The Art of Lore

If these stories are "art" what makes them a creative activity both for the reader and the writer? Choose a story and discuss its creative aspects and what is available for interpretation.


First off, if stories were not art, I would have absolutely no idea what they would be. Art is the expression of your creativity, no matter how you do it. It can be through painting, dance, singing, building, and yes, writing. By writing, the writer can put whatever creative thought that comes into their head on paper. Their stories are only limited to their imagination. For the reader, reading can be seen as a creative activity, just in a much more limited sense. The author is giving you information that you can use however you want. However, the more information the author gives, the less creative the reader can be. For example, at the start of the story "Metamorphosis," the author gives you one piece of information: The main character transformed into a bug. He doesn't say how, he doesn't say why, he doesn't say anything except the fact itself. By doing so, the reader can use his or her creativity to answer the questions to those questions. If the author had given reason, there would be much less to think about--much less "wiggle room" one might say.