I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere novellen "A Gap of Sky" af Anna Hope, som indgik i et vejledende eksamenssæt til Engelsk A på STX fra september 2010. Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde et summary af teksten samt idéer til din fortolkning.
Anna Hope (f. 1974) er en engelsk forfatter og skuespiller. Hun er bosat i London og underviser i creative writing. Hun har udgivet tre romaner og adskillige noveller.
Title
The title of the short story “A Gap of Sky” by Anna Hope is puzzling, as it does not give any initial clues as to what the text is about. The expression “a gap of sky” is used in the middle of the story to show how Ellie feels. As she leaves the museum exhibition on life and death, Ellie is confused and afraid of dying. She then notices “a gap of sky” and thinks about its meaning: “She turns left, onto Shaftesbury Avenue, and as she turns there is a gap of sky to her right, an emptiness, a vacancy that she doesn’t remember seeing before, something destroyed, or being built.” (ll. 91-93)
The gap of sky, therefore, refers to a glimpse of the sky between two buildings and is a symbol of Ellie’s uncertainty and inability to make a decision regarding her future. For her, the clear patch of sky that she can see is as confusing as her life is. She does not know whether the sky is a symbol of “something destroyed” (l. 93) or “being built” (l. 93), just like she does not know what to make of her life in London.
On the one hand, Ellie is bound by her parents’ expectations to study and have an education. This is also partly her own wish, as well, as she likes Virginia Woolf and does not want to have to repeat the year. On the other hand, she wishes to be free and engage in the many activities that London has to offer her and similar youngsters, such as drugs and alcohol. Consequently, the title of the story, “A Gap of Sky”, refers to the different meanings and possibilities of living in a postmodern society.
