The Varieties of Romantic Experience

by Robert Cohen

In the title story of this dazzling comic collection, a psychology professor delivers a lecture that segues into a confession of an embarrassing affair. An elderly man worried that his life is going downhill heads to an Indian casino in hopes of some relief. A recently divorced man arrives half an hour late to a bachelor party to find that the frightened groom has sent everyone else home. A reclusive writer visits a small college at the invitation of a former student, and nothing goes right. Funny and generous, these stories are virtuoso performances–moving forays into disconcertingly familiar territory that line the often slippery boundaries between masculinity and humanity in American life.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Robert Cohen, Professor of English and American Literatures, is a novelist who teaches both literature and creative writing courses. His books include Amateur Barbarians, Inspired Sleep, The Here and Now, The Organ Builder, and a collection of short stories, The Varieties of Romantic Experience. Prior to teaching at Middlebury he taught at Harvard, Rice, the University of Houston, and the Iowa Writers Workshop. He earned a B.A. from University of California Berkeley and an MFA from Columbia. His stories and essays have appeared in Harpers, Paris Review, GQ, The Believer, and many other magazines, and his awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers Award, a Lila Wallace-Readers Digest Writers Award, a Ribalow Prize, and a Pushcart Prize.

Source: Middlebury College.

Reviews

[Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The college professor's lecture alone makes this worth reading.

[Sarah Milne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose it is considered talent, in more enlightened circles, to write such moody, dull works under the guise of an "well-if-you-don't-like-it-you-must-not-get-it-or-anyone-in-my-restricted-circle-of-educated-poetic-deeply-impressionable-mysterious-high-brow-souls" sort of attitude. I found these works interesting at times, but for the most part, lacking in any variety at all. The narrator could easily have been the same person in each story. Perhaps a more fitting title may have been "The Experiences of Depressed and Confused Individuals Living in a Bubble in which They, and Only They, are Important in this World, and Even Then Still Doubt Their Own Importance in an Equally Doubtful Universe." But then, that is a rather long title.

[Emma Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

collection of short stories written by my creative writing prof, felt the need to read it since i’m taking his short story class. i definitely enjoyed it, the voices feel authentic and the worldviews are consistent (maybe this is a criticism as well, the consistency of it). the two stories that stand out to me as being excellent are “Influence” and “The Varieties of Romantic Experience: An Introduction.” I may be particularly enamored with it because he’s an excellent professor who has made me fall in love with short fiction, but i also do believe in the writing and would recommend to anyone interested in contemporary fiction!

[Letitia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I disliked every story in this collection. The only reason I did not give it 1 star was due to the overall good quality of writing. But the drone of nearly always male narrator (they might have all been male but I'm too lazy to go back and actually verify this) going through some sort of completely inconsequential internal trauma fulfilled some of the worst stereotypes of people who read anthologies recommended on NPR. Not only did I not identify with a single sentence of this book but I found only a few turns of phrases marginally interesting.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

With unconventional style and beautiful word choice, this collection of stories brought me perpetual joy as I extracted its value from each vignette. I haven't devoured short stories like these since Brief Interviews by DFW. Phenomenal.

[Brad Perala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really liked it. Overall, the stories all were a bit of a downer, but so is life, no? I really liked the style. Easy to read. I'm glad I picked this one up. Very memorable collection of stories.

[Lacy Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The college professor's lecture alone makes this worth reading.

[Emily Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like it more.

[Seth Arnopole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing in here that left much of an impression.

[Brooke Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like short stories I recommend this book. I re-read many when I finished the book earlier than expected.

[Tommy]

Maybe.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of short stories... they get better as you go along.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed the title story, "The Boys at Night," and "Influence."