Notable American Women
Encyclopedia
Notable American Women is a novel, written by author Ben Marcus
and published in March 2002.
, deals with an abstruse Ohio
family, which shares the author's surname. The Marcus family, owning four members, lives on a farm outside of an unnamed town; the reader encounters narration from three of those members, and is led through a seemingly implausible and temporally confusing description of the life-events of the protagonist: a young Ben Marcus.
With that, Ben Marcus (the author) launches into a lengthy first-person narration with Ben Marcus as guide, allowing the reader to decide if, and how, any of the words can be trusted. Playing with the English language in such a manner that his work has drawn comparison's to Anthony Burgess
's A Clockwork Orange
, among other novels, Marcus describes the cultish, recondite practises of his mother, her enigmatic mentor Jane Dark, and their legion of disciples as they attempt to create perfect stillness in the world by eliminating the "wind violence" of speech and, ultimately, physical movement. Dark, witty, and depressing in its ironic hilarity, Notable American Women allows the reader to delve into the mind of a well-meaning but obtuse young man, to glimpse into his turbulent upbringing full of radical experimentation and forced-breeding (among other things) and, possibly, to become attached.
In the end, the feminist Silentist group, to which Ben's mother Jane Marcus
belongs, is facing issues of endangerment due to the largely unsuccessful breeding procedures involving Ben and the growing number of its member that are reaching a stillness level, which makes them obsolete. Jane Marcus, too, is nearing complete and utter emotional obliteration, using a complex system of body contortions, and takes the opportunity to address the reader. Like her estranged husband before her (whom she purportedly assisted in relegating to a hole in her backyard), Jane takes a turn at narration, providing for the novel's conclusion; addressing her husband with ultimatums and effrontery, the reader sees life from the last member of the core Marcus-family trinity, at which point the reader is left to draw her or his own conclusions.
, and edited The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories.
Ben Marcus
Ben Marcus is the author of three books of fiction, Notable American Women, The Father Costume, and The Age of Wire and String. His new novel, The Flame Alphabet, will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in January of 2012...
and published in March 2002.
Plot introduction
The novel, written as a follow-up to Marcus's literary debut, The Age of Wire and StringThe Age of Wire and String
The Age of Wire and String is Ben Marcus's first book, published in 1995. The book is composed of 8 sections, divided into 41 short experimental fictions, which combine technical language with lyrical imagery to form a sort of Postmodern catalog by turns surreal, fantastic, and...
, deals with an abstruse Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
family, which shares the author's surname. The Marcus family, owning four members, lives on a farm outside of an unnamed town; the reader encounters narration from three of those members, and is led through a seemingly implausible and temporally confusing description of the life-events of the protagonist: a young Ben Marcus.
Plot summary
Michael Marcus (the father of Ben Marcus, the character) opens Notable American Women with several warnings - most notably, that his own offspring, Ben, may very well be mentally handicapped - and ponders reflectively, "How can one word from Ben Marcus's rotten, filthy heart be trusted?"With that, Ben Marcus (the author) launches into a lengthy first-person narration with Ben Marcus as guide, allowing the reader to decide if, and how, any of the words can be trusted. Playing with the English language in such a manner that his work has drawn comparison's to Anthony Burgess
Anthony Burgess
John Burgess Wilson – who published under the pen name Anthony Burgess – was an English author, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. The dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange is Burgess's most famous novel, though he dismissed it as one of his lesser works...
's A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
, among other novels, Marcus describes the cultish, recondite practises of his mother, her enigmatic mentor Jane Dark, and their legion of disciples as they attempt to create perfect stillness in the world by eliminating the "wind violence" of speech and, ultimately, physical movement. Dark, witty, and depressing in its ironic hilarity, Notable American Women allows the reader to delve into the mind of a well-meaning but obtuse young man, to glimpse into his turbulent upbringing full of radical experimentation and forced-breeding (among other things) and, possibly, to become attached.
In the end, the feminist Silentist group, to which Ben's mother Jane Marcus
Jane Marcus
Jane Marcus is a Distinguished English professor at the City University of New York and the City College of New York. She is a notable feminist critic, focusing mainly on modernist texts, particularly the works of Virginia Woolf...
belongs, is facing issues of endangerment due to the largely unsuccessful breeding procedures involving Ben and the growing number of its member that are reaching a stillness level, which makes them obsolete. Jane Marcus, too, is nearing complete and utter emotional obliteration, using a complex system of body contortions, and takes the opportunity to address the reader. Like her estranged husband before her (whom she purportedly assisted in relegating to a hole in her backyard), Jane takes a turn at narration, providing for the novel's conclusion; addressing her husband with ultimatums and effrontery, the reader sees life from the last member of the core Marcus-family trinity, at which point the reader is left to draw her or his own conclusions.
Literary significance & criticism
Widely applauded not just for his imaginative story but his ingenious wordplay, Ben Marcus's first novel received acclaim despite little mainstream attention. Since producing Notable American Women, Marcus has authored The Father Costume, a collaborative work with painter/illustrator Matthew RitchieMatthew Ritchie
Ritchie attended the Camberwell School of Art 1983-86. He describes himself as "classically trained" but also points to a minimalist influence.Ritchie's art revolves around a personal mythology drawn from creation myths, particle physics, thermodynamics, and games of chance, among other...
, and edited The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories.