Sunday, March 8, 2009

Setting

Though setting is not something that Per Petterson dwells extensively on, he uses such eloquent language is describing the location of our characters that it is almost impossible not to be able to picture the events of Out Stealing Horses in your head. What makes his descriptions of setting so successful is his ability to go from broad to intricate details in the same sentence. Trond seems confined to his small town life as a child, and as an adult he delights in his little house in the woods. The small town aspect of the book allows for much contention, such as the unknown (as through chapter 6) dispute between Jon and Trond’s fathers. On the other hand, small town life does have its advantages, such as when the friendly mechanic gives him the name of a neighbor to plow his driveway. Another advantage of small-town living is that the whole community works together to help each other harvest the hay and pine trees. Petterson’s description of setting effortlessly fills the pages, only interrupted briefly by dialogue. For much of the book, Trond and his father have a quiet relationship, but the true joy shared among them is first seen when they go dancing in the storm. “We stopped on the threshold under the eaves and saw water pounding the ground all about us, It was an impressive, almost intimidating sight, and for a moment we just stood there, staring”(92). One can visualize the astounding sight of the storm just outside the Sanders’ small cabin on the hill. So far in the book, Per Petterson’s effortless integration of setting helps to further enhance the compelling story. 

9 comments:

  1. Daria -- this is an interesting look on the setting of the book [rhyme...]. I like how you talked about Petterson/Born [Anne Born is the translator]'s writing style AND the overall setting.

    Good job!

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  2. Daria-

    I really liked how you said the integration of the setting helped to enhance the story, because that is completely true. Without the picture Petterson paints we would be completely lost, as not many of us have ever lived in Norway. :) Great and thoughtful post!

    Stace

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  3. Daria,
    You have unique ideas of the setting in this book. I like how you connected Petterson's writting with the setting. Because I think the setting of Norway is an outward display of the kind of person Trond is on the inside, the seamless integration of the setting really helps the reader to better understand Trond.

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  4. Daria, you have very interesting views of the setting in Out Stealing Horses. I agree that Per Petterson make sit very difficult to picture the events but this allows the reader to use their imagination while reading.

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  5. I loved your post! You used some challenging language that really enhanced the post and made you sound extremely advanced. I completely agree with you that the descriptions in this story are just wonderful. If the book lacked these descriptions, the reader would be confused and the book would be bland and boring. On the other hand, I also agree with the idea that Per Petterson leaves enough room for the reader to imagine some aspects of the setting and events in the book.

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  6. Daria,
    This was a very good description of the post. I agree that without the descriptions of the author many of us would not be able to picture this setting because we may not know what it's like in Norway. I never really thought about comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the two different settings shown in this book.

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  7. Daria!
    I really liked how you used very advanced language when you were describing how Per Petterson uses eloquent language. You had some really individual and creative ideas!

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  8. I agree about Per Petterson's style completely. The shift from broad to small detail makes it easy to imagine the scene around Trond. What I thought was interesting about the setting that you mentioned was the quietness. It is hard to imagine there being and noise that is very loud.

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  9. I like your quote about Trond and his father in the storm. I think it's interesting that up until that point in the story, the two didn't seem very loud, but when the storm hit, they went sort of crazy. I agree that the setting advances the plot because without that storm, the reader wouldn't have been able to see just how close Trond and his father are.

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