Customer Reviews

Minimalism and the Short Story--Raymond Carver, Amy Hempel, and Mary Robison (Studies in Comparative Literature)

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Yes, I'm actually writing a review for this book, Minimalism and the Short story, on the off chance that someone stumbles across this entry. First, I'll begin with some general praise. This book is worth buying, borrowing, reading at your local library, etc., if for no other reason than the fact that this book, I believe, is the only academic, professional, literary study of minimalism, a much maligned and completely misunderstood movement (even describing it as a movement is kind of troublesome) that swept through literature in the late 70s and on into the early 80s. Yes, you can probably find volumes on Carver, but there's surprisingly little out there (aside from interviews/articles in literary magazines) on Robison and Hempel. A serious examination of Robison and Hempel has been long overdue.

Professor Hallett's book provides nice background on literary minimalism's roots. In addition, Hallett does a nice job delineating minimalism from an overall economy of language (i.e. minimalism is not simply spare writing--a confusion too many book reviewers are guilty of spreading). Also, Hallett makes a decent comparison between the minimalists and the post-modernists, aruguing (rightly) that the two sides aren't so far apart.

Sure, I have some small concerns with this book. The background material on minimalism itself is more useful than Hallett's discussion of the authors themselves. If you're looking for a thorough examination of Carver, Robison, and Hempel, you're probably best off searching elsewhere. These three writers are sort of glossed over, no single story by any of them receives much treatment, and thus the reader is left with the feeling that he/she is reading synopsis rather than analysis. Of the three writers examined, Hempel probably receives the most (and best) attention. I'm not sure I've been further enlightened about Carver and Robison after reading this book.

Still, for those who want an introductory splash into a frequently misunderstood fictional movement, you should begin here.