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Imagined Scenes | Introduction

“Imagined Scenes” by Ann Beattie first appeared in the Texas Quarterly in the summer of 1974 and was later published in Beattie’s 1976 collection, Distortions. Although the original Doubleday edition was out of print as of 2004, the collection was reissued in 1991 by Vintage.

“Imagined Scenes” is the story of an unnamed young wife who cares for an elderly man at night while her husband studies for his Ph.D. oral examinations. While she is out of the house, her husband appears to be entertaining guests or going out himself without revealing his whereabouts to his wife.

In “Imagined Scenes,” Beattie explores the fragmentation of contemporary life. Her narrator’s sleep-deprived imaginings, as well as the elderly man’s stories, compete with the “reality” of their lives. The story has the style, images, and ambiguous ending that are hallmarks of Beattie’s writing. Beattie’s flat prose and attention to minutia create a world comprised of detail and of gaps, leaving the reader to puzzle out which of the scenes are the imagined ones.

Imagined Scenes Summary

In the opening scene of “Imagined Scenes,” the wife describes a dream to her husband, David: She is in Greece; the weather is warm, and she is on a beach. She then remembers how they awaken together and arrive home from the store at the same time. In addition, she recalls the many ways he has adjusted his life to hers. Nevertheless, in the first scene, she also mentions that David is not going to work in the fall because he is returning to school to finish his Ph.D.

Next, the wife describes a plant that is having a growth spurt in the middle of winter. David takes care of the plant while she is out. She mentions that she has to work that night, so David continues to read while she goes to bed.

The wife has been hired to stay with an old man. His daughter normally takes care of him but she has gone to Florida on vacation with her husband. The old man’s sister... » Complete Imagined Scenes Summary