Woody Allen's "The Kugelmass Episode" and Mary Gaitskill's "Tiny, Smiling Daddy"

       In order to properly discuss the voice of a particular story, it is important to understand the term in its literary sense. From the glossary of the text, voice is “the specific manner chosen by the author to tell the story... [using] elements of point of view and literary style” (Charters 8^th ed. 1149). That's a rather basic definition, but it points the reader in the correct general direction.

      The two short stories The Kugelmass Episode by Woody Allen and Tiny, Smiling Daddy by Mary Gaitskill can be compared and contrasted in their use of voice to help elucidate this facet of literature. By examining their points of view, and the sub-components of style such as tone and pace, we can attempt to reach a better understanding of voice.

      The Kugelmass Episode is a humorous story, and Allen clues the reader in from the beginning with his dead-pan synopsis of the protagonist's situation: “Kugelmass... was unhappily married for the second time. Daphne Kugelmass was an oaf. He also had two dull sons... and was up to his neck in alimony... (Charters 6^th ed. 21). None of that information sounds very funny, taken individually; in fact it sounds tragic. But we can sense that some dark comedy is implied, due to the laundry-list manner in which these facts are dispensed. Allen wants those peripherals known up front, sort of like setting up a joke, so he can get on into the meat of the plot. The pace is fast for that reason.

      Tiny, Smiling Daddy demonstrates a markedly slower pace in its introduction. “The phone rang five times before he got up to answer it. It was his friend Norm... his voice strangely weighted... he waited for an explanation. None came...” (559). This is a lethargic rhythm compared to the former story, and sets the tone early for a more brooding and melancholy narrative.

      Although both of the short stories in this comparison utilize the third-person/limited omniscient point of view, they demonstrate the broad ranges of distance that an author can place the reader from the action. Because Allen only gives brief glimpses of Kugelmass's inner thoughts, focusing instead on dialogue and the action itself, it feels like watching a play as a member of the audience. In contrast, most of Gaitskill's action occurs in the direct viewpoint of protagonist Stew and recounts all his memories and thoughts that apply. In this case, the reader is inside Stew's head for the story.

      By applying critical thought and being aware of literary terms, a careful reader can begin to understand the many components that go into the crafting of a successful work of fiction. Voice is one of these key ingredients, demonstrated well by Allen's and Gaitskill's short stories.

Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003. Print.

Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. Print