Why I Live at the P.O. | How Not to Tell a Story: Eudora Welty’s First-Person Tales
In the following essay, Ann Romines explores Eudora Welty’s rare, yet ‘‘memorable’’ use of first-person narration in ‘‘Why I Live at the P.O.’’
Eudora Welty’s fiction overflows with gifted, loquacious storytellers; it resounds with their voices. So, for me at least, it is surprising to realize how few of the stories are actually told in the first person. Welty is much more likely to depict storytelling as a kinetic exchange, an unpredictable process of reply, response, and mutual invention. Losing Battles, with its ‘‘fray’’ of voices, is the epitome of this process.
In that novel, one of the Beechams’ main strengths (however terrifying) is their capacity to draw everyone and everything into a communal,...
[The entire page is 3184 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Related Topics
Tell a friend about Why I Live at the P.O. at eNotes.
