Michael Lieberman's Blog: Mike Lieberman's take on reading and writing - Posts Tagged "charles-baxter"

I am in the middle of a provocative book of essays on writing by the terrific fiction writer Charles Baxter: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE. The first chapter is a discussion of narratives, specifically dysfunctional narratives: what works and what doesn't. Baxter talks about "me" narratives and "I" narratives. "Me" narratives never work because the character does not take responsibility for his/her own actions. Things happen to him or her, whereas in "I" narratives the character is the agent of his/her own actions. Baxter's premise is that only in the latter case can plot develop and characters act fully. Otherwise vague forces take over (fate, genetics, God, the weather) and move the narrative forward. These are dysfunctional in that they meander without any type of resolution. Baxter's point, it seems, is that in the face of adversity characters must have, or act as if they have, autonomy/free will. The lead in for the chapter is Richard Nixon, who denied all knowledge and responsibility for the Watergate break-in. "Mistakes were made" (by someone other than R.N.).