We'll probably discuss the darkness of Boyle's story tomorrow, and in light of that and some of our conversation about the student work from the last class, I was reminded of this quote by writer George Saunders:
What's interesting, though, is that if something bad happens in a story, or if something bad is the centerpiece, then that's considered dark, which I think is weird. People keep saying to me, "But you seem so happy." And I really am. But I love that Chekhov quote: "There ought to be a man with a hammer behind the door of every happy man, to remind him by his constant knocks that there are unhappy people, and that happy as he himself may be, life will sooner or later show him its claws." That seems to me to be a very legitimate function for literature: just to tap in the closet. For me it's pretty natural just to say, "Yes, life's pretty good, but it's not good for everybody. And when it's not good, this is how it might feel."
Watch Saunders speak about the short story form on The Colbert Report here.
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