.gif)
The Fortress of Solitude (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Fortress of Solitude is a 2003
semi-autobiographical novel
by Jonathan Lethem
set in Brooklyn
and spanning the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. It follows two teenage friends, Dylan Ebdus and Mingus Rude, one white and one black, who discover a magic ring. The novel explores the issues of race and culture, gentrification
, self-discovery, and music.
was the fictional abode and headquarters of Superman
. Though his main residence was Metropolis, Fortress of Solitude was the only place Superman could truly be himself, as shown by the statues of Superman’s Kryptonian
parents that adorn the interior.
In the novel, the Fortress of Solitude acts as a direct metaphor for Dean Street, Dylan’s childhood neighborhood. Though Dylan eventually went on to Camden College in Vermont and University of California, Berkeley
, the Brooklyn neighborhood always remained his true home, much like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. Dean Street held the most meaning to Dylan as the last memory of his mother, the place where he first met Mingus, his shelter from the racial tensions of Brooklyn, and, in general, the street where he spent his entire childhood.
books and eventually becomes a big name in the field. The relationship between himself and Dylan is strained, as the two have nothing in common. However, there is a sort of reconciliation at the end of the novel when Dylan realizes that his father is one of the most important figures in his life.
Barrett Rude Jr. - Former lead singer of a 1960s, moderately successful soul group called The Subtle Distinctions. He had a number of hits back in the day and some that become sampled by current artists. More importantly, he is Mingus' father, and a musical icon for Dylan. After the shooting, he withers into a cocaine addiction and forgets about Mingus, music, and his life in general.
Arthur Lomb - Dylan's only white friend during his elementary and middle school years, Arthur and Dylan are forced to become friends because of their race. Arthur persuades Dylan to apply to Stuyvesant
, a public high school. However, Dylan is accepted and Arthur is not. The two follow different paths throughout the novel: while Dylan goes on to college and eventually California
, Arthur stays in Brooklyn and assumes the role of Mingus' right-hand man, dabbling in drug deals and graffiti. When Dylan revisits Arthur at the end of the novel, Arthur is a landlord and has opened a chic bistro, adding to the general gentrification
of the area.
Robert Woolfolk - Conveniently nicknamed “Willfuck” by Henry, Robert plays the role of Dylan’s arch enemy who has the knack of showing up at the worst possible times. Over the course of the novel, he trashes Dylan’s first bike, yokes him repeatedly, and even holds him at gun point during a drug robbery gone haywire. Robert ends up in prison with Mingus. When Dylan visits the two in prison, Mingus persuades him to offer the ring to Robert to help Robert escape. However, Robert's attempt at a flight escape ends in his demise.
serves as a status symbol in Lethem’s Brooklyn. Often, the tags served as a new identity for the artists, as shown in Part 3 of the novel, when Mingus is referred to almost solely by his tag name Dose. Dylan, though he dabbles in the world of graffiti art with Mingus, never develops his own tag name but instead uses Mingus' name Dose in an effort to further merge himself with his best friend. "Things are radically simplified: the white kid's stopped looking for his own moniker, been encouraged by the black kid to throw up his perfect replication of the black kid's tag instead. Dose, Dose, Dose. It's a happy solution for both. The black kid gets to see his tag spread further, in search of bragging points for ubiquity, that bottom-line standard for a graffiti writer's success. . . . What's in it for the white kid? Well, he's been allowed to merge his identity in this way with the black kid's, to lose his funkymusicwhiteboy geekdom in the illusion that he and his friend Mingus Rude are both Dose, no more and no less. A team, a united front, a brand name, an idea." (pg. 136) Arthur, on the other hand, strives to distinguish himself with the tag name Art, but never reaches the level of importance that Mingus achieves. In later years, Mingus’ talent for graffiti art carries him through his years of prison as both a source of income and pride. Graffiti art is also juxtaposed with the avant-garde
art of Dylan’s father, Abraham.
