ee PREVIEWING FICTION The First Year of My Life Muriel Spark PERSONAL CONNECTION What kind of baby were you, according to your parents and other relatives? Were you happy? cranky? Did you seem interested in the world around you or indifferent to it? In your notebook, briefly describe yourself at that point in your life. Then, as you read this story, compare yourself with the rather astonishing baby being depicted HISTORICAL CONNECTION READING CONNECTION ‘The story you are about to read is set in 1918, the final year of Appreciating Satire As you may recall, ‘World War | By that time, the bloodshed and devastation of the satire is a literary technique in which Great War, as it was then called, had reached levels never seen’ criticism is mixed with humor in order to in any previous conflict. The use of advanced weaponry and expose the faults of society. The tone of a poison gas in the brutal stalemate of trench warfare had resulted satirical work may be gently witty, mildly in heawy casualties, and many families across Europe suffered the abrasive, or even bitterly critical. As you loss of loved ones. The war also left deep politcal and economic read “The First Year of My life," look for Scars on almost every European country-—scars that eventually specific instances of satire and decide led to the eruption of World War Il only two decades later. what effects are created by the narrator’ In her account of her life as an infant, the narrator of this unusual perspective, Note passages in story provides an unusual perspective on the final year of World which you think the satire is particularly War |. Although the effective, premise of the story is pure fantasy, the narrator makes allusions to many individ- Uals who actually lived during the time, including figures famous in history and the arts Using Your Reading Log Use your reading log to record your responses to the questions inserted in the story. Also jot down other thoughts and feelings that ‘come to you as you read. 1130 UNITSEVEN PART 3: IRONIC PERSPECTIVES