Musings on the Short Stories for Paris Salon Intensive April 2014
Sometimes two random pieces connect in the mind by sheer accident—but the way they speak to each other becomes something more than coincidence. As I re-read ‘Boys and Girls’ today, I also read a piece on Laura Bates and her blog, Everyday Sexism (http://everydaysexism.com) and there was the clang. Alice Munro has a gift for exposing the strange customs of our realm—the realm I live in & have formed my identity and relationships in- without direct commentary but in a way that as reader, I stand back somewhat aghast at this odd, normalized world.
“Girls don’t slam doors like that.” “Girls keep their knees together when they sit down.” And worse still, when I asked some questions, “That’s none of girls’ business.” I continued to slam the doors and sit as awkwardly as possible, thinking that by such measures I kept myself free. –“Boys and Girls”
sorry unable to find the text….