Brian Evenson is a master of “weird fiction”. Throughout his unnerving stunning collection of short stories ”A collapse of horses”, Evenson utilizes defamiliarization
A term first used by Viktor Shklovsky to make the familiar strange or the strange familiar evincing an uncanny feeling for both for the reader and protagonist of his stories. A master of literary horror, Evenson employs a minimalist style in order to heighten the suspense and intrigue of his singular tales
In a 1000 word essay develops an analysis of Evenson’s signature “weird” stories. discuss specific literary elements characterization, trop, motif, attention to language and style. How does he create a sense of cognitive dissonance or the uncanny? Freud states that “the uncanny is that class of the frightening which leads back to what is known of old and long familiar. However this is not a fear of unknown, but more of a feeling about something being both strange and familiar..”Is it true that writer creates a kind of uncertainty in us in the beginning by not letting us know, no doubt purposely, whether he is taking us into the real world or into a purely fantastic one of his creation.”
Include support from one story from his collection in your analysis and at least four direct quotations. You must also include at least two direct quotations from two outside sources in your analysis.
You may want to look up a relevant definition of the weird as support for ur essay.
https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/freud1.pdf
Source for Freud Uncanny
http://theamericanreader.com/a-collapse-of-horses/
(source for Evenson’s collapse of horses)
