This paper deals with Joyce Carol Oates's short story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'. Therefore, the following will be subdivided into two main parts. The first one is going to be an introductory one, in which every tool and term that is to be used will be spelled out and explained.
The first chapter is going to deal with the features of a short story. It is to be pointed out, what makes a short story a real Short-story and which features can be found in general.
In the second chapter, there is going to be an introduction to the literary postmodernism. Thus, an explanation of features characterizing the postmodernism as such is going to follow.
The third chapter is going to be an introduction to the story of initiation, in which its main elements and ideas are going to be presented and explained.
In the fourth and last chapter in this section, an approach on Genette's theories on narrative perspectives, as well as a suitable explanation for each one can be found.
The second part of the main section is going to consist of an analysis of 'Where are you going, where have you been?' in terms of every above named aspect, as well as the approach of classifying the short story as a story of (female) initiation.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Analysis of Joyce Carol Oates's short story Where are you going, where have you been?
- Introduction to the tools used for the analysis
- What makes a short story a Short story
- What is 'Postmodernism' in literature
- What is a 'Story of Initiation'
- An Introduction to Genette's 'Narrative Perspectives'
- Analysis of the short story
- Characters
- Narrative Perspectives
- Female Story of Initiation
- Postmodern features in the short story
- Introduction to the tools used for the analysis
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper explores Joyce Carol Oates's short story "Where are you going, where have you been?", analyzing its features and classifying it as a story of female initiation. It uses tools and concepts such as the characteristics of a short story, postmodernism, and Genette's narrative perspectives.
- Defining and analyzing the key elements of a short story.
- Exploring the features of postmodern literature as exemplified in Oates's work.
- Examining the story's categorization as a story of female initiation.
- Applying Genette's theories on narrative perspectives to understand the story's structure and meaning.
- Analyzing the characters and their roles in the story's development.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction sets the stage for the analysis by outlining the tools and concepts that will be used. It explores the essential elements of a short story, including brevity, coherence, and a focused narrative. It then introduces postmodernism, highlighting its experimental nature and rejection of traditional literary conventions. The introduction also defines the concept of a story of initiation, outlining its key elements and themes. Finally, Genette's theories on narrative perspectives are presented as a framework for analyzing the story's structure and the reader's engagement with it.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on Joyce Carol Oates's short story, "Where are you going, where have you been?", examining its elements as a short story, its postmodern features, and its categorization as a story of female initiation. Key concepts include brevity, coherence, unity of effect, experimental literature, metafiction, female initiation, narrative perspectives, and postmodernism.
- Quote paper
- Ann-Kathrin Beckenbauer (Author), 2014, An Analysis of Joyce Carol Oates' Short story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/313289
