American Writers (one Hundred Pages At A Time)

Part one of my review of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson. This is an important novel in the history of American horror. Hill House is the original EVIL (not haunted) house, which would inspire King's Martsen House and the Overlook.

In this episode, I take a look at the rest of Shirley Jackson's short story collected THE LOTTERY. So many good stories on race, alienation, women's role in society, family, and the meaning of home. (Lots of other themes too.) This rich collection is a must read.

In this episode, I begin a new series in which I examine some of the major works by the brilliant Shirley Jackson. First up will be half of THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES. These are some of America's greatest short stories. Read them!

The finale of my series on Jane Bowles. (I know I said there may be one more.) In this episode I look at some of her stories.

In the second half of Jane Bowles' TWO SERIOUS LADIES we get a closer look at the adventures of Christina Goering as we looks for freedom in seedy working class bars. Class and sexuality are explored in fascinating ways in this odd and brilliant novel.

Another "Twentieth-Century Girl". In this episode I look at the only novel by Jane Bowels, TWO SERIOUS LADIES. This is really one you need to read just for the experience. It is unlike anything else.

It has been a long series but we have come to the end of the study of Mary McCarthy with my final look at CANNIBALS AND MISSIONARIES. Next up: Three quick episodes on Jane Bowles.

Part two of my review of CANNIBALS AND MISSIONARIES by Mary McCarthy. Uploading two in one day because of internet troubles in China causing delays. 

Terrorism, liberalism, art, and class are all explored in depth in Mary McCarthy's last novel CANNIBALS AND MISSIONARIES. I am not sure it is worth a visit, but it certainly is worth knowing about.

The finale of my review of Mary McCarthy's BIRDS OF AMERICA.

While I cannot say I am a very fond of Mary McCarthy's final two novels, BIRDS OF AMERICA does have some interesting discussions about art, revolution, the expat life, and family. Check it out, or not.

The finale of my review of Mary McCarthy's THE GROUP. This is a must read novel if you want to know the philosophy behind second wave feminism and an overall great novel.

Part 2 of my review of Mary McCarthy's THE GROUP. A great novel of second-wave feminism and perhaps McCarthy's most well-known work. It is a profound look at the struggles professional women faced in the 1930s with spoke directly to the 1960s, when it was written.

Part one of my review of Mary McCarthy's THE GROUP. THE GROUP is a classic text of second-wave feminism in which a group of educated women deal with various social inequalities. In this first part we meet the "Group" and talk about class, birth control, and sexual freedom.

In A CHARMED LIFE, Mary McCarthy explores intellectual bohemians and their quite odd lives. At the center of this story is an affair between a married woman and her domineering ex-husband. The tragedy comes when she finds she might be pregnant, but who is the father?

Mary McCarthy's A CHARMED LIFE is a pretty interesting story about suburbia, adultery, and in-typical McCarthy fashion-intellectuals and artists acting bizarrely. Worth a read.

The conclusion of my review of Mary McCarthy's THE GROVES OF ACADEME. Overall, a really fun novel about the delusional and petty world of academia that still has a contemporary feel. 

In THE GROVES OF ACADEME Mary McCarthy studies the insane world at a small liberal college. Like all of the other groups McCarthy studies, the whole is certainly less than the sum of its parts.

Onto the second Mary McCarthy novel in this episode. THE OASIS is about an intentional community of crazy intellectuals doing crazy, petty, and stupid stuff. Sounds like a university.

What a great novel! I finish my thoughts on Mary McCarthy's debut novel THE COMPANY SHE KEEPS in this episode. These chapters look at American Trotskyism and the psychological confessional.