Essay - Dinesen 'The Blank Page' the Framed Narrative of Isak Dinesen's...

Dinesen "The Blank Page"

The Framed Narrative of Isak Dinesen's Short Story "The Blank *****" (1957)

Isak ***** short story "The ***** Page," (1957) is a ***** with a frame, or a "fr*****med narrative," that is, a story *****in a *****. For this re*****son Dinesen's story is actually two stories: the first, i.e., the "frame," is that of the "Black-veiled woman who made her living by telling stories" (p. 1418); the second is the actual *****, i.e., of ***** "blue mountains ***** Portugal" in which there "stands an old convent for sisters of the Carmelite order, which is an illustrious and austere *****" (p. 1419). (In addition, of course, several other frames (with sheets ***** them, either bloody from the wedding night or now) function, quite literally th***** time, as central objects wi*****in the *****: these are framed, when returned to the Order after each res*****ective royal wedding *****, by ***** nuns *****selves. Thus, Dinesen's narrative strategy is that of a story within a story; while each ***** the ***** sheets (and there are many) also tells a whole different story.

As Dinesen tells us, *****, the nuns of th***** Portuguese order grow "the finest flax ***** manufacture the most exquisite linen of Portugal" (1420), thus giving this particular religious ***** of nuns the "first privilege of the *****...to procure the bridal sheets for all the young princesses of ***** royal house" (1421).

Following each royal wedding night, the nuns receive back "that central piece of the snow-white sheet which bore witness to the honor of ***** royal bride" (1421). These are then framed at the convent, and hung in a gallery. With***** each of *****m, as Dinesen further tells us, are actually multiple ***** in and of themselves, e.g.:

Within the faded markings of the canvas people of some imagination and sensibility may read all the signs of the zodiac: the Scales; ***** Scorpion; the Lion; the Twins. Or *****y ***** there find pictures from their own world of ideas:

rose; a heart, a sword - or even a ***** pierced through with a ***** (Dinesen, p. 1421).

***** the many canvases in the *****, though, one in particular is different from the rest. This is "***** linen within the frame... ***** from corner to corner, a bl*****nk page [emphasis added]" (Dinesen, "The Blank Page," p. 1422).

However, as the old storyteller reminds us next, this story within a story is *****lso one for women only: "we... the old women who tell stories, ***** know the story ***** the blank *****. But we are ********** averse to telling it, for ***** might *****ll, among the uninitiated, weaken our credit" (1419). Above *****, though, ***** *****-teller herself is "loyal ***** the story," ***** uniquely, ***** perhaps quite refreshingly as well, significant to women. However, as the ***** ********** also correctly concludes, and implies clearly to the reader, those who would dis***** this ***** story of ***** blank sheet (page) would only do so because they (e.g., men; the patriarchal order)