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F Hamilton's avatar

Totally agree with the irritation over story within a story device. I even drop a book that includes too many correspondences! The play within a play only works for Shakespeare!!

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Ben Dolnick's avatar

agree! i kinda love interpolated correspondence and stuff, but it's dangerous, can easily become skim-material

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Jane Meredith Adams's avatar

It's the urgency of Paley that ropes me in

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Ben Dolnick's avatar

that's an excellent word for it

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Myrna Greenfield's avatar

Paley was of a place, of a time. Living in Greenwich Village then, I often felt that I was in her arms as she looked all around us, encapsulating every moment, every action, of those who walked the streets.

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Dee Cohen's avatar

Well put. I usually hate the story within a story technique. They are the types I call 'yarns ', someone pulling out a pipe in front of a roaring fire and launching into a tale. That's when I run...

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Rhonda Strickland's avatar

Excellent analysis, fascinating!

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