Misplaced Pages

Great Jones Street (novel): Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 18:44, 14 July 2014 editOccultZone (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers224,089 edits repair image parameter using AWB← Previous edit Latest revision as of 23:22, 18 November 2024 edit undoSuonii180 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers82,708 edits Added ref #NOV24 
(15 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{one source|date=November 2024}}
{{short description|1973 novel by Don DeLillo}}
{{Infobox book | <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject_Novels or Misplaced Pages:WikiProject_Books --> {{Infobox book | <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject_Novels or Misplaced Pages:WikiProject_Books -->
| name = Great Jones Street | name = Great Jones Street
Line 5: Line 7:
| image = Greatjones cover.jpeg | image = Greatjones cover.jpeg
| image_size = 200px | image_size = 200px
| caption = "Great Jones Street" by Don DeLillo.]]<!--prefer 1st edition--> | caption = First edition
| author = ] | author = ]
| cover_artist = | cover_artist =
Line 24: Line 26:
}} }}


Published in 1973, '''''Great Jones Street''''' is ]'s third novel. It centers on ] star Bucky Wunderlick, who also narrates the novel. There is a good deal of ] imagery. '']'', a parody of '']'' introduced in ''Great Jones Street'', would later play a central role in DeLillo's 1978 ]. '''''Great Jones Street''''' is ]'s third novel, and was published in 1973. It centers on ] star Bucky Wunderlick, who also narrates the novel.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blackburn |first1=Sara |title=Lifetimes |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/16/lifetimes/del-r-jones.html |website=archive.nytimes.com |access-date=18 November 2024}}</ref> ''Running Dog'' magazine, a parody of '']'' introduced in ''Great Jones Street'', would later play a central role in DeLillo's 1978 ].


==Plot and characters== ==Plot and characters==
Dissatisfied with the life that his fame, fortune, and revolutionary image has bought, Wunderlick retreats to an unfurnished apartment on ] in ] and tries to pare things down. A spokesperson for Happy Valley Farms named Skippy arrives with a sample of a drug that wreaks havoc on the ]s of the brain. His possession of the drug, as well as his iconic status in the counterculture, attract the attention of a ] organization known as the Happy Valley Farm Commune. A ]-like offshoot known as the Dog Boys also rampages through Wunderlick's apartment building. Dissatisfied with the life that his fame, fortune, and revolutionary image has bought, Bucky Wunderlick retreats to an unfurnished apartment on ] in ] and tries to pare things down. A spokesperson for Happy Valley Farm Commune, named Skippy, delivers to Bucky for safekeeping a package containing a drug that debilitates the ]s of the brain. Wunderlick's iconic status in the counterculture, and his privateness, had attracted the attention of Happy Valley, a ] organization. A ]-like offshoot known as the Dog Boys also rampages through his apartment building.


⚫ ] is reputed to be one of the models for the character of Bucky Wunderlick. A key subplot involves the theft of Wunderlick's unreleased ''Mountain Tapes''. These are clearly inspired by Dylan's '']'', which would not be released until the summer of 1975 and were still shrouded in mystery. Ambitious but neurotic ] Azarian reflects less-than-complimentary stories about ]'s ]. Wunderlick's characterization by withdrawal and contrariness fits the public image of Dylan.
⚫ In the novel Wunderlick's girlfriend Opel passes away from neglect of her health. She had arranged for the Mountain Tapes to arrive at Wunderlick's apartment for his birthday. The novel also covers his relationship with the other tenants in the building; upstairs lives a struggling author and downstairs a mother who is ashamed of her disfigured son and keeps him locked in his room after she was unable to sell him to the circus.


⚫ In the novel, Wunderlick's girlfriend Opel passes away from neglect of her health. She had arranged for the ''Mountain Tapes'' to arrive at Wunderlick's apartment for his birthday. The novel also covers his relationship with the other tenants in the building; upstairs lives a struggling author, and downstairs a mother who is ashamed of her disfigured son and keeps him locked in his room after she was unable to sell him to the circus.
⚫ ] is reputed to be one of the models for the character of Bucky Wunderlick. A key subplot involves the theft of Bucky's unreleased ''Mountain Tapes''. These are clearly inspired by Dylan's '']'', which would not be released until the summer of 1975 and were still shrouded in mystery. Ambitious but neurotic ] Azarian reflects less-than-complimentary stories about ]'s ]. Wunderlick's general sense of withdrawal and contrariness fit the public image of Dylan.


The Mountain Tapes are eventually destroyed by the Happy Valley commune. They also inject Wunderlick with a drug that affects the language center of the brain so Wunderlick will no longer be able to form words, only meaningless noises. Near the end of the book the drug wears off and Wunderlick begins to gain back his speech, beginning with the word "mouth." The ''Mountain Tapes'' are eventually destroyed by the Happy Valley commune. They also inject Wunderlick with a drug that affects the language center of the brain, so that he will no longer be able to form words, only meaningless noises. Near the end of the book the drug wears off and he begins to gain back his speech, beginning with the word "mouth".

==References==
{{reflist}}


{{Don DeLillo}} {{Don DeLillo}}


] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 23:22, 18 November 2024

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.
Find sources: "Great Jones Street" novel – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2024)
1973 novel by Don DeLillo
Great Jones Street
First edition
AuthorDon DeLillo
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHoughton Mifflin
Publication date1973
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages265 pp (Hardback first edition)
ISBN0-395-15566-5
OCLC623265
Dewey Decimal813/.5/4
LC ClassPZ4.D346 Gr PS3554.E4425

Great Jones Street is Don DeLillo's third novel, and was published in 1973. It centers on rock star Bucky Wunderlick, who also narrates the novel. Running Dog magazine, a parody of Rolling Stone introduced in Great Jones Street, would later play a central role in DeLillo's 1978 novel of the same name.

Plot and characters

Dissatisfied with the life that his fame, fortune, and revolutionary image has bought, Bucky Wunderlick retreats to an unfurnished apartment on Great Jones Street in Manhattan and tries to pare things down. A spokesperson for Happy Valley Farm Commune, named Skippy, delivers to Bucky for safekeeping a package containing a drug that debilitates the language centers of the brain. Wunderlick's iconic status in the counterculture, and his privateness, had attracted the attention of Happy Valley, a domestic terrorist organization. A skinhead-like offshoot known as the Dog Boys also rampages through his apartment building.

Bob Dylan is reputed to be one of the models for the character of Bucky Wunderlick. A key subplot involves the theft of Wunderlick's unreleased Mountain Tapes. These are clearly inspired by Dylan's The Basement Tapes, which would not be released until the summer of 1975 and were still shrouded in mystery. Ambitious but neurotic guitarist Azarian reflects less-than-complimentary stories about The Band's Robbie Robertson. Wunderlick's characterization by withdrawal and contrariness fits the public image of Dylan.

In the novel, Wunderlick's girlfriend Opel passes away from neglect of her health. She had arranged for the Mountain Tapes to arrive at Wunderlick's apartment for his birthday. The novel also covers his relationship with the other tenants in the building; upstairs lives a struggling author, and downstairs a mother who is ashamed of her disfigured son and keeps him locked in his room after she was unable to sell him to the circus.

The Mountain Tapes are eventually destroyed by the Happy Valley commune. They also inject Wunderlick with a drug that affects the language center of the brain, so that he will no longer be able to form words, only meaningless noises. Near the end of the book the drug wears off and he begins to gain back his speech, beginning with the word "mouth".

References

  1. Blackburn, Sara. "Lifetimes". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
Don DeLillo
Novels
Short stories
Plays
Screenplays
Film adaptations
Categories: