What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. ContentLyricsCultural referencesThe narrator says that his cardiologist friend Mel McGinnis is talking The narrator and Mel are sitting around Mels kitchen table in Albuquerque New Mexico drinking gin with their wives Laura and Terri They begin talking about love Mel thinks love is spiritual and says he used to be in the seminary Terri says that before she lived with Mel she lived with a man named Ed who tried to kill her because he loved her so much Mel disagrees that Ed felt any love for her but Terri says that he did Mel tells the narrator and Laura that Ed had also threatened him and Terri The narrator holds Lauras hand and says that he doesnt really know whether thats love while Laura says that you can never know about other peoples situations The narrator describes Mel Hes fortyfive and his movements are usually precise when he hasnt been drinking The narrator asks how Ed bungled his suicide but Mel merely replies that Ed was always threatening him and Terri Laura asks again what happened with the suicide and Mel says that when Ed shot himself someone heard it and called an ambulance and Ed lived for three days Terri says she was with him when he died and that Ed died for love But she admits that she and Mel were scared when Ed was threatening them and that Mel had even made a will Mel opens another bottle of gin The narrator meanwhile describes his wife Laura Shes a legal secretary younger than the narrator and seemingly very compatible with him Laura says that she and the narrator whose name is Nick know all about love Nick kisses her hand Terri asks them how long theyve been together and Laura tells her that theyve been together for about eighteen months They all toast to love Mel says that he was trying to make a point He tells them about an elderly couple who were nearly killed when a drunk teenager hit their camper with his car Both of them survived but were badly injured Mel describes how he and other surgeons operated almost all night and that afterward the couple was transferred to a private room Mel interrupts himself to tell everyone to drink more gin so that they can all go to dinner at a new place he and Terri know about Mel says that if he could come back in another life hed be a chef or a knight Terri and Mel debate whether the correct word is vessel or vassal Nick says that being a knight could be dangerous because of all the heavy armor Laura asks what happened to the old couple then struggles to light a cigarette Nick notes that the sun in the kitchen has changed Mel tells Laura that if their situations were different hed fall in love with her Resuming the story Mel says that he kept checking in on the old couple both of whom were in fullbody casts The husband was okay and the wife was going to be okay but the husband was depressed because he couldnt see his wife through the eyeholes in his cast Mel says that he couldnt believe the man was depressed because he couldnt see his wife He asks everyone whether they see the point A dog barks outside and the sun is bright in the kitchen Mel says hell give them an example of love but then says that no one knows anything about love He says he loves Terri but he knows he loved his first wife Marjorie too even though he hates her now He wants to know what happened to the love he felt for his first wife He points out that Nick and Laura love each other but loved other people before they met and were each married to someone else before as well Mel says that if something happened to him or Terri he knows that whoever remained would find someone else to love He admits that thats a horrible thing to say but asks the others to tell him if hes wrong Terri asks Mel whether hes drunk and he says he can say what hes thinking without being drunk He says theyre all just talking and that hes not on call He tells Laura and Nick that he loves them Nick says theyre all drunk and that the light is leaving the room Terri says Mel is depressed and tells him to take a pill but Mel says hes already taken everything possible Mel says he wants to call his kids but Terri says hell only feel worse if Marjorie answers the phone Terri says that Mel wishes Marjorie would remarry or die Mel says Marjorie is allergic to bees and that he wishes he could release bees in her house to kill her He suggests they all go out to eat but Nick suggests they should just keep drinking Laura remarks that shes starving and Terri says shell serve a snack but she stays in her seat Mel notices that the gin is gone and Terri asks what they should do now Nick says he can hear everyones heart beating The four friends just sit in their seats until the room is dark.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is an unrealistic collection of stories Carver writes these stories as if to showcase the bleakness of life but includes no redemption for the characters and empty worldview and within the romantic relationships he involves no repentance or forgiveness 44/5 (11K)Format PaperbackAuthor Raymond Carver.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Carver, Raymond
Although there’s no clear indication of when “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” takes place it’s likely set around the late 1970s or early 80s The story focuses on relationship dynamics between men and women which were was greatly impacted by increasingly liberal social attitudes that became normalized in 1960s and 70s America.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT Lt and brown hair that hung down her back She liked necklaces made of turquoise and long pendant earrings “My Cod don't be silly That's not love and you know it” Mel said “I don't know what you'd call it but I sure know you wouldn't call it love” “Say what you want to but I know it was” Terri said File Size 254KBPage Count 8.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love Raymond Carver What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is a 1981 collection of short stories by American writer Raymond Carver as well as the title of one of the stories in the collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Love The story is about four friends—Mel Teresa (Terri) Laura and Nick 41/5 (39K)Book Edition Vintage Books Edition June 1989Format Paperback.
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Raymond Carver – What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love Study Guide
“What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” is the titular story of Carver’s third collection of short stories published in 1981 Similar to much of his work the story has minimalist.