Great Model Paragraph from Jennifer Egan

From “A Visit from the Goon Squad” (2010) by Jennifer Egan

Consider.

Sasha usually looked at the window, which faced the street, and tonight, as she continued her story, was rippled with rain.  She’d glimpsed the wallet, tender and overripe as a peach.  She’d plucked it from the woman’s bag and slipped it into her own small handbag, which she’d zipped shut before the sound of peeing had stopped.  She’d flicked open the bathroom door and floated back through the lobby to the bar.  She and the wallet’s owner had never seen each other.

Discuss.

1.       Describe word choices, figurative language, and repetitions you find in the sentences.

2.       Describe this paragraph as a whole.  How is it constructed?  What do you note about the series of sentences?

3.       What is the author trying to emphasize about this scene? HOW does Egan want you to see it?

Apply.

Write a short narrative using stylistic elements that Egan uses above.  Use 3-4 sentences.  Create a general impression of the narration -- a way of seeing the narrative -- that is implied through stylistic choices.