. Part 2 of the novel is a direct reproduction of Dylan's liner note about Barrett Rude Jr.'s music and life. The references to music appear everywhere throughout the novel, even in the names of the two main characters, who were each named after different musical geniuses (Bob Dylan
and Charles Mingus
).
. Though the novel leaves the theme of gentrification
as Lethem follows Dylan’s childhood, it is revisited at the end of Part 3, when Dylan returns to Dean Street to find it almost foreign. To Dylan’s surprise, Arthur has remained in Boerum Hill and instead of fighting the gentrification, catalyzed it by opening several chic shops and bistros.
that follows. At the end of the book, in Part 3, Dylan refers to Mingus as “the rejected idol of my entire youth, my best friend, my lover.” (pg. 441) The ring acts as a recurring symbol of the connection between Dylan and Mingus.
in the 1980s and 1990s. Cocaine is a central object in the book, almost becoming a character with its own actions and personalities. It is also the source of many characters’ troubles. Because of cocaine, Dylan is expelled from Camden College, Barrett Jr. wastes away to a waif, Mingus spends much of his adult life in and out of jail.
’s “Another Green World
” that serves as the ending to the entire novel. Mingus and Barrett Jr.’s relationship is also aloof, but is marked by the two common passions for music and illicit drugs. Barrett Jr. and Barrett Sr.’s relationship grows increasingly strained and violent as the novel wears on, ending in a loaded confrontation that involves all three generations of the Rude men.
as a young man, the style of the work progresses through each of its thirty-four chapters, with the complexity of language gradually increasing. However, throughout the work, slang and music are used to portray indirectly the state of mind of the protagonist, and the subjective impact of the events of his life. Through the use of these sly literary devices Lethem intends to capture the subjective experience through music, rather than to present the actual experience through prose narrative.
, might worry that he already is.” (A. O. Scott, New York Times)
Another recurring issue is the switch from third person narration in Part One of the novel to Dylan’s first person perspective in Part Three. Lethem intended this change to show the reader the pure, idyllic quality of innocence and childhood and the abrupt ending that Dylan experiences. As he said in an interview, “I did want to portray the kind of dream quality that childhood has. Being pulled out of it at the end of that section is sort of a rupture. Even though on the face it's a difficult childhood that Dylan has, it seems like a paradise lost once it's lost... You do become closer to him in the sense that first person forces an identification, but I think it's an uncomfortable one then because he's kind of a shit in the last part of the book and you loved him in the first part... I think there's almost a sense of betrayal that you feel when you encounter the small-mindedness of his adult life and the puniness of his moral sphere." (interview by Jay MacDonald, 2003) This switch is often viewed as detracting, since the adult Dylan is less evocative than the boy. However, this also supports the counter-argument that Dylan’s first person narration only strengthens the fact that he has become hollow and hopelessly lost.
. They discuss the effects and ramifications of the New York City blackout of 1977
, the benefits of the Fresh Air Fund
, and the explosion of the punk
scene at CBGB
. There are also passing references to the capture of David Berkowitz
, the legitimacy of the Yankees
World Series
victory, and the importance of Devo
.
, is currently in pre-production.
2003 in literature
The year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...
semi-autobiographical novel
Autobiographical novel
An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fiction elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction...
by Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels...
set in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and spanning the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. It follows two teenage friends, Dylan Ebdus and Mingus Rude, one white and one black, who discover a magic ring. The novel explores the issues of race and culture, gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
, self-discovery, and music.
Explanation of the novel's title
The Fortress of SolitudeFortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis...
was the fictional abode and headquarters of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. Though his main residence was Metropolis, Fortress of Solitude was the only place Superman could truly be himself, as shown by the statues of Superman’s Kryptonian
Kryptonian
Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race of the DC Comics universe who hail from the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman...
parents that adorn the interior.
