Department of English

Rita Kelly, University College Cork

12 October, 3-4 pm

ORB 2.12

What happens when you look closely at a work which has been conceived, shaped and formed about fifty years ago? A work which is yours, belongs to you, was created by you at the outset of your writing career, but by the act of publication, that same work is frozen in its format. It may be frozen in time too, but that has a perjorative connotation; a close analysis should clarify that issue. What was I doing in these short stories? Did I know? What was the motivation re style and content? What informed the tone? Were these stories more engagés than I would have thought? Perhaps it is acceptable to posit that all writing, when analysed, must deal with influences, or the lack of them. I take 2 stories from my collection, "The Whispering Arch & Other Stories" (Arlen House. Dublin 1986) to illustrate these various points and questions.