Influence: the linked stories of Olive Kitteridge and developing creative work

Abstract

This collection of stories stemmed from reading Harold Bloom's The Anxiety of Influence. For this project, I chose to “misread” Olive Kitteridge, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Elizabeth Strout. Strout's novel is a collection of 13 linked stories - or stories that share specific attributes but each stand alone as unique, complete tales. Linked stories build upon one another, continuing to explore the depths of characters and their actions. Olive Kitteridge, as a novel of linked stories, is founded and connected by two characteristics: character and setting.