Challenge 393

Fall Guys

Bertil Falk’s review of The Casebook of Gregory Hood states that Anthony Boucher’s approach to literary criticism was based squarely on determining how well a work reflected its author’s intention. The “intentional fallacy” fell into disfavor in the second half of the 20th century because it cannot answer two questions: How do you know what the author’s intention was? And: What difference does it make?

Bonus questions: In practice, did Boucher apply the intentional fallacy systematically? Does any question in any Bewildering Stories Challenge ask what an author intended to do?
In Alexei Russel’s “Teak’s Prizefighter,” does Hollis have to accept Teak as his agent? Has he no other choice?
In Uddalak Banerjee’s “The Pantomime”:
1. UBJ evidently has no interest in trigonometry. What might interest him?
2. The teacher gets away with verbal abuse unacceptable almost anywhere else. Might the teacher’s absolute authority explain why UBJ is afraid of the faceless puppeteer?
In Adelaide Shaw’s “Carmody”:
1. Aside from being a ghost, what kind of evil specter, exactly, is Carmody?
2. What might be the motive for Carmody’s actions in 1902 and at the time he lures Dixie into the cellar?
3. Dixie is greedy and heedless, but what might indicate that she also neglects Megan?
4. Is Dixie more aware of Carmody’s ambiguous motives than she is of her own?
5. What might be the significance of Dixie’s hand’s tidily disappearing as though it had never existed rather than being literally severed in a gory fashion?
In David Pilling’s “Shunned”:
1. In light of the two doses of poison Hasan administers, why might the first seem disproportionate?
2. What is the only decision Hasan makes that he is not forced to make?
3. Who is at the center of the story: Hasan, the Shunned, or the scientists?
4. Since Hasan is an outcast of the Shunned, does the history of his own people make any material difference to the plot?
5. Hasan is enjoined to memorize the book of quotations given him by Professor Kendrick before setting out as an itinerant preacher. How long after receiving the book does Hasan begin his mission? Is there any indication he takes the mission seriously?
6. What do the scientists do or say that might indicate they secretly believe their project is fraudulent, silly or both? If the story is read as a parody or satire, what might its object be?
7. Is there any significance in the scientists’ time machine’s being named for a battleship that saw extensive action in WW2?
8. In the story, the scientists are from Earth. How likely is it they will discover an extraterrestrial planet populated by human beings with Arab-like names? Is a less implausible setting possible?

Responses welcome!