The Basic Eight
Encyclopedia
The Basic Eight is the debut novel
by author Daniel Handler
published in 1998. The book is full of sarcastic plot devices that poke fun at high school English classes, standardized testing, satanic panic and talk-show analysts. For example, Handler labels foreshadowing
explicitly as such. In addition to creating a farce on high school English, he includes vocabulary words and study questions at the end of some of Culp's diary entries. During the school year in which the book takes place, Flan appears in the high school production Othello
, and compares her life to that of the characters in the play.
The Basic Eight consists of:
Flannery Culp, the protagonist;
Kate Gordon, the Queen Bee;
Lily Chandly, a classical musician;
Douglas Wilde, Flan's ex-boyfriend;
V__, whose rich parents have had her name expunged from the story;
Jennifer Rose Milton, a name so beautiful that Flan must always write it out in full;
Gabriel Gallon, the kindest boy in the world;
Natasha Hyatt, Flan's exuberant and beautiful best friend.
In Handler's third novel, Adverbs
, Kate is mentioned as the girlfriend to a minor character, Garth, in the chapter "Soundly". In The Basic Eight, Kate frequently gives relationship advice from her only, two-week relationship with Garth, much to Flannery's annoyance.
in San Francisco and The Basic Eight is supposedly loosely based on his high school experience. Many of the teachers portrayed in the book are thought to be based on (and have very similar names to) Lowell faculty members from Handler's high school years. Some of these teachers continue to work at Lowell. In addition, many of the locations used in the book, such as Lake Merced
, are in their unedited forms and actually exist near Lowell High School.
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
by author Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
published in 1998. The book is full of sarcastic plot devices that poke fun at high school English classes, standardized testing, satanic panic and talk-show analysts. For example, Handler labels foreshadowing
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing or adumbrating is a literary device in which an author indistinctly suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story.-Repetitive designation and Chekhov's gun:...
explicitly as such. In addition to creating a farce on high school English, he includes vocabulary words and study questions at the end of some of Culp's diary entries. During the school year in which the book takes place, Flan appears in the high school production Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, and compares her life to that of the characters in the play.
Plot
Flannery Culp is a senior at Roewer High School in San Francisco. Over the course of the year, Flan records the events of her life in a diary - which, after some heavy editing by Flannery herself, some years after the fact, becomes the narrative. She and her seven close friends refer to themselves as "The Basic Eight"; they are an exclusive clique, hosting the Grand Opera Breakfast Club, and regular dinner and garden parties, as they cope with the stresses of their final high school year. The plot begins in letters written by Flannery to her love interest, Adam, while on summer vacation, and reaches a dark conclusion in which lives of the members of the Basic Eight are turned upside down by revealed secrets, horrifying self-discoveries, and murder.The Basic Eight consists of:
Flannery Culp, the protagonist;
Kate Gordon, the Queen Bee;
Lily Chandly, a classical musician;
Douglas Wilde, Flan's ex-boyfriend;
V__, whose rich parents have had her name expunged from the story;
Jennifer Rose Milton, a name so beautiful that Flan must always write it out in full;
Gabriel Gallon, the kindest boy in the world;
Natasha Hyatt, Flan's exuberant and beautiful best friend.
In Handler's third novel, Adverbs
Adverbs (novel)
Adverbs is a 2006 novel by Daniel Handler. It is formatted as a collection of seventeen interconnected narratives from the points of view of different people in various sorts of love. Each of the titles is an adverb suggesting what sort of love the people are dealing with. Some people are "wrongly"...
, Kate is mentioned as the girlfriend to a minor character, Garth, in the chapter "Soundly". In The Basic Eight, Kate frequently gives relationship advice from her only, two-week relationship with Garth, much to Flannery's annoyance.
Origin
Daniel Handler is a graduate of Lowell High SchoolLowell High School (San Francisco)
Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....
in San Francisco and The Basic Eight is supposedly loosely based on his high school experience. Many of the teachers portrayed in the book are thought to be based on (and have very similar names to) Lowell faculty members from Handler's high school years. Some of these teachers continue to work at Lowell. In addition, many of the locations used in the book, such as Lake Merced
Lake Merced
Lake Merced is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco. It is surrounded by three golf courses , as well as residential areas, Lowell High School, San Francisco State University, Fort Funston and the Pacific Ocean...
, are in their unedited forms and actually exist near Lowell High School.