In the novel, the Fortress of Solitude acts as a direct metaphor for Dean Street, Dylan’s childhood neighborhood. Though Dylan eventually went on to Camden College in Vermont and University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, the Brooklyn neighborhood always remained his true home, much like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. Dean Street held the most meaning to Dylan as the last memory of his mother, the place where he first met Mingus, his shelter from the racial tensions of Brooklyn, and, in general, the street where he spent his entire childhood.
Characters
Abraham Ebdus - Dylan's father, an avant-garde artist. After Rachel abandons the family, he only turns more introverted, shutting himself in the attic to paint his film, a masterpiece that will never be complete. In order to support himself and Dylan, he turns to painting garish covers for science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
books and eventually becomes a big name in the field. The relationship between himself and Dylan is strained, as the two have nothing in common. However, there is a sort of reconciliation at the end of the novel when Dylan realizes that his father is one of the most important figures in his life.
Barrett Rude Jr. - Former lead singer of a 1960s, moderately successful soul group called The Subtle Distinctions. He had a number of hits back in the day and some that become sampled by current artists. More importantly, he is Mingus' father, and a musical icon for Dylan. After the shooting, he withers into a cocaine addiction and forgets about Mingus, music, and his life in general.
Arthur Lomb - Dylan's only white friend during his elementary and middle school years, Arthur and Dylan are forced to become friends because of their race. Arthur persuades Dylan to apply to Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
, a public high school. However, Dylan is accepted and Arthur is not. The two follow different paths throughout the novel: while Dylan goes on to college and eventually California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Arthur stays in Brooklyn and assumes the role of Mingus' right-hand man, dabbling in drug deals and graffiti. When Dylan revisits Arthur at the end of the novel, Arthur is a landlord and has opened a chic bistro, adding to the general gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
of the area.
Robert Woolfolk - Conveniently nicknamed “Willfuck” by Henry, Robert plays the role of Dylan’s arch enemy who has the knack of showing up at the worst possible times. Over the course of the novel, he trashes Dylan’s first bike, yokes him repeatedly, and even holds him at gun point during a drug robbery gone haywire. Robert ends up in prison with Mingus. When Dylan visits the two in prison, Mingus persuades him to offer the ring to Robert to help Robert escape. However, Robert's attempt at a flight escape ends in his demise.
Sequence of appearances
- Isabel Vendle - Nicknamed “Vendlemachine” by Rachel Ebdus, Isabel is a moderately affluent woman in her seventies. She is crippled, "a knuckle, her body curled around the gristle of old injuries" (pg. 4). She attempts to convert Gowanus into a new, gentrified neighborhood called Boerum Hill.
- Marilla & La-La - Two young black girls Dylan becomes acquainted with who enjoy chanting songs repetitively. When Dylan revisits Dean Street at the end of the novel, Marilla is still there, sitting on the same stoop.
- Henry - The oldest of Dylan’s friends from Brooklyn and, arguably, the toughest. Henry, becomes an assistant D.A.
- Old Ramirez - Puerto Rican owner of the bodega on the corner.
- Lonnie - Henry’s best friend, later becomes a police officer.
- Alberto - Puerto Rican neighborhood kid who cheats at stick ball.
- Croft - Isabel’s friend who introduces Dylan to the world of comic books and the man who had an affair and eloped with Rachel. As an adult, Dylan visits Croft at the end of the novel and confronts him about Rachel.
- Mrs. Bugge - Large Norwegian woman who runs a bodega that isn’t “the” bodega.
- Erlan Hagopian - American art collector who lives on upper East side.
- The Flying Man - (Aaron X. Doily) Homeless man Dylan witnesses jumping off of a three story building. Dylan and Mingus also take it upon themselves to tag his blanket with “DOSE” as he sleeps in the street. Once Abraham sees the tag, he rushes Doily to the hospital where he bestows the ring upon Dylan.
- Heather Windle - Dylan’s girlfriend during his summer in Vermont when he stays with her family for The Fresh Air Fund. She is the first person he shows his Aeroman costume to, and she does not like it at all.
