Response to "Television" by Lydia Davis

In her short story, "Television," Lydia Davis, a fellow of the New York State Writers Institute, describes the "everyday" tradition of sitting in front of the television and losing real life time to the television. I found the subject to be interesting. Television is relatable, as is the loss of time to shows that are above reality; on the other hand, looking at the situation from the outside, the whole idea was foreign and more than a little uncomfortable. The generic They and We used throughout the piece actually seem to separate the reader – during the readings, I didn’t feel I fit into the group of watchers or the group of advertisers punishing viewers with “lists.”

The separation of the story into three sections was also interesting to me. During the first reading, I didn’t really pay attention to the separation, but after going back I noticed that each section becomes more specific, more personalized. Each section has a clear idea that contributes to the overall story, but would not manage to convey the overall meaning of the piece on its own out of context. This type of story organization – using almost unrelated anecdotes with different tones and dictions – is intriguing. However, I’m not sure I could write in this style myself.

Maybe it’s the subject matter, or the diction, or the style Davis uses to write, but “Television” did not touch me as a writer. The attention to details, such as the “show about Hawaiian policemen” and the repetition of the channels “13, 13, 13, 2, 2…” in the “different routes” taken by the television watcher, however, definitely helped to convey Davis’ tone and meaning, so I will be similarly looking at these little details that bring a story to life. I’ve learned from the past that over detailing can hurt a piece just as badly as using no detail at all, though, so I will also have to be careful of that.