Unmailed, Unwritten Letters (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Joyce Carol Oates
- First Published: 1969
- Type of Plot: Epistolary
- Time of Work: 1969
- Setting: Detroit
- Principal Characters: An unnamed woman, Greg, Mr. Katz, Mrs. Katz, Marsha Katz
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Psychology or psychologists, Emotions, Thought or thinking, Neuroses
- Locales: Detroit, MI
The Story
Unmailed letters exist in the everyday world, in some sort of objective reality, yet unwritten letters exist only in the mind. The title of the story is strategic; it forces the reader into the uncomfortable role of voyeur. As the reader looks over the shoulder of the writer of these “letters,” the reader is actually looking into her mind, reading her fears and desires. Because of this, the action of the story is not sequential but psychological.
In the first letter, addressed to her parents, the narrator discusses a change of doctors and dentists. The...
[The entire page is 1286 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
