Raymond Carver (1938-1988) Climate of Opinion

Critical Perspectives

In the time that Carver lived there was a great deal of change in the world, starting from the end of the Great Depression through to the late 80s. This was a time of so many different ideas and innovations that almost anything was possible.

Stewart Kellerman- Carver ''stands squarely in the line of descent of American realism'' and ''should be famous for the conceptual beauty of his best stories. Carol Sklenicka- Raymond Carver "paid a high price for the experiences that served his art Carver wrote "sometimes transcendent stories about the lives of the working poor Gunter Leypoldt- Criticism on Raymond Carver is marked by an astonishing absence of consensus. Indeed, like no other author of the so-called minimalist movement, Carver has been co-opted by the various critical schools as a conveniently elastic foil to demonstrate their respective aesthetic ends. Thus critics interested in literature's heteronymous aspects have interpreted Carver as a genuine social realist who excels in sympathetic accounts of America's underprivileged

Contemporaries

John Champlin Gardner, Jr. (July 21, 1933 September 14, 1982) was an American novelist, essayist, literary critic and university professor.

Timeline

John William Cheever (May 27, 1912 June 18, 1982) was an American short story writer.

May 25, 1938: Born in Clatskanie, OR 1959: Takes creative writing course with novelist John Garnder 1963: Receives BA from Humboldt State University 1967: The Carvers file for bankruptcy in the spring. Raymonds father, Clevie Raymond Carver, dies on June 17. Also his first story was selected for inclusion in Best American Short Stories anthology 1973: Teaches at Iowa Writers Workshop with John Cheever 1977: Stops drinking, with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous 1979: Earns Guggenheim Fellowship 1980: Begins teaching at Syracuse University 1981: Raymonds What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, was published, on April 20 1982: Divorces first wife, Maryann Burk on October 18 1988: Marries longtime companion Tess Gallagher, in Reno, NV June 17th August 2, 1988: Dies of cancer, in Port Angeles, WA

Fun Fact

Most of his short stories were cut down by more than 50% during the editing process.

Excerpt (p.773)

You guys have been together eighteen months and you love each other. It shows all over you. You glow with it. But you both loved other people before you met each other. Youve both been married before, just like us. And you probably loved other people before that too, even. Terri and I have been together five long years, been married for four. And the terrible thing, the terrible thing is, but the good thing too, the saving grace, you might say, is that if something happened to one of us----excuse me for saying this----but if something happened to one of us tomorrow I think the other one, the other person, would grieve for a while, you know, but then the surviving party would go out and love again, have someone else soon enough. All this, all this love we are talking about, it would just be a memory. Maybe not even a memory. Am I wrong? Am I way off base? Because I want you to set me straight if you think Im wrong. I want to know. I mean, I dont know anything, and Im the first one to admit it.

Analysis

Raymond Carver is often known, as a writer, for his minimalist style of writing and the theme of realism that is woven throughout many of his stories. This story is no exception. With its simple setting and plot this story is almost like a piece out of someones life. This really allows people to relate to the story and also the messages Carver is trying to convey through the stories. Coming right before his divorce, this story is almost a look into Carvers own life and thoughts. Though there are no major actions or real climaxes in the story, Carver creates a different type of fiction that challenges the mind with mere dialogue, like is done throughout this story. Carver really uses fiction not to create another reality, but he uses it to face the one he was in.

Promotion

As a writer I believe Raymond Carver was one of the best of his time. Having the ability to make someone turn the page with nothing more than everyday life is great feat and the main reason why he can be compared to the likes of Ernest Hemmingway and Anton Chekov.