Customer Reviews

Dancing Girls and Other Stories

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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Having read Atwood's many excellent novels, I searched for additional works by her. This compilation of early short stories reveals an author testing the literary waters, without plunging in head first. We see early glimpses of Atwood's dark wit and terse descriptions. And we are also treated to many varied and memorable characters, stories and settings. For those of you who believe, as I do, that Atwood is one of the most accomplished authors writing today, these stories, even though not perfect and early in her career, are far more rewarding than most works by mature authors. A must read.

I've always liked Margaret Atwood, but with this collection I now have to say I love her. Many typically unsentimental stories with strong women characters, and none one-dimensional. Each story has stayed with me in its own way. This is one to try.

Atwood's short stories are shocking, vibrant glances at some of her most interesting people. The stories in this collection were published in many journals, from the prestigious *Harper's* to the rarified journals like *Fiddlehead* and *The Malahat Review.* Because many of these pieces were published in smaller journals, they've not been widely read. If you see yourself as an Atwood buff, you need this book to complete your collection.

Stories in *Dancing Girls*:

The War in the Bathroom
The Man from Mars
Polarities
Under Glass
The Grave of the Famous Poet
Rape Fantasies
Hair Jewellery
When It Happens
A Travel Piece
The Resplendent Quetzal
Training
Lives of the Poets
Dancing Girls
Giving Birth


TK Kenyon
Author of Rabid: A Novel and Callous: A Novel

As noted by others, "Dancing girls" is just one story in this collection of about a dozen short stories by Margaret Atwood. Short stories are considered to be more difficult to write than longer pieces. Flaws are amplified and it is easier to judge the writer.

This is an entertaining collection where Atwood demonstrates that she is down to earth and is sufficiently skilled and talented to make the mundane seem very interesting without resorting to any fancy writing techniques. The stories are set in modern urban settings. There is no simple pattern to the tales, and some end abruptly. They have a variety of interesting characters, but the women seem more interesting than the men.

I read this collection along with her non-fiction "Negotiating With the Dead: a Writer on Writing." As someone new to Atwood, I was very impressed and would recommend both books.

So, what is Atwood like, or who is she like? Is she another Toni Morrison or perhaps similar to Joyce Carol Oats, or Joy Williams? Atwood has a reputation as an erudite or knowledgeable writer. So, as a reader of literature one is drawn to make a comparison with earlier women writers such as Gertrude Stein or Virginia Woolf. Both were earlier feminists with strong intellects and both had a wealth of talent. Paris based Stein developed an unusual style to be different: a non-linear narrative structure inspired by impressionist painters as in her work "The Good Anna.". Similarly, after Woolf's first two novels she abandoned conventional writing in her novels and she wrote using the stream of consciousness technique starting with "Jacob's Room" and later uses other lyrical techniques to make her writing somewhat unusual, and to apply a creative spin. Atwood has not chosen to use such techniques here, nor does she have to resort to those techniques to be interesting. Her writing is more conventional but it is still entertaining. Her strong intellect emerges very loudly to the reader through her skilled use of prose and interesting stories. The strories are sharp and snappy.

This is a good collection of modern urban short stories that I would recommend for readers of short fiction. Most of the stories are just 25 pages or so.

In this short story collection Atwood explores the mindset of women in a variety of situations. From an isolated grad student to an expectant mother, to a severely disabled girl at summer camp, these stories find women in deceptively ordinary situations, each with a slight twist. This collection is comprised of stories written early in Atwood's career, and that is clearly reflected in the details. Several stories focus on academic environments, with graduate student characters. The protagonist in the collection's namesake, "Dancing Girls," a Canadian graduate student in Cambridge, certainly brings to mind Atwood's own time at Harvard. Together this collection explores the expectations that follow young women in the late-1970s: sometimes restrictive, sometimes depressing, always present.

I've read most of Margaret Atwoods work and like her writing a lot. This book of short stories does not disappoint. The gist of each story is as follows:

1) The Man From Mars - A Strange oriental man (greasy, poor, unkempt) becomes obessed with a plain, plump, wealthy woman and begins to follow her everywhere. Previously unnoticed, other men wonder what her attraction is and they begin to notice her too.

2) Polarities - A delusional woman develops a relationship with a university colleague. After her commitment, he realizes that the substance of her delusions run deep and have significance for us all. He realizes, too, that life is a paradox.

3) A Travel Piece - A travel writer, feeling estranged from his own life, endures a plane crash only to find that she still can't decide if she's outside, looking in, or inside, looking out.

4) The Resplendent Quetzel - A woman who loses a child at birth torments her husband for his not being there at the time of the news.

5) Training - A young man serving as a counselor at a summer camp for disabled youth has to deal with his hopes and yearnings for their future and his own. He realizes that his idealism and caring will fade gradually and he will no longer care.

6) Lives of the Poets - This story is about the fear and pain of revealing oneself to an audience. A poet gets psycho-somatic illnesses before each reading. She turns to her husband for help but he is not there for her.

7) The Dancing Girls - A repressed student, living out her father's dreams, lives in a squalid room in a large house inhabited primarily by transient foreign students. She becomes intrigues by a neighbor who is chased down the street by their landlord for having a party where dancing girls entertained.

If these synopses intrigue you, then I recommend this book. I have only provided short outlines of each story. None are spoilers. The stories are deep and provide much, much more than what I have reviewed.

Dancing Girls / 0-553-37791-4

This collection of Atwood short stories includes:
- The War in the Bathroom
- When It Happens
- The Man from Mars
- A Travel Piece
- Polarities
- The Resplendent Quetzal
- Under Glass
- Training
- The Grave of the Famous Poet
- Lives of Poets
- Dancing Girls
- Hair Jewelry
- Giving Birth
- Rape Fantasies
- Betty
- The Sin Eater

These stories are classic Atwood material: the stories explore pain in modern relationships, and the ennui that sets into modern life and leaves people feeling deeply sad, yet unable to explain their sadness. In the face of material security, socially acceptable relationships and jobs, and owning lavish goods and homes, why do we still feel so sad? Other stories carefully examine mental deterioration, whether mental illness ("The War in the Bathroom") as the main character slowly seems to spiral into dementia, or severe strain brought on by unusual circumstances ("A Travel Piece"). Atwood posits that, in the face of complete breakdown, a part of us still hangs onto our familiar routines, even when hanging on seems absurd. Whether this absurd cling to the familiar helps to maintain our sanity or whether it merely hastens the descent into madness is never made clear.

~ Ana Mardoll

Initially enticed into the world of Margaret Atwood through a short story, I was thrilled to discover this collection. Social commentary, moral narrative, human fable - each piece is compelling in its own right. The depth and diversity of the characters populating each story is astounding and the themes inherent in each range from abstract to concrete, profound to peripheral. Atwood's writing remains piercing, brilliant and timeless.

I reviewed this collection when it was first published. It was, in fact, my introduction to Margaret Atwood. Over the years, her stories have stayed with me, as a part of my consciousness. Atwood's style, sometimes biting, sometimes whimsical, always varied and always original, remains a brilliant and unique voice in contemporary North American and Canadian literature.

Atwood as always is lyrical, and beautiful in prose. Though I did not love every story, I recognized the beauty in every story.