It ought to make us feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we're talking about when we talk about love

It ought to make us feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we're talking about when we talk about love

Raymond Carver, a master of the short story form, often explored the complexities of human relationships in his work. In his writing, Carver delved into the messy, unpredictable nature of love and the ways in which it can both uplift and destroy us. One of the recurring themes in Carver's stories is the idea that love is something that cannot be easily understood or defined. In fact, Carver suggests that when we speak about love with certainty and confidence, we are often fooling ourselves.

In the story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," Carver presents a group of characters who are grappling with their own ideas and experiences of love. As they sit around a table, drinking gin and discussing the topic, it becomes clear that each person has a different understanding of what love is and what it means to them. The characters share stories of past relationships, of heartbreak and longing, of joy and pain. Through their conversations, Carver shows us that love is a deeply personal and subjective experience, one that cannot be easily summed up or explained.

The title of the story itself is a nod to the idea that love is something that is difficult to pin down and articulate. When we talk about love, we are often speaking in vague, abstract terms that fail to capture the true essence of the emotion. Carver seems to be suggesting that love is something that defies easy explanation, something that is felt rather than understood.