“The Most Handsome Drowned Man” is a story based off of perceptions. The villagers perceive this larger than life, elegant looking man and immediately make all manner of assumptions about his poise and demeanor, even though they had absolutely nothing to go off of besides the actual dead body in front of them. They had nothing going for them before this man washed up on their shores, and so the sense of wonder that they felt was amplified. I feel that this sets up the atmosphere for the course ahead of us: we are to take the unmoving, lifeless words in front of us on our screens and build worlds and context around them. With each new reading we are to be the village Before and After Esteban, coming out with a new understanding and view of the world. This piece serves as an appetizer for the works to come, which will likely be even more intriguing.
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