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Ann Beattie, "Janus"

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Comparison

The symbol of the bowl in "Janus" suggests other symbolic containers which have "presence" that can be found in poetry. Three poems in particular might offer interesting comparisons of these symbols: Wallace Stevens, "Anecdote of the Jar" (LIT8 1244, LIT8S 964),  John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn" (LIT8 1096, LIT8S 836), and Sharon Olds, "The Glass" (LIT8 1290).   Consider the different ways in which two of these symbols are developed in their respective works as compared to the development of the bowl in "Janus." Another comparison that you might develop would be between "Janus" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" (LIT8 673, LIT8S 537), both of which present obsessions with symbolic objects.

The "Beattie Generation"

Ann Beattie's stories have frequently been described as minimalist, capturing the despairing tone of post-sixties yuppie urban relationships, and used as a kind of guidepost for understanding other similar contemporary stories. Reviews and interviews, as linked from the home page, often speak of her stories in these terms. How much do these descriptions help you understand "Janus"? What is the story saying about the urban, materialistic values and relationships of the 1970s and 1980s? Does the story seem relevant to today's world as well?

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