Prospectus: Work to Accomplish Fall 2004

Julia Brumer

BACKGROUND

I was first introduced to Grace Paley in the fall of 2001, during my freshman year at the University Of Idaho. Paley’s The Loudest Voice had been assigned for my freshman Core class and I, eager to retreat from the overwhelming social onslaught of my sorority, managed to find a secluded corner in which I could read. Perhaps because, as a new student in a new city, I found myself thrust in a culture that seemed, to me, foreign; perhaps because recent discussion in my Core class caused me to reflect on my own pseudo-Jewish heritage and Southeastern Idaho experience; perhaps because Paley’s literary style was so genuine and innovative and absorbing; or, perhaps because of a combination of the three—I was mesmerized.

I wanted to know more about this woman: her politics, her experiences, her writing. I wanted to be friends with Grace Paley, who seemed to understand me so well. Yet, I never obsessed over Paley the way I should have. During my college years, I should have walked next to her, spoken with her regularly, called upon her with more frequency. Instead, I read the occasional short story when time permitted, always left with a sense that I had done something right by lingering, if only for a moment, on her fiction.

What is it about Paley that struck me so deeply? I believe it is her uncanny ability to weave issues with art, politics with literature. Paley writes about those who have influenced her writing, in Two Ears, Three Lucks, the introduction to The Collected Stories:

Starting from the neighborhoods of my childhood and my children’s childhood, in demonstrations in children’s parks or the grownups’ Pentagon, in lively neighborhood walks against the Gulf War, in harsh confrontations with ourselves and others, we have remained interested and active in literature and the world and are now growing old together. (xi)

Clearly, politics, which play no small role in Paley’s work, enables her writing to fit within a larger context. This awareness of the world around her is perhaps what I find most enticing about Grace Paley, and is, perhaps, why I am so interested in researching more about her work and her life.

CURRENT PROJECT

In the last month, I have selected a broad range of resources that will enable me to gain a larger understanding of Paley and her writing. I have selected Paley’s collected short stories and various collections of poetry, and have paid special attention to those that deal specifically with political issues. Furthermore, I have obtained several books containing interviews with Paley, as well as criticism of her work. I have also met with Joy Passanante, Senior Instructor and Associate Director of Creative Writing at the University of Idaho, who has agreed to oversee my scholarship on this project.

PLAN FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS

Throughout the rest of the semester, I plan to read Paley’s The Collected Stories and her 3 published books of poetry. I have also obtained a copy of Long Walks and Intimate Talks: Poems and Short Stories, a compilation of Paley’s writing and Vera William’s watercolors. The collection also contains interviews with Paley, many of which deal with Paley’s attitudes toward Vietnam and other prominent social issues.

Ultimately, I would like to use Paley’s writing, as well as literary criticism of her work and various interviews she has given, in order to create a comprehensive article concerning Paley and her unique relationship with politics and art.

IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO PRESENT THIS WORK

My final product should include, but will not be limited to, an article of publishable quality detailing Paley’s literary career, her life experiences, and her political motivations. It is my goal to have a product that I can present to an audience; this may include having additional resources, such as overheads, a PowerPoint presentation, and possible hand-outs. I may also include photographs of Paley that demonstrate her involvement with social causes.

TENTATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bach, Gerhard, and Blaine Hall, eds. Conversations with Grace Paley. Jackson:

University Press of Mississippi,1997.

Binder, Wolfgang, and Helmbrecht Breinig, eds. American Contradictions: Interviews

with Nine American Writers. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan UP, 1995.

Isaacs, Neil D. Grace Paley: A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne, 1990.

Paley, Grace, and Vera Williams. Long Walks and Intimate Talks: Poems and Short
Stories. New York: Feminist P, 1991.

Paley, Grace. Begin Again. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2000.

Paley, Grace. Just As I Thought. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1998

Paley, Grace. The Collected Stories. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1994.

Taylor, Jaqueline. Grace Paley: Illuminating the Dark Lives. Austin: University of
Texas P, 1990.