves larger concerns and is much more complex than an ordinary "cliff-hanger".

12. Does the Theme reinforce or oppose popular notions of life? Does it furnish a new insight or refresh and deepen an old one? Personally, the stories I enjoy the most are the ones that are completely eye-opening. If a theme can challange my preconcieved notions of life and make me say something like, "Wow, I had never thought about it that way," then to me, the story was successful. In my opinion, the goal of reading literature, aside from entertaining ourselves, should be to educate and make us better people. The broader our perspective is, the wiser we become. That's why I believe that any story able to broaden my perspective is completely successful.

23. Is the primary interest of the story in plot, character, theme, or some other element? In my experiance, stories that focus on character and theme have been much more meaningful to me than those concerned with plot. Though the latter stories can be extremely entertaining, not much about them stays with me. Oppositely, a story like "The Japanese Quince" that depends on its characters and underlying theme for true meaning to be discovered, give insight that can be used and referenced infinitely. Theme based stories tend to offer us an example of a fact about life that we can then relate to and understand more fully. Character focusing stories mostly show us a side to human beings that we hadn't seen before, allow us to relate to the character, and ultimately make ouselves better people by either mimicing or staying away from the fictional persons habits.

26. What light is thrown on the story by its title? It's always nice for the title to have some meaning relating to the story and possibly even offer some insight into the story's meaning. In this way the entire work has some congruity, but it is not essential. I also think that some stories should not reveal their title until after they have been read. In a lot of cases, the title is the big clue that allows the reader to deduce what the meaning behind the story really is, which then happens gradually while reading through. I'd rather have a revelation all at once, so that it has a more powerful effect. So by putting the title at the end of the story, after reading what seemed to not make sense, the reader can see the title, understand the clue, and realize all of sudden what the meaning is.
-Ethan (sorry i'm so late)

Short Fiction Review
Paolo's discussion of the key role of a protagonist and conflict in a story can be easily identified with. A protagist's existence and role in a story is a key part of any story, therefore it is highly reflective of the story's literary value. Because conflict lies at the heart of most stories and propels all other elements of a story, it too is highly significant in creating a well-written story.

Short Fiction Review
I also agree with Kaitlin's question of whether the story is escape or interpretive. While escape stories do not entirely lack literary value they are not abundant with it, therefore questioning whether the story is escape is a good way to judge a story's literary value. Most interpretive stories have much literary value, making it easy to see that a story has much literary value if it is interpretive.

Short Fiction Review
I agree with Ebony's point about symbols. If symbols are placed in a story they most likely are very significant to the plot and overall meaning of the story. Escape stories typically lack these important symbols. There is no deeper meaning in escape stories that symbols provide, they must merely be taken at face value. Interpretive stories, however, include a deeper meaning which can be revealed through correct use of symbols. This shows that symbols are indicitive of literary value.

Short Fiction Review
To continue with the significance of title- I am starting to notice it much more. When I think back to "The Kite Runner" and "1,000 Splendid Suns" the titles went along with recurring elements and phrases like in "The Kite Runner" the phrase "For you a thousand times over," when referring to running for the kite and this element starts the book and then brings it to a close. But then I think of Jane Eyre . . . just being called Jane Eyre, seems a bit plain but I guess since the book was a billion pages long the title didn't need to hold that much significance.

Short Fiction Review
I agree with Ebony's response about symbols; they can be very helpful in understanding literature and evaluating the merit of a text. However, to expand, I think that the over-analysis of literature most definitely takes place, and trying to find symbolic meaning for nearly every noun in the story is tireless and unrewarding. Rather, I think if a symbol pops out and makes sense to you, the reader, then and only then is it pertinent. In simple terms, I think that symbols are what you make of them; they can be a valuable tool in deeper understanding, but I also question whether every author has in mind all of the symbols that analytical readers extract from their work.