A Pedestrian Accident (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Robert Coover
- First Published: 1969
- Type of Plot: Absurdist
- Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
- Setting: A large metropolitan area
- Principal Characters: Paul, Truck driver, Police officer, Charity Grundy
- Genres: Short fiction, Absurdist literature
- Subjects: Religion, Accidents, Comedy, Trucks
The Story
A postmodern story in the absurdist tradition, “A Pedestrian Accident” recounts a nonsensical story about a man who has been run over by a six-wheel truck. After the accident, the man, Paul, remains conscious and is aware of what is going on around him within his range of vision. Even after the truck backs over him again and then pulls forward so that his body is mangled and torn, Paul remains conscious. Alternative explanations are that he is dead, but still able to observe real events taking place around him; that he is not dead but fantasizing; or that he is...
[The entire page is 1599 words long]
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