These four volumes make up a reductive rewrite of Pond by Claire Louise-Bennett. Pond chronicles the domestic life of an unnamed narrator who lives a largely solitary existence, yet addresses an imagined reader/listener throughout, continuously affirming herself to them.
Engaging in close reading, I reduce this text to the self-affirming ticks of the narrator, removing the chronology of the novel while still allowing it to be read as a character study. It is an exercise in seeing a life through the eyes of a third-party observer; my close reading of her text mirrors her own close reading of her life.
in fact
but in fact
as a matter of fact
if you must know
actually
no, none
that's right
- it's quite clear
so of course
To be honest,
And then of course
indeed
surely
obviously
Oh yes,

Reductive Pond after Claire-Louise Bennett, 2018, ink on tracing paper, original text, chair, table

Reductive Pond after Claire-Louise Bennett, 2018, ink on tracing paper, original text, chair, table
Reductive Pond after Claire-Louise Bennett, 2018, ink on tracing paper, handbound