Description
Book SynopsisA companion volume to Canadian Odyssey: A Reading of Hugh Hood's The New Age, God's Plenty surveys the short fiction of the writer dubbed Canada's Marcel Proust. Hugh Hood, an unparalleled stylist, was equally accomplished in short forms and long: this straight-talking assessment of Hood's stories is thorough, insightful, readable, and profound. With its story-by-story breakdown and rigorous engagement with Hood's technique, God's Plenty offers an excellent introduction not just to an undersung master, but to the art of short fiction full stop. W.J. Keith is a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.
Table of ContentsContents Preface 11 Abbreviations 16 1 Biographical 17 2 Critical Considerations 23 3 Starting from the States: 37 A Short Walk in the Rain, The Isolation Booth 4 Displaying His Wares: 51 Flying a Red Kite 5 Anatomy of a City: 77 Around the Mountain 6 Short Stories or Short-Story Collection: 107 The Fruit Man, the Meat Man & the Manager 7 The Morality of Vision: 120 Dark Glasses 8 Signs and Portents: 139 None Genuine Without This Signature 9 Every Piece Different: 160 August Nights 10 Art in Crisis: 178 Five New Facts About Giorgione 11 Miscellany of Tones: 192 You'll Catch Your Death 12 Late Harvest: 209 After All! Check-List of Short Fiction 231 Other Works Cited 239 Index 245
