Re: JCO: RE: Talent vs Experience

Yes, I think that�s true Cyrano.
I'm sure there are countless examples of this kind of this thing happening
in Oates' life vs her work, but the example I can remember her talking about
specifically is a scene from her YA novel Freaky Green Eyes. The young
heroine of that novel visits a wealthy family who keep some wild animals
penned up in cages I believe. So the girl takes it upon herself to open the
cages secretly and free them all. Oates spoke about how she went to
someone's place and saw a very similar sight. She commented that since she's
unable to do this herself she created a character who could.

Eric

>From: Cyranomish@aol.com
>Reply-To: jco@usfca.edu
>To: jco@usfca.edu
>Subject: Re: JCO: RE: Talent vs Experience
>Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2005 10:29:44 EDT
>
>Hi, Joy. I would call those crude reality stories "ways not taken" rather
>than experiences that JCO would have sampled had she had adequate time to
>spare.
> In other words, I think that the writer makes deliberate life choices,
>and
>perhaps JCO's stories were ways of exploring various options open to her
>and
>discarding ones that may have been tempting but ultimately unacceptable.
> For example: let's say I work for a boss who is mean. I fanticize
>about
>how gratifying it would be to cuss him/her out in front of the whole
>company,
>and how everyone would applaud my bold, incisive oratory. That's a
>pleasant
>scenario but not very likely to happen in my situation. So I (A) write a
>story about someone like me who cusses out someone like my boss and then
>has to
>take the consequences. (B) Send out resumes and find another job working
>for a
>different boss who is more to my liking.
> I haven't got the exact quote in front of me, but James Joyce said
>something to the effect that a writer should write a tragedy, not become a
>participant in a tragedy.
>Cyrano
>
>In a message dated 10/23/2005 9:56:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>Cyranomish@aol.com writes:
>
><< So, are you saying that JCO keeps relying on talent instead of
>experience?
> Although I believe most of the stories reflect the crude reality she
>hasn't
>had
> the time to live.
>
> Joy >>
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