The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative

I did not enter this book looking for a manual on how to write. Instead, I was looking for insightful commentary on good writing. I was not disappointed. I love books that point me to other books and some of the essays mentioned are easily downloadable. There were moments where this book could have been tailored for me personally. For example, the essay 'In Bed' by Joan Didion about living with migraines spoke to me directly. I like the way Gornick quotes at length because it gives me a kind of vicarious opportunity to be immersed in voices I would normally have encountered.

'...to tamper with the past, even one's own, is to bring [on] that slipping, sliding horror which revolves around all that is done, unalterable, and yet which

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abides unseen in the living mind... [and makes] us lonely beyond belief.' (quote from Loren Eiseley)

If this little book is flawed, and I suspect it is, it is because Vivian Gornick's premise that character development of the narrator/author that emerges from the distinction between situation and story is what lifts the writing towards greatness does not seem to apply to this extended essay. I kept looking (in vain) for her. Nevertheless, I like her lucid, airy style and look forward to opening up my next read which is again by Vivian Gornick, Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader . Maybe then I'll re-read it? show less

The Situation and the Story explores the difference between what a personal essay/memoir seems to be about on the surface (the Situation) and what it's really about in a larger sense, on a deeper emotional level (the Story). It also explores the importance of creating an effective narrative persona -- one that can get to the Story.

The book gets terrific ratings here and elsewhere, and it did interest me in reading the full versions of some of the writings Gornick excerpts. But overall, I connected so little with it that I was tempted to abandon it, then give it away. Until the end, when Gornick writes a sort of when-the-student-is-ready-the-teacher-will-come passage -- which made me decide to instead tuck it away, to reread when it fits show more better. show less

What I gleaned was that successful writing depends upon knowing what you are really writing about. Lots of interesting examples from books that I now want to read!

A useful and eminently readable take on the art of the personal essay. A good follow-up to Phillip Lopate's opus on the subject.

One book was required and one book was recommended for the eight week class I’m taking this summer on writing personal narratives. This was the recommended book. I read it and a Western on the plane ride from Houston to Salt Lake. A quick read.Not sure I took much away from this book. Did I miss something? It seemed to be a series of short essays where the author analyzes what works in good personal narratives. But what did I retain from reading this book? Just an idea about going with one’s gut feeling about what works. Maybe I need to read this again.

The book suggests that good memoir is that written with the correct voice, mimicking the story being told. When that happens the memoir has emotional clout and approaches universal truth. The book does this by presenting numerous examples.

liked the work of other writers.