Short Fiction · Question
How does Short Fiction develop the theme of Art and Creativity?
Answer
Short Fiction by Voltairine de Cleyre develops Art and Creativity across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The struggle to create and express art is a central theme, seen in the musician who cannot master her instrument, the Chain Gang's spontaneous song, and the yearning to capture fleeting beauty before it is lost.
The spontaneous, collective singing of the chain gang is portrayed as a transcendent, untaught art form—'Music itself, a master-presence'—that emerges from the depths of human suffering.
The narrator's former life was one of secret, ecstatic worship of beauty and art, stored in the 'wonder-house' of their brain, but this creative capacity is lost after their apostasy.
The protagonist's desperate attempt to play the zither and capture the inner song represents the struggle to express artistic vision.
Evidence in the book
- The Chain Gang
The spontaneous, collective singing of the chain gang is portrayed as a transcendent, untaught art form—'Music itself, a master-presence'—that emerges from the depths of human suffering.
- The Reward of an Apostate
The narrator's former life was one of secret, ecstatic worship of beauty and art, stored in the 'wonder-house' of their brain, but this creative capacity is lost after their apostasy.
- To Strive and Fail
The protagonist's desperate attempt to play the zither and capture the inner song represents the struggle to express artistic vision.
