The Knife Thrower

Med denne study guide til "The Knife Thrower" af Steven Millhauser får du hjælp til at analysere og fortolke novellen, som findes i Wider Contexts (s. 46ff.) under temaet "Specatators".

Præsentation af teksten

Titel: "The Knife Thrower"
Forfatter: Steven Millhauser
Genre: Novelle
Udgivelsesår: 1998

Den amerikanske forfatter, Steven Millhauser (f. 1943) har modtaget Pullitzer-prisen for fiktion i 1997 for romanen Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer (1996). Hans fiktive værker er en blanding af det troværdige og utrolige.

Uddrag

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Title

The title of the short story “The Knife Thrower” by Steven Millhauser is straightforward. It refers to the character who is at the center of the narrative, Hensch, creating the expectation that the story will be about him. It also helps to suggest that Hensch’s character is entirely defined by his profession. This is also suggested by the audience’s impression of Hensch when he is not throwing knives as “a man with no expression on his face, a man with nothing to do.” (p. 48, ll. 25-26)

The title also indicates that the story will be about a circus performance. This turns out to be correct, since the entire narrative revolves around the performance of the knife thrower and the thoughts and feelings it awakens in the audience. The title can also be interpreted as symbolic, suggesting any kind of risky activity which is perceived as entertaining despite it being violent and dangerous, causing people to react with both excitement and disapproval.