The Far and The Near
Thomas Wolfe's short story "The Far and the Near" was first published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1935 and was reprinted later that year in Wolfe's first short-story collection, From Death to Morning. For a writer known by his long, sprawling novels such as Look Homeward, Angel: A Story of the Buried Life and Of Time and the River, this ultra-short short story is a rare occurrence. While Wolfe's novels have often fallen under criticism for their excessive autobiographical sources, the influence of their editors, and Wolfe's wordy style, many critics in the last half of the twentieth century began to praise Wolfe for his short fiction. "The Far and the Near" details the story of a railroad engineer in the 1930s who passes a certain cottage every day for more than twenty years, waving to the women who live there but never actually meeting them or seeing them up close. Upon his retirement, he goes to see the women. The story can be found in the paperback edition of The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe, which was published by Collier Books in 1989.
(http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3423200016/far-and-near.html)
Thomas Wolfe's short story "The Far and the Near" was first published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1935 and was reprinted later that year in Wolfe's first short-story collection, From Death to Morning. For a writer known by his long, sprawling novels such as Look Homeward, Angel: A Story of the Buried Life and Of Time and the River, this ultra-short short story is a rare occurrence. While Wolfe's novels have often fallen under criticism for their excessive autobiographical sources, the influence of their editors, and Wolfe's wordy style, many critics in the last half of the twentieth century began to praise Wolfe for his short fiction. "The Far and the Near" details the story of a railroad engineer in the 1930s who passes a certain cottage every day for more than twenty years, waving to the women who live there but never actually meeting them or seeing them up close. Upon his retirement, he goes to see the women. The story can be found in the paperback edition of The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe, which was published by Collier Books in 1989.
(http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3423200016/far-and-near.html)
Alternate Ending/Back Story Activity: Write 3 to 4 paragraphs either altering the ending to The Far and The Near or giving a back story to the engineer or women's lives. You need to emulate (mimic/imitate) Wolfe's writing style. Be descriptive, wordy, and dramatic!