Rana Dasgupta's short story cycle „Tokyo Cancelled“ was first published in 2005. The
cycle contains 13 short stories, which are held together by a frame narration that takes
place on an airport, where 13 people spend the night together, telling different fictional
stories to each other in order to make the stay as pleasant as possible. The focalization
shifts throughout the course of the stories depending on who is the protagonist in the
story. In the case of “The speed bump”, the focalizer is Zack and the story is told by an
authorial narrator.
1) Introduction
Rana Dasgupta's short story cycle „Tokyo Cancelled“ was first published in 2005. The cycle contains 13 short stories, which are held together by a frame narration that takes place on an airport, where 13 people spend the night together, telling different fictional stories to each other in order to make the stay as pleasant as possible. The focalization shifts throughout the course of the stories depending on who is the protagonist in the story. In the case of “The speed bump”, the focalizer is Zack and the story is told by an authorial narrator.
Due to the fact that there are no recurring characters within the cycle, it is safe to assume that the parameters, which distinguish between a short story collection and and a short story cycle, are in this case the themes. The most important theme of the cycle is globalization. Furthermore, there is a fantastic element present in every short story. This is, however, not appliable to “The speed bump”. The story has neither a fantastic element nor a direct reference to the theme of globalization, which sets the story apart from the other more surreal stories.
Frequently asked questions
What is "Tokyo Cancelled" and its structure?
"Tokyo Cancelled" is a short story cycle by Rana Dasgupta, published in 2005. It contains 13 short stories connected by a frame narration set in an airport, where 13 people tell each other stories to pass the time. The focalization changes based on the protagonist of each story.
What is "The Speed Bump" about?
“The speed bump” is one of the stories within "Tokyo Cancelled". In it, Zack is the focalizer and the story is told by an authorial narrator.
What distinguishes "Tokyo Cancelled" as a short story cycle rather than just a collection?
The distinguishing factor is the presence of recurring themes, notably globalization, throughout the cycle.
Does "The Speed Bump" contain common themes of the collection?
Unlike other stories in the cycle, “The speed bump” lacks both a fantastic element and a direct reference to the theme of globalization.
What is the central question the essay aims to explore?
The essay seeks to analyze why Dasgupta included "The Speed Bump" in the middle of the cycle and why he chose to write it differently from the surrounding stories, particularly regarding the absence of typical themes and fantastic elements. The goal is to determine why Dasgupta didn't use all the provided themes in this story, that are used before and after the story.
- Quote paper
- Rouven Dirb (Author), 2011, The importance of “The speed bump” in Rana Dasgupta's “Tokyo Cancelled”, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/182898
