Comments on: John Cheever, Miserable Bastard, Shows Us How It’s Done http://writeabetternovel.net/john-cheever-miserable-bastard-shows-us-how-its-done/ Practical wisdom for novelists and other storytellers Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:32:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bill Henderson http://writeabetternovel.net/john-cheever-miserable-bastard-shows-us-how-its-done/comment-page-1/#comment-420 Bill Henderson Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:51:49 +0000 http://truevoice-blog.com/?p=1487#comment-420 The many accomodations humans make to live in the world, yet still be true to their "wild animals" is certainly mysterious and wonderful. Wallace Stevens was a corporate executive of The Hartford Insurance Company. When a fellow business executive once appeared in line at a signing, with a book for him to autograph, Stevens was shaken. The man had crossed--entered his cage. The many accomodations humans make to live in the world, yet still be true to their “wild animals” is certainly mysterious and wonderful. Wallace Stevens was a corporate executive of The Hartford Insurance Company. When a fellow business executive once appeared in line at a signing, with a book for him to autograph, Stevens was shaken. The man had crossed–entered his cage.

]]> By: Eros-Alegra Clarke http://writeabetternovel.net/john-cheever-miserable-bastard-shows-us-how-its-done/comment-page-1/#comment-408 Eros-Alegra Clarke Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:23:24 +0000 http://truevoice-blog.com/?p=1487#comment-408 I am not sure if it is Sylvia Plath who said it (yes, I am that bad at paraphrasing - I am lucky if I remember what I said a second after it is said) but in talking about poetry, some incredibly talented woman said that she saw structure not as a limitation but as providing her a cage that allows her to get up close to a type of wild animal that would otherwise destroy her. I like to think of a nice, functional life and a semi-tamed personality as providing the same sort of thing - a containment that allows those animals from the deep jungle of my mind to prowl on the page without tearing me to pieces and then going after my young. I am not sure if it is Sylvia Plath who said it (yes, I am that bad at paraphrasing – I am lucky if I remember what I said a second after it is said) but in talking about poetry, some incredibly talented woman said that she saw structure not as a limitation but as providing her a cage that allows her to get up close to a type of wild animal that would otherwise destroy her.

I like to think of a nice, functional life and a semi-tamed personality as providing the same sort of thing – a containment that allows those animals from the deep jungle of my mind to prowl on the page without tearing me to pieces and then going after my young.

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