Adapted from his lectures to Syracuse MFA writing students, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain uses the writing of Tolstoy, Chekov, Gogol, and Turgenev to explore what makes short stories work and how reading can, possibly, make us better people.
Saunders begins by introducing these stories as resistance literature:
The resistance in the stories is quiet, at a slant, and comes from perhaps the most radical idea of all: that every human being is worthy of attention and that the origins of every good and evil capability of the universe may be found by observing a single, even very humble, person and the turnings of his or her mind.
Throughout, we are asked to sympathize with characters seemingly very different from us, separated by time, nationality, sex, social stratum—but alike in deeper ways. A good author can connect us to these characters. The more you understand a character, the easier it is to extend grace towards her. If it works in fiction, can it also work with our passive-aggressive sister-in-law? One hopes. (That comment about the potato salad was really too much).
Each story is paired with two essays by Saunders full of his wit and insight. I wondered sometimes if I would have enjoyed the story on its own without his commentary. Always, I looked forward to reading what he had to say. Each story had something to teach us about writing and reading.
It was like learning how to read again. How generous Saunders was to share these essays with us! With a library card, we get to experience what it's like to be his students.
As a bonus, Saunders provides a few writing exercises. Even if you aren't a writer, I would encourage you to give them a try, if for no other reason than to deepen your appreciation for good writing. If you did, let us know what the experience was like by commenting below or stopping by the circ desk!
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