I just read the story "Mastiff" by Joyce Carol Oates in the July 1, 2013 New Yorker.
Feel free to discuss whatever you want about the story, this is the AW Bookclub after all. But if you don't want to be prejudiced by my questions below or encounter spoilers, go read the story and come back. Don't worry. I'll wait
My question is about how the story was written: head hopping versus omni. The first 25% of the story alternates between the thoughts of the unnamed female main character and those of the male main character, as if it were 3rd omni. The final 75% is concerned completely with the thoughts of the woman, as if it were 3rd limited.
What do you think? Is this true omni that spends more time with her thoughts than his? Or head hopping that worked? Or head hopping or omni that didn't work?
Putting concrete examples to the writing "rules" helps me to know when and in which ways breaking the rules works (if it worked in this case--nothing says you have to think it does)
Feel free to discuss whatever you want about the story, this is the AW Bookclub after all. But if you don't want to be prejudiced by my questions below or encounter spoilers, go read the story and come back. Don't worry. I'll wait
My question is about how the story was written: head hopping versus omni. The first 25% of the story alternates between the thoughts of the unnamed female main character and those of the male main character, as if it were 3rd omni. The final 75% is concerned completely with the thoughts of the woman, as if it were 3rd limited.
What do you think? Is this true omni that spends more time with her thoughts than his? Or head hopping that worked? Or head hopping or omni that didn't work?
Putting concrete examples to the writing "rules" helps me to know when and in which ways breaking the rules works (if it worked in this case--nothing says you have to think it does)