Alice Munro Questions and Answers
Alice Munro
What is the irony in the last two paragraphs of Alice Munro's “The Shining Houses"?
In Alice Munro’s short story “The Shining Houses,” Mary’s consternation is conveyed ironically, as she protests the neighbor’s petition to evict Mrs. Fullerton from her home. In the story, Mary has...
Alice Munro
Discuss the characters in "An Ounce of Cure" by Alice Munro.
“An Ounce of Cure” by Alice Munro explores the theme of growing up in 1960s America as a teenage girl. Teenagers have choices to make as they become more independent from their parents and forget...
Alice Munro
I really need to contact Alice Munro, but I can't find her address. Can you help me?
Your best chance to contact her is to write to her literary agent. The second best bet is to write to her publisher, Random House. I've pasted links to web sites where you can find contact...
Alice Munro
With reference to "The Shining Houses" by Alice Munro, discuss the character (or characteristics) of Mary.
Mary is a perceptive and caring neighbor who recognizes the value of Mrs. Fullerton's presence in the neighborhood. As the story opens, Mary visits with Mrs. Fullerton, which is only tolerated by...
Alice Munro
What is the primary conflict in "An Ounce of Cure"? Why?
The main conflict in “An Ounce of Cure” is an internal one, a conflict between the unnamed narrator and herself. This conflict is the main driver of the action and forms the basis of much of what...
Alice Munro
In the short story “ The peace of Utrecht” by “ Alice Munro." discuss the symbolism of the last scenein the story.
Alice Munro portrays two sisters who struggle with the death of their mother in “The Peace of Utrecht.” The setting is Jubilee, in Canada. The point of view is first person with Helen, one of the...
Alice Munro
Discuss the story "An Ounce of Cure" by Alice Munro.
The first love is hard to get over especially when the love is not reciprocated. Alice Munro’s “An Ounce of Cure” describes a teenager’s reaction to being dumped by her first boyfriend. How the...
Alice Munro
In Alice Munro's "To Reach Japan," what does the paragraph beginning "It’s hard to explain it to anybody now—the life...
One could argue that the gap between Greta's identity as a poet—or "poetess" as her husband Peter's family insists on calling her—and as a wife and mother isn't really troubling at all. It only...
Alice Munro
In Alice Munro's "The Found Boat," what is the plot?
"The Found Boat" is about a group of schoolchildren—two girls and three boys—who find a dilapidated boat in a river near their homes. The boys start out by ridiculing the girls and making fun of...
Alice Munro
Compare the theme of parental expectations in the two short stories, "Red Dress," by Alice Munro and "Two Kinds" by...
In “Red Dress” by Alice Munro and “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, both mothers live vicariously through their daughters and want them to be happy; one wants an ordinary life for her daughter, and the other...
Alice Munro
In “The Shining Houses” by Alice Munro, how is Mary’s character insightful, compassionate, and fair? Please discuss...
In Alice Munro’s “The Shining Houses,” Mary is indeed insightful, compassionate, and fair. Let’s look through the story to find examples of these characteristics to get you started on this...
Alice Munro
Write a thesis about an identity marker in the short story “Child's Play” by Alice Munro. Connect this to a similar...
One character that you could probably build a thesis around is Verna. You could argue something like: In Alice Munro’s short story “Child’s Play,” Verna represents the Other. The Other is a term...
Alice Munro
Discuss the plot of "An Ounce of Cure" by Alice Munro.
What happens when a girl gets dumped? This is the problem faced by the main character in Alice Munro’s “An Ounce of Cure.” The narration is first person point of view with the protagonist, an...
Alice Munro
How many short stories did Alice Munro publish?
Since publishing her first short story in 1950, "The Dimensions of a Shadow," Canadian writer Alice Munro, now ninety, has published 163 short stories. The short story is her primary genre, and it...
Alice Munro
In the short story “ The Peace of Utrecht” by Alice Munro, does Helen’s experience of her mother carry into her own...
“The Peace of Utrecht” by Alice Munro portrays two sisters who took different paths in facing their individual futures. The older sister stayed at home and took care of their mentally ill mother;...
Alice Munro
Please explain the meaning of the following quote and how it relates to life and death: "So bitter is it that death...
You haven't told us which short story this quote comes from, so I will have to respond as best I can just from the quote. However, please remember that whenever you are trying to establish the...
Alice Munro
In "An Ounce of Cure" by Alice Munro, how does setting contribute to the narrator’s grievances?
The town and the era in which "An Ounce of Cure" occurs contributes to the narrator's grievances in that she's never really able to forget two youthful mistakes, which were all centered around a...
Alice Munro
What are some gender stereotypes in the fiction of Alice Munro?
I'll stick with the short story "Boys and Girls" by Alice Munro. The story is narrated from the perspective of an 11 year old girl. She lives on a ranch that breeds and raises foxes. The narrator...
Alice Munro
Why does the young narrator feel so drawn to the sexually ambiguous Herb Abbott?
The ambiguity of Herb's sexuality makes him an enigma to the narrator in the short story "The Turkey Season." While she is working and learning at the Turkey Barn, she becomes enamored with Herb,...
Alice Munro
Why does Munro end "To Reach Japan" with Katy pulling away from her mother?
At the end of To Reach Japan, the sentence portraying one of the girls' "pulling away" actually leaves its grammatical subject ambiguous. That is, it isn't explicit whether Katy or Greta is the one...
Alice Munro
In my PhD interview, how could I answer questions about topics relevant to Alice Munro's short stories and their...
In a PhD interview, examiners are normally concerned with the issue of whether you are prepared for postgraduate level work on your specific subject. In particular, you want to give the impression...
Alice Munro
I am now doing my graduation thesis on Alice Munro. A review of the current criticism tells me that her stories are...
I think it's a wonderful idea for a thesis. It is true that Bakhtin saw the novel (particularly psychologically complex texts like Dostoevsky's novels) as the best examples of what he called...