A is for ALL IN A DAY
We tend to think of a novel having a big landscape with a great sweep of characters and the story told over weeks, years, even centuries. But some writers have chosen to confine themselves to a very limited time frame.
I suppose the most famous example is Ulysses by James Joyce set on June 16th 1904 when the main character Leopold Bloom walks through his home city of Dublin
The BBC wrote a very useful cheats guide on the 100th anniversary. You can find it here.
The controversy over this novel is summed up by these two comments on the BBC site.
Ulysses is the greatest novel of the twentieth century…
AND
Man goes for a walk around Dublin. Nothing happens.
Other ALL IN A DAY novels
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Set in London on Saturday, February 15, 2003 a day of anti-war protests. (I was there!)
A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Detailing the grinding brutality of a Soviet labour camp in the 1950s
The action of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens all happened in 24 hours, didn’t it? And that reminds me of the television series 24 Hours which just goes to show that a limited time scale does not have to mean short.
While researching this post, I’ve discovered The Mezzzanine by Nicholson Baker. Although I haven’t read it yet, I am intrigued by a story where all the action happens on one escalator ride on one afternoon.
Any other books, films, television you can think of?
Just to finish off this very first post for the ABC challenge I’d like to thank the person who started it all.
Arlee Bird http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
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19 comments on “A is for ALL IN A DAY”
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BACK TO CREATIVE WRITING SCHOOL
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"Unputdownable" Miriam Stoppard
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Wow!! What an impressive topic to kick start the challenge. Very interesting. I read somewhere that Morning, Noon and Night by Spalding Gray is also a book about a day.
Have heard of Spalding Gray or his/her book but I guess there’s a clue in the title. Thanks for letting me know.
Sometimes, the simple things can also be the most complex when it comes to telling a story.
Hi Mark
Well, in life the simple often becomes the complicated so yes, I reckon you’re right the same applies to literature. Imposing a very confined time structure does seem simple but is a real challenge for the writer – characters can’t develop through a series of experiences. The ‘now’ of the book r story is the defining moment….which is why it is intriguing I guess
Hello, Bridget! That’s really interesting. The short story “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin takes place all in–you guessed it–one hour. That’s a good writing challenge to try.
Happy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines
Oh I have heard of it but never read it – thanks for mentioning it. I’ll seek it out.
Baker’s The Mezzanine isn’t really a story, or if it is, it’s an incredibly thin one, thinner even than Ulysses, which has some agency and deliberation about it. It’s an excuse for Baker to write sundry observations about the city-world, about the mouth-feel of tuna salad and the functionality of escalators. It’s the sort of stuff you can only get out of literary fiction, and naturally won’t function the same for everyone. I enjoyed it, though I’d kill myself if all fiction had to be that way!
I’m not sure if you have sold it to me or not!
Still, you enjoyed it even with so many reservations so I’m tempted tp see what it is like.
This is an intriguing topic and one I hadn’t really thought about before! Thanks for sharing this list of interesting-sounding stories – I must admit I haven’t read any of them!
Ah, there’s the ones we know about and mention…and then the ones we’ve actually read. the two are not the same!!!! Glad you like the subject.
Thanks for stopping by my blog too 🙂
Loved it – I wasn’t sure about getting involved with the A-Z challenge but it does allow you to get to know blogs and bloggers you wouldn’t normally have come into contact with, so I’m really pleased I did.
All in a day for sure!
Thinking of playing around with the idea….I am but not sure how yet. Sometimes you just have to let ideas settle for awhile…
Interesting! I hadn’t thought about this before. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf takes place in a day.
I should know that! I should really know that. I have a copy of Mrs Dalloway and never got far enough into it to discover what the time frame is. Live near VW’s house & visited last summer – glorious. Still didn’t tempt me to pick up the book though…
Great topic honey! 🙂
Looking forward to the rest of your posts.
xx
Thanks Vikki. Just about to visit your blog and discover which “B” author you’re covering
Breathing lessons by Anne Tyler is a car journey taken to and from a funeral in one day. She writes it with ease – so much detail, oh and conversation of course.