Reflection on the Short Story Critique

My skills at critiquing fiction are nothing remarkable but I really tried my best to describe my feelings and opinions about the story we read. I am not planning currently on becoming a critic but I feel like the skills my lecturer have taught us are really important since looking at the fiction we enjoy through an analytical lens can be quite useful for constructing our own stories.

 

Yesterday, I was allocated an assignment. This assignment was a critique on a short story that we read called 'Flower Wild.' It won the award at the RTÉ Short Story Competition deservedly, as the writer creates a captivating narrative with indelible imagery and descriptions. 

I hope in my future reviews and critiques of fiction I can elaborate more on my thoughts and discuss themes in more detail as I struggle to grasp and comprehend topics that I find complex. For example, I was confused about the heading 'conflict' as I've never thought about what makes conflict interesting in a story. I would love to explore themes that are more overtly philosophical or deep in nature that I don't think about that often in the future and I am sure that I will improve as the year continues.

I am interested to see what my lecturers think about my thoughts. I have incorporated the critique into this post for all readers to see.

Discuss what you liked about the story  I particularly enjoyed the vivid descriptions in the text and the use of religious themes. ‘Put me down underneath the tree surrounded by the violets.’ It create s an evocative yet melancholy image. As a reader, we know that she won’t get what she wants.  The unnamed main character is a pious woman who desires a burial in the Catholic graveyard but is haunted by her past, having shot Il Duce the Fascist leader of Italy. She is omened by this event in her life which contributes to her being forbidden from being buried where she wishes. This recurring theme of religion has a poignancy.

Discuss any elements you did not like  I disliked the repetition of the main character saying she was brought from Italy to Northampton. I felt it was unnecessary and didn’t add anything of substance to the story. It should have been said once instead of being repeated.  I also disliked that there wasn’t a clear enough motivation for her shooting Mussolini.

Would you change anything about the story? Give reasons for your answers  If I could change anything about the story, I would probably describe her being committed to the asylum in more detail. I would like to add these details to show the emotions she felt during this time and establish further how backward and sinister that time was for the main character.

Write a note on the following elements:

Character   The main character of the short story is very well developed and compelling character. She is an Anglo-Irish woman and a Catholic who tried to shoot Mussolini. This event had a negative impact on her life that informs the rest of the story.

Plot   The plot of the story is about the woman who tries to shoot Mussolini or Il Duce in Italy. In the story she describes in detail the events before the shooting, during the shooting and her subsequently being committed to the asylum in Northampton.

Setting   The story is set in two main places. 1930’s Italy and an asylum in Northampton in England. The setting makes the story more interesting as a result because of its historical nature.

Conflict  The conflict of the story is the tension between the main character and her troubled past.

Theme   The main themes of the story are religion and oppression.  The main character is a pious woman who wants to be buried in the Catholic graveyard but is haunted by her past, having shot Il Duce the Fascist leader of Italy. She is affected negatively by the shooting and her subsequently being committed to an asylum which contributes to her being forbidden from being buried where she wishes. Through her words, we get a perspective on the time that she was living in. A very backward, regressive time for women. Her fate isn’t just coincidence, it’s also a product of the society she is living in.