Jane smiley is the author of numerous novels, including a thousand acres, which was awarded the pulitzer prize, and most recently, golden age, the concluding volume of the last hundred years trilogy. The washington post book world powerful and poignant. A thousand acres follows the lear story not slavishly, but obviously enough to provoke thought. It won the 1992 pulitzer prize for fiction, the national book critics circle award for fiction in 1991 and was adapted to a 1997 film of the same name the novel is a modernized retelling of shakespeares king lear and is set on a thousandacre four hundred hectares farm in iowa that is owned by a family of a father. Paid for, no encumbrances, as flat and fertile, black, friable and exposed as any piece of land on the face of.
A film adaptation was released in 1997 starring michelle pfeiffer and jessica lange. Winner pulitzer prize winner national book critics circle awards. Discuss how the symbiotic relationship between person and place addressed in ms. Find summaries for every chapter, including a a thousand acres chapter summary chart to help you understand the book.
Ginny is a frustrated farmers daughter, full of repressed desires and. Buy a cheap copy of a thousand acres book by jane smiley. In concert with the holistic character of her vision of agriculture. Perhaps jane smileys pulitzer prizewinning novel a thousand acres was a bit overrated.
The patriarch of the cook family, and the father of rose, caroline, and ginny, larry cook is a proud, intimidating farmer whos risen to own one thousand acres. How is zebulon county itself a major character in a thousand acres. Verna clark is harold clarks wife and the mother of loren and jess. As a younger man, larry was suave, charismatic, and a shrewd businessmanhe wasnt above taking advantage of his neighbors when he saw the opportunity to buy their land for cheap. The protagonist and narrator of the novel, daughter of larry cook and wife of tyler smith. A glimpse from ginny late in the book overhearing caroline. An analysis of a thousand acres, a book by jane smiley kibin. What are the strengths and weaknesses of ginnys narration. In concert with the holistic character of her vision of agriculture, environmentalism.
The film is so unfocused that at the end of its very long 104 minutes, i was unable to say who i was supposed to like and who i was supposed to hatealthough i could name several characters for whom i had no feelings at all. At the opening of jane smileys latest novel, a thousand acres, the narrator, a woman named virginia cook smith, describes the farm in zebulon county, iowa, that she and her two younger sisters, rose and caroline, have grown up on. A thousand acres is the powerful, mythic story of an american farm family and the land that nourishes and consumes its members. For one thing, the books dark secret seemed utterly implausible. The first edition of the novel was published in 1991, and was written by jane smiley. In a seaming, 20thcentury version of shakespeares tragedy, smileyclawing open the ingratitude of a monarchs elder daughters to reveal a rage that could outtempest learsonce again examines the buried secret hurts within families and the deadly results when damaged egos are unleashed.
Our book club had seven women present who read the book in entirety, ages 31 to 42. The a thousand acres community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. However much these acres larrys land looked like a gift of natu re, they were. The book has all the stark brutality of a shakespearean tragedy. Chapter 36 ginny and rose, ty and pete have an unprecedented 2hour conference with their new mason city lawyer, after dropping pammy and linda off at the pool on the way to town. It is a story in which the characters attempt to manipulate one another through the secrets they possess and the subsequent revelation of those secrets. It contains exactly one thousand characters, each used only once, arranged into 250 lines of four characters apiece and grouped into four. The role of the family in this book is a complicated one. A thousand acres book 2 chapters 8 10 summary course hero. Correspondences between the characters in the novel and in the play edit larry cook king lear.
A thousand acres by jane smiley the 519th greatest. With michelle pfeiffer, jessica lange, jennifer jason leigh, jason robards. This study guide consists of approximately 22 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a thousand acres. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Caroline is the youngest of larrys three daughters, and his favorite. We rate books on their quality and readability, as well as the discussion they prompt. Larry cook is an aging farmer who decides to incorporate his farm, handing complete and joint ownership to his three daughters, ginny, rose, and caroline. A thousand acres by jane smiley the state of iowa plays a large part in a thousand acres, as it portrays the life of a successful iowa farmer who decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. Pdf jane smileys a thousand acres 1991 and archival.
Laurence cook character analysis in a thousand acres. Ambitiously conceived and stunningly written, a thousand acres takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and prideand reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity. Jane smileys a thousand acres tells a dark tale of a corrupt patriarchal society which operates through concealment. The novel begins in zebulon county of iowa where a family led by larry cook is composed of himself and three daughters by the names of ginny, rose and caroline. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this a thousand acres study guide. It is well to have as many holds upon happiness as possible henry tilney, na. Although it shares some characteristics with shakespeares king lear, it has its own shape and form and carries its own profundity. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read a thousand acres. It is a story in which the characters attempt to manipulate one another through the secrets they possess and the subsequent revelation of.
