Neil Gaiman How To Talk To Girls At Parties Analysis

“How to Talk to Girls at Parties” is a short story written fiction-fantasy writer Neil Gaiman. The story follows two young teens as they attend a foreign party without any awareness of the strangeness of the people there. The story paints a picture of a young man beginning his transition into adulthood and attempting to learn how acquire the things he now lusts for. I will be using two forms of literary criticism to dissect the work of literature, Modern Formalism and Psychoanalytical Criticism, in hopes of establishing the depth reached by Psychoanalyzing texts as the superior of the two. Formalism is a form of literary criticism that looks to evaluate a piece based on the content, form, and execution. In this style of criticism, we focus on the piece of literature only, ignoring possibilities and intents in favor of what the text presents. Attempting to connect an …show more content…
As he becomes more comfortable talking to the dissimilar does he truly begin to not only fully listen, but also fully be able to find beauty and joy in what is foreign to him. His talk with Triolet at the end of the story is the first and only time we witness him truly listen to what the girls had to say to him. By listening and accepting the differentness, for the only time in the story Enn is seemingly at peace.
In its creation of unity, the story creates irony in almost every scene that takes place at the party. For the reader, it is obvious that the people there, at least the girls, are literal aliens. Enn first described the music when entering the party as “a bit like a German electronic pop group called Kraftwerk, and a bit like [ …] the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.” When taking a listen to these musical groups one must admit that their sound is very like that of classic alien themed music, and almost arbitrary noises. In addition to this, Enn’s evident lack of awareness to what the girls are saying further creates