Response to "Television" by Lydia Davis

The most immediate appeal of Davis’ work is her ability to relate. Take the opening two lines, “We have all these favorite shows coming on every evening. They say it will be exciting and it always is.” With these two sentences, anyone who watches television with any amount of regularity thinks, “Yep, that’s true.” The literary hook is set, not only for capturing the audience’s interest by appealing to the common man, but also for Davis’ commentary on the average person’s television addiction. Key phrases such as “all these favorite shows,” “every evening,” and “it always is,” hint at the obsessive nature of many television-viewers. Every show they watch is a favorite, every night is an opportunity to indulge, and it is always an enthralling experience. Davis’ use of absolutes effectively, yet subtly conveys our culture’s media infatuation.

Another aspect of this piece that grabbed my attention was Davis’ use of chunking. The work itself is divided into three main portions, and these portions are further divided into smaller chunks of text. I thought this beautifully mirrored the kind of stop and go nature of television itself; between changing the channels and commercials, one rarely enjoys a smooth, continuous viewing experience. In addition to complementing the meaning of the work as a whole, I thought Davis’ choice of structure helped the story’s already snappy pace. Each subsequent clause may or may not be related to the one before it, but the intrigue of tempo was paramount to continuity of thought in this particular case. I admire Davis’ use of timing to keep her piece fresh and interesting, and I would hope to employ similar techniques for works of my own. Her subtle approach to commentating on the mindless nature of hours upon hours of watching the television was also artfully done. If I were to ever write some form of social commentary, I would definitely keep this work in mind as a good reference.