‘‘Once Upon a Time’’ is a short story in two parts; the first part is a first-person account by the narrator, who may or may not be read as Gordimer herself, explaining how she came to write the story that follows. She explains that she has been asked to write a story for children to…
Tag: Short Stories
A Mystery of Heroism – Analysis
Stephen Crane and Joseph Conrad first met on October 15, 1897, beginning a warm friendship that lasted until Crane’s untimely death in 1900. The two men discussed their work, reviewed each other’s writings, and exchanged literary advice. Though Conrad was fourteen years older than Crane, he began writing late in life, following a long career…
A Mystery of Heroism – Setting
The Civil War By 1860, conflict between the North and the South over states’ rights, slavery (in both newly acquired territories and in existing states), and the economic dominance of the North had led to bitter debate. Emotions ran high and voices of compromise and reason were often ignored. Before Lincoln was even elected, some…
A Mystery of Heroism – Irony – Realism – Literary Devices
Irony Crane’s work often makes use of irony (a contradiction between what appears to be, or what one expects, and reality). In this story there are many ironic elements. First of all, the story of a man’s journey through heavy artillery fire to get a drink of water is in itself ironic. In a story…
A Mystery of Heroism – Themes
Heroism In ‘‘A Mystery of Heroism’’ and many of his other short stories (including The Red Badge of Courage) Crane grapples with the definition of heroism. What makes a hero a hero? Is the conventional definition of heroism truly valid? Crane uses Collins’s opinions about heroism as a way of poking fun at the conventional…
A Mystery of Heroism – Characters
The Captain Like the colonel, the captain of Collins’s company is surprised by Collins’s request but does little to talk him out of it, merely asking him, ‘‘Can’t you wait?’’ Both the captain and the colonel are unsure whether Collins is really serious about his request. Fred Collins Fred Collins is a Civil War infantryman…
A Mystery of Heroism – Summary
Crane begins ‘‘A Mystery of Heroism’’ by setting the scene, describing the field of battle. At the top of a hill the artillerymen rush about, firing and reloading their guns, while below the hill the infantrymen of A company await their turn to fight. The infantrymen look onto ‘‘a fair little meadow,’’ and just beyond…
The Medicine Bag – Analysis
One of the most popular, recognizable, and enjoyable genres of storytelling is the bildungsroman, sometimes known as the coming-of-age story. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms (2003) notes that this kind of story can also be called an apprenticeship or formation story. All stories that take this shape follow certain conventions. In the…
The Medicine Bag – Setting
Native American History: The Lakota As writer and storyteller Joseph Bruchac reminds readers in his 2003 book Our Stories Remember: American Indian History, Culture, and Values through Storytelling, ‘‘Native America is made up of many cultures, hundreds of them. There is not just one history of the American Indian but countless histories.’’ Thus, attempting to…
The Medicine Bag – Symbolism, Characterization
Characterization ‘‘The Medicine Bag’’ includes examples of both rounded and flat characters, sometimes also referred to as dynamic and static characters. A rounded or dynamic character in a story is one who changes and grows from the beginning to the end, whereas a flat or static character remains essentially the same throughout. Martin and Grandpa…