# Tough story ID

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-story-id/551891>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 29, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-story-id/551891 "2010-08-29T16:54:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-story-id/551891/1 "2010-08-29T16:54:28Z")

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A creative writing teacher read us a story in class (circa early 90s). It was from a book, not something someone in class or she herself wrote. It was basically a short piece from the point of view of a fish but the fish was not anthropomorphized. It was basically what a fish would think and feel. Very simple, declarative sentences like, “I am hungry; I must eat.” There was also a part where it describes eating its “brothers” (i.e. the other fish born with it). I have tried to Google this but my memory is too vague so I am hoping someone else may have read it. Anyone?

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**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-story-id/551891/2 "2010-08-29T17:11:15Z")

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Would it have been in something like a Norton’s Anthology of Short Fiction?

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**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-story-id/551891/3 "2010-08-29T20:07:45Z")

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> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#):
>
> Would it have been in something like a Norton’s Anthology of Short Fiction?

I wish I could answer that. The Prof read it to us (it was that short). Definitely was a book of short stories though.

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-story-id/551891/4 "2010-08-29T20:32:17Z")

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I found this online [story](http://www.inkpop.com/projects/3823/the-suicidal-fish/read-project/#chapter). It’s told from the point of view of a fish but it doesn’t sound like the one you described.

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**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-story-id/551891/5 "2010-08-29T21:58:13Z")

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> [@Quimby](#):
>
> > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#):
> >
> > Would it have been in something like a Norton’s Anthology of Short Fiction?
> 
> I wish I could answer that. The Prof read it to us (it was that short). Definitely was a book of short stories though.

There is a story in an edition of Norton’s short fiction called “My life as a mollusk”- but I can’t find a synopsis of it.