"When people say there is too much violence in my books, what they are saying is there is too much reality in life."

    Joyce Carol Oates, (born June 16, 1938) is an American novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. She is particularly famous for her penetrating depictions of violence and evil in modern world.

     Brought up on literary works of such brilliant authors as Ernest Hemingway, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, Fyodor Dostoevsky, William Faulkner and Lewis Carroll, Joyce started to write at the age of 14, when her dear friend, grandmother Blanche, presented her with a typewriter.  

     A great influence on Joyce's writing style was made by Franz Kafka, D. H. Lawrence, Thomas Mann and James Joyce. Some critics draw parallels between Joyce Carol Oats and Sylvia Plath, whom Joyce admired greatly. Still, that is a disputable question, as Sylvia was inclined to romanticize suicide. Joyce, on the contrary, was attracted by strong in spirit, powerful characters, who were able to fight. She depicted cruelty of the time not to impress the reader, but to be reveal the truth. Joyce Carol Oates said: "When people say there is too much violence in my books, what they are saying is there is too much reality in life."

    While reading the story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" one may claim it to be unrealistic, pessimistic and brutal, but in fact Oates was inspired by four murders committed by Charles Schmid, which were profiled in Life magazine in an article written by Don Moser on March 4, 1966. It also has a connection with Bob Dylan's work, especially his song "It's All Over, Baby Blue".

"In 1965, I was writing my short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” when Bob Dylan’s “Bringing It All Back Home” was released. The album was riveting, but the song “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” was especially moving and relevant. “Baby Blue” didn’t directly influence my short story, which was inspired by a Life magazine article about a serial killer in Tucson, Ariz., but the song’s soul and poetic rhythm were very seductive. The beauty of the song is that you can never quite comprehend it. We know only that something is over.   Essentially, the song is about mortality. In my story, which was first published in 1966 and many times reprinted, the life that my teenage character knew is about to end. It seemed fitting to dedicate my story to Bob Dylan."

     I believe, that this shows how sensitive the author is, how much she cares about what is happening around. Only a true artist can transform a disgusting, horrifying story about a man killing young ladies just to try how it feels, into such a remarkable piece of art. Only a true artist can be so touched simply by a song, and to be able to dig such a deep sense out of it.