Raymond Carver is style in “Cathedral” I experienced simplicity, minimalism style and story telling. In very concise wording such as “We ate everything there was to eat on the table.” He explores ordinary moments and emotions with a every day language making it more natural. In contrast Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s style in stories like “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” is more poetic, imaginative, and metaphorical, Garcia uses a imagery and magical realism in his story, describing the drowned man’s body as the most handsome thing the villagers have ever seeing, different and beautiful. Both writers effectively explore their profound inspiration about the human experience through their pieces. When reading the stories a have noticed that every author has their own identity when writing, every one has the unique wording, story telling, topics and ideas that are placed in their pieces as we can explore them.
Daily Archives: May 3, 2024
Raymond Carver employs a concise writing style in “Cathedral,” focusing on everyday details that carry profound emotional weight. In the story, the narrator’s initial feelings about Robert’s visit are depicted with straightforward language: “I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me.” This direct approach allows readers to grasp the narrator’s underlying discomfort and prejudice without extensive explanation. In contrast, James Joyce’s “Araby” features a more elaborate style with vivid imagery and introspective narration. For instance, the protagonist’s description of Mangan’s sister is filled with sensory details: “Her dress swung as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side.” Joyce’s use of rich language and detailed observations immerses readers in the protagonist’s infatuation and inner world. Joyce’s lyrical style and reflection allow a deeper exploration of human experiences and emotions, whereas Carver’s succinctness and understatement effectively portray feelings.
To me Raymond Carver style of writing is very detailed orientated to detail He did not leave his readers or listeners guessing about the setting and/or scenery. He told you exactly what his surroundings were or what was happening in relation to his topics with no room for self interpretation. For example in the his poem “My daughter and Apple Pie,” he said, “She serves me a piece of it a few minutes out of the oven. A little steam rises from the slits on top. Sugar and spice -cinnamon – burned into the crust. But she’s wearing these dark glasses in the kitchen at ten o’clock in the morning.” In these first 7 lines he describes his setting and what is currently going on at that moment in the poem to his listeners. This is a very different style of writing than the poet Gwendolyn Brooks in her poem, “We real cool.” To me she left her listeners guessing about the setting and was not very detailed orientated.
The writing style of Raymond Carver is very simple and blunt. He says exactly what is going on and you do not have to wonder. In the very first few sentences, he explains that a blind man was “on his way to spend the night. His wife died. So he was visiting the dead wife’s relatives in Connecticut.” As shown here, he leaves no detail out. However in “Araby” by James Joyce, he sets the scenery and leaves the suspense for his readers. He is very descriptive in his imagery as he explains the “uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbors in a square ground.” James’ attention to detail is a huge contrast to Raymond’s style of writing. Until James explained the character had “never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.” The readers weren’t completely sure if he knew this woman he seemed to be so fond of. Unlike Raymond, who told us from the beginning what the mood between of characters and tone was.
After reading “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, I noticed that his style of writing is simple. To me, he writes in a way that is not complicated for the reader to get his ideas. When I was reading the story (Cathedral) I found it very easy for me to keep up with the flow of his writing. However, I don’t understand the ending lol. I had to read the ending a few times to try to understand it. In “Photograph of my Father” he also writes in a very simple way to be a poem. “In jeans and denim shirt, he leans against the front fender of a 1934 Ford”. In contrast we read poems from authors like Robert Browning who write “My Last Duchess’ ‘using a deeper style of writing. In my opinion, his poem is way harder to read because of the language that he used. For example “The depth and passion of its earnest glance, But to myself they turned” This quote from “My Last Duchess” is an example of how his style of writing is way different from Carver’s style.
