The Marriage Plot
Back of the Book
It's the early 1980s - the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to the Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels.
As Madeleine tries to understand why "it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth century France," real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead - charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy - suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old "friend" Mitchell Grammaticus - who's been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange - resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate.
Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology laboratory on Cape Cod, but can't escape the secret responsible for Leonard's seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love.
Why You Should Read It
The Marriage Plot is is praised for several reasons. First and foremost, Eugenides' writing is eloquent and insightful, drawing readers into the lives of the characters with rich prose and a keen understanding of human emotions. The novel navigates the complexities of love and relationships, offering a nuanced portrayal of the challenges and triumphs that come with adulthood. The characters are deeply developed, and their journeys are relatable, making it easy for readers to empathize with their experiences. Additionally, the novel's exploration of literary theory and the impact of literature on people's lives adds an intellectual layer that appeals to those interested in literature as a subject. Overall, The Marriage Plot is celebrated for its narrative depth, well-crafted characters, and the way it weaves together themes of love, identity, and the influence of literature in a compelling and engaging manner.
Memorable Passage
Some people majored in English to prepare for law school. Others became journalists. The smartest guy in the honors program, Adam Vogel, a child of academics, was planning on getting a Ph.D. and becoming an academic himself. That left a large contingent of people majoring in English by default. Because they weren't left-brained enough for science, because history was too try, philosophy too difficult, geology too petroleum-oriented, and math too mathematical - because they weren't musical, artistic, financially motivated, or really all that smart, these people were pursuing university degrees doing something no different from what they'd done in first grade: reading stories. English was what people who didn't know what to major in majored in.
About the Author
Jeffrey Eugenides, born on March 8, 1960, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist known for his masterful storytelling and intricate exploration of complex characters navigating the complexities of identity and societal expectations. His debut novel, The Virgin Suicides, garnered widespread acclaim for its haunting portrayal of adolescence, while his epic work Middlesex delves into the multigenerational saga of the Greek-American Stephanides family. Eugenides' ability to weave intricate narratives, coupled with his keen insights into the human psyche, has solidified his place as a prominent contemporary literary figure. With a unique blend of wit, empathy, and a profound understanding of the human condition, Eugenides is worth knowing for his contribution to modern American literature and his skill in crafting stories that resonate deeply with readers on both a personal and societal level.
Further Reading & Watching
Why The Marriage Plot Need Never Get Old by Adelle Waldman, The New Yorker
Just Kids by Evan Hughes, New York
Jeffrey Eugenides Reading from The Marriage Plot
Recommended By
“I read Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Marriage Plot right after it came out, which happened to coincide with my first serious breakup. I was a sophomore in college on vacation with my mom and step-dad in the Caribbean and I stayed up all night in the warm, humid air, just racing through the book... ‘And it was during this period that Madeleine truly understood how the lover’s discourse was of an extreme solitude. The solitude was extreme because it wasn’t physical. It was extreme because you felt it while in the company of the person you loved. It was extreme because it was in your head, that most solitary of places.’”