I usually find myself at a loss when it comes to starting to write something-even this took me a while to figure out how I wanted to begin! Many authors have different ways that they like to begin, and from what I can tell from “The Virgin Suicides,” Jeffrey Eugenides likes to start off with a big bang! We’re instantly brought into a scene of a young girl sitting in a blood-filled bathtub with slashed wrists, holding on to a picture of the Virgin Mary with all of the small amount of strength left in her. This is not a very warm welcome…
One of the reasons why I think Eugenides uses this technique to begin his book is because he wants to show us fear and build suspense. I like to think of suspense as an escalator-you start at the bottom, and you keep going up, but you can’t back down! We all know that if you try to walk in the opposite direction that the escalator wants to bring you in, you’re just going to look pretty silly. Eugenides wants us to ride his death-marked escalator to the top, until we get there, where the entire story will be presented right in front of us.
Also, I think Eugenides does this because this kind of introduction hits the reader abruptly in the face and says “WAKE UP!!!” For example, if I had started this Blog Post with “There was blood splattered on the floor…” I would have a much more attentive audience than if I had began with “It was 3500 B.C. and the wheel had just been…”. People subconsciously want thrill and action, and that’s exactly what Eugenides gives his readers. it’s hard to look away!
Overall, Eugenides most likely begins his book this way, because it builds suspense and startles readers into attention. Almost as if I said “BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”-But prolonged, so as to build suspense…
Henry, I like how you've chosen to written this blog post. And your opinion of how you think you should write the post. I think the examples you used were well chosen. I also think the conclusion paragraph was well done with the ellipses.
ReplyDeleteI think you could elaborate more to make your paragraphs longer.
Lucy
Henry, I feel like we both have a similar interpretation of the book's beginning, referring to when we recently read this book in our book club. I really like how you include your examples and incorporate emotion into your writing, as if you're almost having a conversation with the reader.
ReplyDeleteGreat Job!
I feel like you've really captured the author's methods and his reasons for them. I have never read this book, but I feel that you have a really good grasp on the author and his writing style. This blog post not only makes me intrigued and want to read the book, but also makes me wonder how an author can live up to an opening scene like that.
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