Literary Visions

Hosted by Fran Dorn, this new series from the Annenberg/CPB Collection examines three major genres of literature-short fiction, poetry, and drama-and discusses literary elements such as character, plot, symbolism, and voice. I watched episodes 6 and 11, Telling Their Tales: Character in Short Fiction and The Sacred Words: The Elements of Poetry, respectively. In Telling Their Tales, Dorn, as well as interviewed professors, talk briefly about creating character in short fiction (through dialogue, attire, ideals, etc.) and how stories have varying points of view (first person, third person). But most of the program is devoted to Tillie Olsen's short story "I Stand Here Ironing," a first-person tale told by a woman who assesses the raising of her daughter while she irons. Much of this story is actually performed by an actress, and Olsen herself offers brief commentary near the end of the program. Although a few aspects of character are briefly outlined in the program, too much time is spent on "I Stand Here Ironing" to allow more than a cursory examination of the subject of character. The Sacred Words offers a wider range of examples from its subject-poetry with selections by Walt Whitman, Dylan Thomas, Alice Walker, Dorothy Parker, Matthew Arnold, Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, and James Dickey. Generally, the visual interpretations accompanying the poems are appropriate and engaging (with the exception of a particularly out to lunch version of Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.") As an introductory taste of poetry, the selections in The Sacred Words offer a fair sampling, and the conclusion, which features an interview with poet James Dickey, is excellent. Introductory literature courses at the high-school and first-year college level would benefit from this series, as would, perhaps, larger library systems. Recommended. (Available from: The Annenberg/CPB Collection, P.O. Box 3245, South Burlington, VT 05407-3245;1-800-LEARNER.)