Gender relations: Alice Munro's "Differently" and "Carried Away"

In two of her works of short fiction--"Differently" (1989) and "Carried Away" (1991)--the eminent contemporary Canadian writer Alice Munro delineates a series of psychologically complicated interactions between heterosexual couples. These psychodynamics have not been identified and explored in existing literary criticism on these stories. Assisted by the clinical experiences and judgments of psychiatrists and psychologists who have analyzed the intricacies of romantic love and passion, the author examines the often puzzling behaviors exhibited in these narratives by characters involved in erotic relationships. She also identifies two paradigms for personal fulfillment implicit in both stories.