Richard Brautigan, "The Cover for Trout Fishing in America" and "Trout Death by Port Wine," from Trout Fishing in America
1. In "The Cover for Trout Fishing in America," the narrator expands on certain aspects of the photograph, pointing out things you can't see, such as what the statue says and how crowds of poor people sometimes fill the area when sandwiches are passed out at a church across from the park. Other aspects of the photograph, such as the identity of the people in the foreground of the picture, are left out. How does this affect the meaning one might make when looking at the photograph? What does the accompanying text suggest about the "reality" of photographs in general?
2. In "Trout Death by Port Wine," the narrator begins by saying it is unnatural for a trout to die by port wine and gives a long list of books on fishing beginning with one written in 1496, none of which mention trout death by port wine. Why does the narrator mention all those books? What might it indicate about how the narrator gets his ideas about what is "against the natural order of death"?
3. Make a list of the characteristics of "the Supreme Executioner." How might this man stand in direct opposition to the legions of books the narrator lists?
4. Why does "Trout Death by Port Wine" begin "It was not an outhouse resting upon the imagination. It was reality"?