the dead and the art of surprise

Film/theater critic Steven Vineburg has a great article on the art of surprise, which he describes as "the turn you don’t expect just because it’s so true to life, and life is never predictable, yet when you see it or hear it you think, 'Of course.' "

His description of the end of James Joyce's "The Dead" had me tearing up a little bit, I'll be honest. Looks like its time to give that one another go-round.

Gretta cries herself to sleep remembering this old love, and Gabriel moves, in a breathtaking arc, from bitterness and resentment at being closed out of the grand passion of her life, to an acceptance—the first he’s ever felt—that he belongs to something greater than himself, to a commonality that includes everyone he’s known, both the living and the dead.