These two stories are strange little narratives with the logic of nightmares. They're deceptively complex, so lets spend some time this week trying to figure out how they work. A good way of approaching a short story is to think about the way it opens and closes.
"The Judgement" opens and closes simply: "It was on a Sunday morning in the loveliest part of the spring..." "At that moment a simply endless stream of traffic was passing over the bridge." What do you make of the quiet way the story opens and closes compared to what happens in the middle? Has the father really been communicating w/ the friend in Russia? Or is he insane? And if he's insane then why does Georg kill himself?
Look at "A Country Doctor": "I was in a most awkward predicament..." all the way down to "...I lacked a horse, a horse." Compared to that long opening which sets the scene, the end is like a brief summary: "Having obeyed the false ringing of the night bell just once--the mistake can never be rectified." What is the "false ringing of the night bell"? What is the "mistake"?
Use these questions as a way of getting into the stories, but don't be limited to them. Feel free to ask your own questions and make your own observations.
I believe that Georg killed himself because he realized that he was insane and that if his fiancé found out that the Russian friend is fake, it would ruin the marriage. Georg could also be upset about his mother's death, although the story doesn't mention how close they were.
ReplyDelete