The History of Sound: Stories

The short stories in The History of Sound are all connected to one another. Explore how overlaps in images, settings, or characters throughout the collection relate to the stories’ explorations of history, art, and storytelling.

Choose two stories from the collection that aren’t obviously companions and discuss the connections between them. In your answer, consider similarities or parallels in story, theme, and character.

Analyze Shattuck’s use of point of view throughout the collection. Explore why some stories are written from the first-person point of view, while others are written from the third-person perspective. How would the stories’ meanings change if written from alternate perspectives?