The Things They Carried (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Tim O’Brien
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Short stories
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction, Autobiographical fiction, War fiction
- Subjects: 1960’s, United States or Americans, Love or romance, Guilt, Obsession, Native Americans or American Indians, Asia or Asians, Vietnam War, War, Truth, Death or dying, Drugs, Soldiers, Men, Marijuana
- Locales: United States, Vietnam
When The Things They Carried appeared in 1990, critics were overwhelmingly positive in their responses. Indeed, this work continues to be O’Brien's most studied and applauded. Another Vietnam War book, The Things They Carried does not fit neatly into any conventional generic distinction. Scholars are divided over whether to treat the book as a collection of interwoven short stories, as a novel, or as a fictionalized memoir. O’Brien calls the book simply “A Work of Fiction,” refusing to corral the book into one genre or another.
Many of the chapters of the...
[The entire page is 600 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
