Retrospective Narration

Detail, Context, and the Dimensions of Meaning

Note: This is a critical essay, submitted in July of 2021, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters in Fine Arts degree at Warren Wilson College. The work considers two texts: Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner, and The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante. While it’s not necessary to have read either novel, I recommend both, an…