I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere novellen "Fat" af Raymond Carver. Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde et summary af teksten samt idéer til fortolkning og perspektivering.
Præsentation af teksten
Titel: “Fat” (1971)
Forfatter: Raymond Carver
Genre: Short story
Raymond Carver (1938-1988) var en amerikansk digter og forfatter, som var kendt for sit fokus på almindelige mennesker og deres hverdagsproblemer. Carver skrev i en stil kendt som dirty realism, hvor teksterne ofte tager fat i menneskelivets skyggesider og skildrer dem på en rå og direkte måde.
Novellen “Fat” blev første udgang udgivet i Harper's Bazaar i 1971, men senere genudgivet i Carvers første novellesamling Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? (1976), som blev nomineret til the National Book Award.
Uddrag
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Title
The title of the short story “Fat” by Raymond Carver refers to a physical trait, which has important social meanings. The word “fat” is perceived as an insult, especially if it is used to define a person. The narrator’s co-workers use the adjective “fat” to refer to the man who is served by the narrator, suggesting that they only view him through the perspective of his weight and mock him for his appearance. The narrator’s reactions to her coworkers’ words suggest that she has started to see the man differently after interacting with him, and she feels uncomfortable with the repeated use of this word as if it was the only thing that defined the man (p. 6, l. 2). She seems to identify with the overweight man somehow, as she is unsatisfied with her personal life and possibly has conflicting thoughts about getting pregnant.
The man himself appears uncomfortably aware of the fact that he is being judged for his weight. He repeatedly tries to justify his appetite to the narrator by telling her he is very hungry today, and by telling her “we have not always eaten like this” (p. 6, l. 12), “but there is no choice” (p. 6, 15-16). He is also self-conscious about taking his coat off even though he is very warm (p. 5, ll. 4-10).
