These early avant garde texts are written in philosophical propositions which describe the people and objects around Gertrude Stein with a narrative logic that is similar to the Language writing of contemporary poetry. Written at a time when Cubism was just beginning as an art movement, these stories are inspired by the painting of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, and for Gertrude Stein the simple logic that begins each story is similar to the awakening of the human mind as it comprehends the subjective reality of the self.