Reading Response 8: Burroway and Hemingway

     The difference between story and plot was nil to me prior to this reading, so I'm glad that I did. Coincidentally, this whole subject of Story writing neatly ties in with my Philosophy and Literature class, as we're currently reading Poetics along with Oedipus Rex and Antigone. The difference between story and plot is as such: story indicates the sequence of events that occur whereas plot explains the impact of the events along with the events themselves. For example, Arta went to the store and dropped a carton of swiss cheese on his pinky toe would be the story, whereas Arta went to the store because he was hungry and dropped a carton of swiss cheese on his pinky toe out of exhaustion would be a plot. A really delicious plot.

     Anyway, truth be told, that's all I managed to remember from Burroway, because I don't have the book with me right now. I read Hills Like White Elephants and I came to appreciate the subtlety of the piece. It was vague, but much of the dialogue was implicit, almost to the point where it resembled prose poetry. The whole thing was dialogue driven and lacking action, so it wasn't the most riveting read, but it was interesting nevertheless.