Vladimir Nabokov's "Signs and Symbols"

"Signs and Symbols," by Vladimir Nabokov.

What is the story here?
What is the plot?
How does Nabokov reveal the story?
What voice does he use?

Robert Coover's "Going for a Beer"

"Going for a Beer," by Robert Coover.

Just one question to think about:

Is this a short story?

George Saunder's "Tenth of December"

George Saunder's "Tenth of December."

Let's talk about how the scenes move into one another -- how Saunder's does "the leap frog."

"Bullet in the Brain," by Tobias Wolff.

"Bullet in the Brain," by Tobias Wolff..

Questions

Think about how Wolff uses exposition in this story...  Trace the "now" back to the "then," and back again.

What are the differences between the voice of the story and the main character of the story?

What work does the "bullet" do narratively?

"The Shawl" by Cynthia Ozick

"The Shawl" by Cynthia Ozick.

Questions

How does the voice of this story convey such intense emotion?
How does Ozick characterize these characters without re-victimizing them?
Point out some "objective-corellatives" Ozick uses...

My Story, "The Wedding of Tom to Tom"

I know, I know.  Arrogant.  But this story is pretty good and I think we can learn some stuff from it...

"The Wedding of Tom to Tom."

How are two stories in this story combined into one?
How are the main characters revealed? 
What's at stake, both for the narrator and for the main characters?

Alice Munro's "The Bear Came over the Mountain"

"The Bear Came over the Mountain."

What's the narratibve strategy?  How does Munro "frame" this story?
How does the voice of the story reveal what the story is about?
How does Munro flesh out her characters (both major and minor)?