Symbols and writing

Because I live in a francophone world, English books often come to me by chance. I found The Opposite of Fate at the English Library book sale. It is a collection of essays on a variety of topics, all interesting, a great find.

Before getting up this morning, I read about Tan's take on how academics have been interpreting her work. One grad student did a whole thesis on her use of the number of four in Joy Luck Club. (she had no idea she'd used the number four as much and when things were in fours it was either by happenstance or in one case historic) Another paper talked about how chapters were arranged. (It was totally by chance, too).

I remember working on my graduate thesis, Repeated Symbolism in John Irving (bears, wrestling, boys schools, New England, short people), and arguing with my advisor who didn't think Irving was using his life experiences. My advisor claimed that it was deliberate symbolism. My thesis still passed both by my advisor and the outside reader, which the university used to get an unbiased opinion.

About a year later, I came across a quote by Irving about how he uses his life in his work. I sent it to my advisor who sent back an apology.

Which makes me wonder about literary criticism in general.

More than once my writing mate would comment on my use of symbolism. Usually my reaction was not unlike Tan's, "I did?"

And in Running from the Puppet Master, the first drafts were chronological, which didn't really work. I finally took file cards, wrote a summary of each chapter on a single card, divided them in half, shuffled them and that became the timing of the story...present with backstory worked in. The novel had far more tension and ah ha moments.

If, when someone reads one of my novels, and they see a symbol, or something deeper than my trying to tell a good story, that is good.

I have also learned that people bring their own perspective to the story, like the woman whose husband was unfaithful. She thought the woman who was unfaithful in The Card, should have worked harder to communicate with her cold husband rather than find a lover. Of course, than there would have been no story.

Writing a book is a bit like living...you want something, you do everything you can to make it happen and then it is up to fate if it works for not. Once the book is in the world, it is on its own for whoever picks it up.