![]() By the time we've comprehended a story's fundamental situation, we're inside its special world.Īlternately, a book-length work of fiction might start with background, answering those questions before we've had the chance to ask them. What are their relationships to one another, and to their time and place? We read on, at least at first, to find out the answers to such fundamental questions. Who are these people? we wonder as we navigate the first few paragraphs of a book we've picked up. ![]() Typically, a contemporary novel begins with a scene, dropping readers directly into the action of the story and thereby piquing our interest. Therefore, according to the conventions of storytelling - not to mention common sense - there's no real reason to read on. The ending of The Sun Also Rises is foreordained (Jake will not "get" Brett). And yet, as soon as we figure out Jake's postwar anatomical condition (he was castrated in a place crash), we know that he will never be satisfied. Think about it: Jake Barnes wants a satisfying love relationship with Brett, Lady Ashley. The novel also risks reader dissatisfaction with regard to structure. ![]() ![]() The Sun Also Rises is a radical book because it is a war story without combat and a love story lacking a single love scene. ![]()
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