The Water-Hole by Blanche Colton Williams
Blanche Colton Williams’s study of “The Water-Hole” examines the construction of Mr. Burt’s story rather than retelling it. She identifies its “rehearsed” method: a wilderness experience is introduced through a city-restaurant conversation, with Hardy’s account serving as a concrete instance in an argument. The analysis considers the effect of two first-person narrators on credibility, and asks readers to recast the material dramatically to test what the enclosing setting contributes. Williams discusses the main struggle, secondary interest, climax, and surprise ending, explaining how Whitney’s carefully limited deception conceals Hardy’s connection to a young engineer’s love for Mrs. Whitney. She also notes a submerged love triangle and studies the contrast between Hardy and Whitney, including the function of Hardy’s listeners.
By Blanche Colton Williams · First published 1919 · Genre: Literary Analysis, Literary Criticism, Non-Fiction · 548 words
First lines
GENERAL METHOD. The immediate story of the water-hole is unfolded by the "rehearsed" method. What gain results from telling in a city restaurant an experience of the wilderness? Study the easy and natural way in which Hardy's story is brought forward. "You've got a concrete instance back of that" (page 18) signifies that the narrator will cite a case to prove his point. Recall other stories told for similar purposes; _e.g._, O. Henry's "The Theory and the Hound."
Study the value of the two "I" narrators in the same story, with respect to increasing verisimilitude and making the reader "believe. " Kipling's "The Courting of Dinah Shadd," for example, uses the same tactics.
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Genres
- Literary Analysis — Examines narrative method, plot structure, viewpoint, surprise, and characterization in a specific short story.
- Literary Criticism — Evaluates the effects and artistic usefulness of framing, deception, contrast, and the story’s ending.
- Non-Fiction — A pedagogical study section that directs readers to analyze techniques and compare alternative narrative treatments.
Tags
Blanche Colton Williams · The Water-Hole · Mr. Burt · short-story criticism · rehearsed method · frame narrative · first-person narrators · verisimilitude · dramatic method · surprise ending · deception · love triangle
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The Water-Hole is listed on Textopian as an essay by Blanche Colton Williams, dated 1919 CE.
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- Work type: Essay
- Author: Blanche Colton Williams
- Date: 1919 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Literary Analysis, Literary Criticism, Non-Fiction
- Length: 548 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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