The Corrections
Encyclopedia : T : TH : THE : The Corrections
The Corrections is a novel of social criticism by American author Jonathan Franzen. It won the 2001 National Book Award for Fiction.
The book revolves around the troubles of the Lambert family (an elderly Midwestern couple and their three adult children) and their attempts to get together for one last Christmas.
Plot
Alfred Lambert, the patriarch, suffers from Parkinson's disease and dementia. Enid, his long-suffering wife, suffers from Alfred, both vocally and perhaps unfairly. Gary, the eldest Lambert son, is attempting to cope with both depression and the machinations involved in maintaining a happy family. Chip, the middle child, is a university lecturer in cultural studies whose affair with a student lands him in a world of self-loathing and financial difficulty, and, eventually, Lithuania. Denise, the youngest of the family, is successful in her career as a chef, but unsuccessful in fulfilling her mother's requests of finding a nice young Midwestern man to marry, not least as she begins to question her sexuality.
Alongside the family dramas, the novel has an undercurrent of social commentary, taking in the topics of globalization, the spread of technology, and the changes in family values over the years, among other topics.
The book was a selection of Oprah's Book Club in 2001 (ISBN 0374100128); Franzen caused some controversy when he publicly lamented the fact that his book was selected, causing Oprah to withdraw the selection.
A film adaptation is in the works to be directed by Robert Zemeckis and possibly starring Judi Dench and Brad Pitt. Joaquin Phoenix has also been rumored to be starring.
External links
- [Jonathan Franzen's web page about The Corrections]
- [Listen to Franzen read from The Corrections]
- [Listen to 2001 Interview with Jonathan Franzen], conducted by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air
- [Most honored novels]: The Corrections numerous honors puts it at the top of the list
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.