tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461930072206972624.post3882766246944727396..comments2024-02-25T01:18:19.473-06:00Comments on New Yorker Story Critiques: "Los Gigantes"Criticushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827751730819167713noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461930072206972624.post-45499060786050716572012-02-11T09:21:25.897-06:002012-02-11T09:21:25.897-06:00If it's not intended as dark satire then I thi...If it's not intended as dark satire then I think my judgment would be harsher. Not sure how else to interpret a character who is two feet taller than his girlfriend, lifts sheep above his head with one hand, hauls cars up the steps of government ministries, and does the work of three mules at a drawbridge. At any rate, the question of identification is an interesting one. I would argue that it's necessary at some level whatever the genre. Why should we care about the abuse of power, for example, if we don't care about the characters who are being abused?Criticushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827751730819167713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461930072206972624.post-43951891226162877262012-02-08T15:40:53.515-06:002012-02-08T15:40:53.515-06:00I think this story does work pretty well. The writ...I think this story does work pretty well. The writing is uneven (sometimes quite plain, sometimes rather beautiful), and there is a fairy-tale-like quality to much of it. It's not really full-fledged satire, but it does lean in that direction. My guess is that identification with the characters is not one of the goals. It may be that the unreal quality of the tale serves to maintain a certain distance, to invite the more allegorical reading about power and its misuse.Dominicushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01652118509356905711noreply@blogger.com