Oldal 43 [43]
OCR
GARDENS OF HIS MAKING: THREE STORIES BY ALICE MUNRO ——o— ANDREA SZABÓ E. Abstract In my paper, I discuss three short stories by Alice Munro from her late career: “Vandals” (1994), “Runaway” (2004), and “Dimensions” (2010). Although these instant classics were published in different volumes, they show a remarkable unity in their thematic focus, the characters they line up, their setting and narrative structure, thus they can be seen as a group of stories, or even a story type in Munro’s later period. At the same time, these stories also show a remarkable shift in their conclusions, suggesting a similar shift in Munro’s vision. By examining them as stories depicting an idyllic garden akin to Eden and created by increasingly domineering Adam-like figures who grow more violent with each narrative, I will demonstrate how Munro’s female characters are tempted by the fruit of knowledge, why they opt for intentional blindness, and why the protagonist of the most recent short story breaks away from the Eden constructed by her Adam. The stories illustrate the delicate balance of continuity and innovation in Munro’s oeuvre as the subtle, sometimes barely perceptible changes in the recurring elements of the narratives both create a sense of continuity and give the reader an insight into how the writer’s perspective changes with time. Keywords: Alice Munro, Canadian literature, intentional blindness, Garden of Eden Résumé Dans cet article, je discute de trois nouvelles écrites par Alice Munro a la fin de sa carriére: «Vandals» (1994), «Runaway» (2004) et «Dimensions» (2010). Bien que ces classiques instantanés aient été publiés dans des volumes différents, ils présentent une unité remarquable dans leur thématique, les types de personnages qu’ils mettent en scene, leur cadre et leur structure narrative, de sorte guils peuvent étre consideres comme un groupe d’histoires, ou m&me un type d’histoire dans la derniere periode de Munro. En m&me temps, ces histoires presentent un changement remarquable dans leurs conclusions, ce quisuggere un changement similaire dans la vision de Munro. En les examinant comme des histoires décrivant un jardin idyllique proche de l’Eden, créé par + Al e