Analysis and discussion of characters in jane smileys a thousand acres. He chose the wrong paths throughout his life, and in the end, is left to deal with the consequences alone. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Smiley is specific about the history of larry cook s thousand acres. Published in 1991 and winner of the national book critics circle award. Incest, incorporation, and king lear in jane smileys a thousand.
His decisions and the outcomes of his decisions all seem to leave his life in ruins. Winner of both the pulitzer prize and the national book critics circle award, jane smileys spellbinding novel also headed bestseller lists for many months. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. Pdf a thousand acres book by jane smiley free download. Chicago suntimes a family portrait that is also a nearepic investigation into the broad landscape, the thousand dark acres of the human heart. Smileys choice of epigraph plays itself out in the novel. Ginny is the main character and narrator of a thousand acres. A thousand acres is an ungainly, undigested assembly of womens issues, milling about within a halfbaked retread of king lear. Jane smiley notes that her novel a thousand acres was precipitated by a few accidents. The a thousand acres community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and.
A thousand acres, told from the middle of three daughters, is a story about a small farming community in rural iowa during the mid1970s and is loosely based on king lear. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 371 pages and is available in paperback format. Chapter summary for jane smileys a thousand acres, book 2 chapters 8 10 summary. A thousand acres is a novel that carries the reader through many ups and downs. Jane smiley s distinct voice births the characters of larry clark, and his three daughters, ginny, rose, and caroline. A family portrait that is also a nearepic investigation into the broad landscape, the thousand dark acres of the human heart. An ambitious reimagining of shakespeares king lear cast upon a typical american community in the late twentieth century, a thousand acres takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and pride, and reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity. The main characters of this fiction, literary fiction story are. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. A thousand acres by jane smiley book club discussion.
An analysis of jane smileys a thousand acres smiley. Find a summary of this and each chapter of a thousand acres. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. Engage your students during remote learning with video readalouds.
The novel is told in firstperson from ginnys perspective. A thousand acres is a 1991 novel by american author jane smiley. Download a thousand acres online free pdf, epub, mobi. I was studying english and ensconced in king lear but this book brought it to life for me in. Tackling the puli a thousand acres jane smiley, 1992. A thousand acres by jane smiley study guide consists of approx. For more than twenty years he has been forced to raise his three daughters. Cook is hardened to the world around him by this rough farming lifestyle and the difficult seasonal routine of harvesting the land for a living. Instant downloads of all 1296 litchart pdfs including a thousand acres. An analysis of jane smileys a thousand acres jane smileys a thousand acres tells a dark tale of a corrupt patriarchal society which operates through concealment.
A bunch of tragic shit happens that is mostly the fault of the men. Cartier says that abuse and neglect will be hard to prove and that they should all work together to keep up appearances, to use the court dateafter the harvest at the earliestto their advantage. Read book a thousand acres by jane smiley read ereader. I was at university when i first read a thousand acres. A novel paperback dec 2 2003 by jane smiley author 3. About the author jane smiley is the author of numerous novels, including a thousand acres, which was awarded the pulitzer prize, and most recently, golden age, the. A brief overview of each character and they relationships along the story and how they interact. A thousand acres as movie is melodramatic and bogus essay 1017 words 5 pages. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of a thousand acres by jane smiley.
Aging larry cook announces his intention to turn over his 1,000acre farmone of the largest in zebulon county, iowato his three daughters, caroline, ginny and. Kindles xray feature helpfully tells you how each character in a thousand acres is aligned to the characters in king lear. A thousand acres by jane smiley larry cook is an aging farmer who decides to incorporate his farm, handing complete and joint ownership to his three daughters, ginny, rose, and caroline. Jane smileys a thousand acres environmental humanities.
When the youngest daughter objects, she is removed from the agreement. Written in 1991, a thousand acres is a pulitzer prizewinning novel by author jane smiley. Free download or read online a thousand acres pdf epub book. Jane smiley notes that her novel a thousand acres was precipitated by a few. The story takes place in a small farming town in 1979 iowa and centers around the cook family. I heard her speak at the 2015 national book festival, and she said she wanted to write books in many genres.
766 832 70 197 490 592 1253 1428 962 207 1134 747 760 47 741 876 1298 1184 809 23 249 1450 994 446 819 163 32 175 330 1192 23 141 258 1142 1448 720 22 1051 450 1255 1182 559 711 170