It is out of belief that any
work of fiction can find its ultimate source in the life of
the author that the following work has been created.
"The Diary of Karen Blixen" is a fictional creation, but it
is based, on a large extent, on the actual life and beliefs
of Karen Blixen (April 7, 1885 - Sept. 7, 1962). Karen
Blixen is more widely known by her pen name, Isak Dinesen,
the author of the novel
Out of Africa, as well as many
short stories. It is only within the framework of her
life and beliefs that one is able to accurately summize why
she chose the elements that she did from "The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner," in combination with other sources, in
creating the short story "The Sailor-Boy's Tale." I
realize that the following is an experiment in comparing and
analyzing two pieces of literary works from different
genres, and yet it is my hope that by giving the reader a
fictional two-week period out of Karen Blixen's life,
represented by what is written in her diary, that the reader
will be given the proper amount of background, reason, and
support to accurately analyze the following discussion of
the similarities between "The Sailor-Boy's Tale" and "The
Rime of the Ancient Mariner." -- Chris L.
Verschage (Nov. 11, 1987)
(click here to view the
paper)