Essay Questions

What do we learn about Gladman's personal life in this collection?

Calamities is a collection of essays by Renee Gladman, first published in 2016. In Calamities, Gladman explores themes such as language, architecture, and space, drawing on her own experiences and observations. The essays are written in a deeply personal and introspective style through which we learn quite a bit about Gladman's personal life and perspective. For example, she talks about her experiences living in different cities, including her time in New York City, where she lived for many years, and her feelings of alienation and disconnection from the urban environment. She also writes about her travels to other places, like the French city of Orleans. She thus reflects on how these experiences have shaped her understanding of language and space. Throughout the collection, Gladman also reflects on her artistic process, struggles with writer's block and her approach to her writing, and how it relates to her understanding of place and language. Additionally, Gladman writes about her experiences living with chronic illness and the impact it has had on her life and artistic practice. Through these reflections, we gain insight into the author's personal life and the experiences that have shaped her perspective. Overall, Calamities is a deeply personal and introspective collection of essays that offers readers a glimpse into the author's life and artistic process.

Why might have Gladman chosen to structure her text as a series of short essays?

There are several reasons why Renee Gladman may have chosen to structure her Calamities as a series of short essays. One possibility is that the short essay form allowed her to explore a variety of different themes and ideas in a way that felt more organic and free flowing. Rather than trying to organize all of her thoughts and observations into a traditional, linear narrative, Gladman was able to present her ideas in a more fragmented and nonlinear way, which may have been more in line with her artistic and literary style. Additionally, the short essay form can be well-suited to exploring complex or abstract concepts, as it allows the author to present ideas and observations in a way that is both focused and flexible. By breaking the text into shorter pieces, Gladman may have been able to write more directly and pointedly about her subjects while also giving herself room to explore different aspects of those subjects without feeling constrained by a more rigid structure. Finally, Gladman's subject matter in Calamities deals with personal experiences and reflections. The short essay form allows her to move through different experiences, thoughts, and reflections in an organic, fluid way rather than feeling the need to maintain continuity and cohesiveness as would be the case in a more traditional narrative. By organizing the book into a series of shorter essays, she can create a more varied and dynamic reading experience for her audience. In any case, the choice of the short essay form allowed Gladman to explore her themes and ideas in a way that felt authentic and meaningful to her and that resonated with her readers.