Perspectives

To add greater depth to your analysis of S. J. Butler’s short story “The Swimmer”, we encourage you to try to connect it with current issues, literary period, and similar works.…

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Current issues

“The Swimmer” is a contemporary short story which deals with both universal and current issues. The story explores classic themes, like man versus nature and freedom, in a contemporary context. The protagonist makes us think of people’s struggle with limitations (caused by …

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Literary period

Published in 2011, the short story is a postmodernist, contemporary fiction text. Postmodernism developed as a literary movement after World War II and continues to define and influence most contemporary writers. Some of the postmodernist features that we can find in this short stor…

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Works with the same theme

Given that the themes of the short story are universal, you can find numerous fiction texts that explore them. We recommend the short stories “Sea Story” by A. S. Byatt and “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” by J. D. Salinger.

“Sea Story” follows an unrequited love story of a man born by the sea who pursues poetry studies. He falls in love with a marine biologist who leaves to the Caribbean and who does not have the same ro…