The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966
Encyclopedia
The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966 is a novel by Richard Brautigan
first published in 1971 by Simon and Schuster. In subsequent printings the title is often shortened to simply The Abortion.
concerning the librarian of a very unusual California library which accepts books in any form and from anyone who wishes to drop one off at the library—children submit tales told in crayon about their toys; teenagers tell tales of angst and old people drop by with their memoirs—described as "the unwanted, the lyrical and haunted volumes of American writing" in the novel. Summoned by a silver bell at all hours, submissions are catalogued at the librarian's discretion; not by the Dewey Decimal system
, but by placement on whichever magically dust-free shelf would, in the author's judgment, serve best as the book's home.
One day a woman named Vida appears at the library's door. Although shy and awkward she is described as the most beautiful woman in the world, who American admen "would have made into a national park if they would have gotten their hands on her." Vida falls in love with the reclusive librarian and soon becomes pregnant, necessitating a trip to Tijuana, Mexico to secure an abortion
.
, the library accepts only unpublished manuscripts and had a catalogue of 325 works as of 2004.
According to the News from the Fletcher Free Library, there were once plans to move the Brautigan Library to the San Francisco Public Library. However, according to the Brautigan Library's website, the contents of the Library were moved to and put permanently on display at the Clark County Historical Museum (a Carnegie Library building like the San Francisco Library) in 2010.
Richard Brautigan
Richard Gary Brautigan was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. His work often employs black comedy, parody, and satire. He is best known for his 1967 novel Trout Fishing in America.- Early life :...
first published in 1971 by Simon and Schuster. In subsequent printings the title is often shortened to simply The Abortion.
Plot summary
The Abortion is a genre novel parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
concerning the librarian of a very unusual California library which accepts books in any form and from anyone who wishes to drop one off at the library—children submit tales told in crayon about their toys; teenagers tell tales of angst and old people drop by with their memoirs—described as "the unwanted, the lyrical and haunted volumes of American writing" in the novel. Summoned by a silver bell at all hours, submissions are catalogued at the librarian's discretion; not by the Dewey Decimal system
Dewey Decimal Classification
Dewey Decimal Classification, is a proprietary system of library classification developed by Melvil Dewey in 1876.It has been greatly modified and expanded through 23 major revisions, the most recent in 2011...
, but by placement on whichever magically dust-free shelf would, in the author's judgment, serve best as the book's home.
One day a woman named Vida appears at the library's door. Although shy and awkward she is described as the most beautiful woman in the world, who American admen "would have made into a national park if they would have gotten their hands on her." Vida falls in love with the reclusive librarian and soon becomes pregnant, necessitating a trip to Tijuana, Mexico to secure an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
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Characters in The Abortion
- Narrator: The main character is an unnamed narrator who lives and works at a library housing only unpublished manuscripts. He got the job from the previous librarian who quit because he feared children. The narrator has not left the library in three years. He meets a twenty-year-old woman named Vida, an attractive but awkward-acting woman who falls in love with him. When Vida becomes pregnant they travel to Tijuana, Mexico, to secure an abortion. When he and Vida return from Tijuana, he loses his job at the library to a middle-aged woman.
- Vida: Vida is the supporting character in the story. She meets the narrator in the library when she brings in a poetry collection about her body. She says she hates her body and hates that men keep looking at her. Vida's beauty killed a distracted driver who was looking at her. She falls in love with the narrator and they become intimate. Some weeks later, Vida discovers she is pregnant. During the course of their relationship Vida becomes more comfortable with her body and at the end of the novel is working in a topless bar.
- Foster: An exuberant, earthy, great-hearted man, Foster packages books from the library if the librarian is out of the room and takes the overflow books to be stored in caves. Foster thinks the librarian's job is too monastic as well as a bit wacky. When the narrator and Vida have to leave for Tijuana, Foster has to watch over the library while they are gone. At the end, Foster lets a woman who has come to leave her book at the library watch over the place. The woman takes over, and the narrator loses his job.
The Brautigan Library
In an homage to Richard Brautigan, The Abortions concept was put into practice in the form of the Brautigan Library. Housed in a section of the larger Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, VermontBurlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
, the library accepts only unpublished manuscripts and had a catalogue of 325 works as of 2004.
According to the News from the Fletcher Free Library, there were once plans to move the Brautigan Library to the San Francisco Public Library. However, according to the Brautigan Library's website, the contents of the Library were moved to and put permanently on display at the Clark County Historical Museum (a Carnegie Library building like the San Francisco Library) in 2010.