Little Astronaut
A newborn rests her head
On the Earth of mother.
Everything else
Is outer space.
--J. Hope Stein
Embedded Files
Week 7
Class Ground Rules
Read all the assignments before class.
Keep yourself on mute unless called on.
Raise your hands electronically.
Focus your comments only on the question at hand rather than straying to other parts of the story.
Refrain from offering a review of the whole story or jumping to the end.
Try to support your comments by referring to details from the text.
Listen to and respond to others with respect.
READ (at least twice): Anne Enright, "Night Swim," (New Yorker, March 9, 2020.) PDF posted below.
A woman driving her 8-year old son to a sleepover remembers flashbacks from 20 years ago.
Think About:
The interaction between the mother and son, how they relate to each other.
The "would you rather" game and its significance.
The first flashback and what triggers it.
What is the night swim?
The second flashback and what triggers it.
The turkey question.
Click on the top right corner below to open the story
“Night Swim,” by Anne Enright | The New Yorker.pdfI had a chat with someone about swimming at night, we spoke about our children, I thought briefly about death: there it was. I continue to be interested in the fact that children come out of your body, that giving birth is like pulling the sleeve of death inside out. -- Anne Enright
Photo: Hugh Chaloner
Anne Enright Biography
Anne Enright Biography
Born in 1962 in Dublin, Anne Enright has published seven novels, many short stories and a non-fiction work called Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood, about the birth of her two children. Her writing explores themes such as family, love, identity and motherhood. She has written seven novels, three short story collections, and a book of essays, as well as contributing stories and articles to various newspapers and magazines. Read more...
Link to Week 7 class recording: brandeis.zoom.us/rec/play/h-Y0tC-Ak4QP9Uqc3AFtOvW6EXwAZGdWzM3LGAIp_1Qq8mkSHTIC1o2EJXt59hfje3wXR6YYazjinlCF.oOmOE2ol7H-5ZbZy
Google Sites
Report abuse