- Mr. Winegar - Dylan’s teacher who pushes him towards attending Stuyvesant.
- Barrett Rude Sr. - The father of Barrett Rude Jr., an ex-preacher who has constant conflict with his son's drug-addicted, sinful lifestyle. When he finds that Mingus has also been using and dealing drugs, he confronts Barrett Rude Jr. with a gun. Mingus, in an attempt to protect his father, produces another gun and shoots his grandfather.
- Gabriel Stern & Timothy Vandertooth - Dylan’s two friends from Roosevelt Island with an affinity for impressions of late 70's films.
- Pflug - A thirty year old artist with a knack for painting dragon posters.
- Linus Millberg - Dylan’s pal who attends punk rock shows at CBGB’s frequently. He also happens to be a math prodigy.
- Liza Gawcet - Freshman punk rock girl Dylan maybe likes. She loses control of her bladder during the drug robbery exposing to Dylan how naive she is in her cultural vocabulary.
- Abigale - Dylan’s black girlfriend at Berkeley whom he frequently alienates. During Part Three of the novel, he often calls his apartment with a vague hope of talking to her after a large dispute.
- Jared Orthman - DreamWorks executive to whom Dylan pitches his story of “The Prisonaires.”
- Francessca Cassini - Woman who becomes Abraham's girlfriend at the end of the novel. She is nothing like Rachel; she talks a lot and is very caring.
- Zelmo Swift - Abraham’s business acquaintance who gives Dylan Rachel’s wrap sheet in his limo in Anaheim.
- Matthew Schraftt - Dylan’s roommate at Camden, bonds with Dylan over the common bond of middle to lower class.
- Junie Ateck - A young hippie girl who witnesses Dylan flying through the woods.
- Moira Hogarth - Dylan’s love interest at Camden, who like every woman in his life, leaves abruptly.
- Lucinda Hoekke - Dylan's date when he is mugged on a bus in Berkeley. Later appears as the protagonist in You Don't Love Me YetYou Don't Love Me YetYou Don't Love Me Yet is a comic novel about alternative music from Jonathan Lethem, set in modern Los Angeles.-Plot summary:Lucinda Hoekke is an underemployed woman in her late twenties, playing bass in a fledgling Los Angeles rock group...
. - Orthan Jamal Jonas Jr. - Nicknamed O.J.J.J., this drug dealer is foiled by Dylan and his newfound powers of invisibility, eventually resulting in a shooting and scandal reported by Vance Christmas.
- Vance Christmas - Journalist for the Oakland Tribune. Dylan confides the actual accounts of the Bosun’s Locker shoot out. He also uses his name to sneak out of prison after giving Robert Woolfolk the ring.
Racial tension
As one of only a few white children growing up in Brooklyn’s public schools, Dylan faces a whole childhood full of public embarrassment and “yokings,” mild forms of mugging and bullying common among elementary school and junior high children. Because of this racial tension, Dylan and Mingus’ friendship exists on almost secret terms. On Dean Street, the two are best friends; at school, they are barely acquaintances. To get through his school years, Dylan befriends another white boy named Arthur Lomb. The two, however, take different approaches to the racial tensions in their neighborhood: while Dylan goes to an elite and predominantly white public high school, Arthur chooses the route of “niggerfication,” using Mingus and Robert Woolfolk as models for his lifestyle.Graffiti art
GraffitiGraffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
serves as a status symbol in Lethem’s Brooklyn. Often, the tags served as a new identity for the artists, as shown in Part 3 of the novel, when Mingus is referred to almost solely by his tag name Dose. Dylan, though he dabbles in the world of graffiti art with Mingus, never develops his own tag name but instead uses Mingus' name Dose in an effort to further merge himself with his best friend. "Things are radically simplified: the white kid's stopped looking for his own moniker, been encouraged by the black kid to throw up his perfect replication of the black kid's tag instead. Dose, Dose, Dose. It's a happy solution for both. The black kid gets to see his tag spread further, in search of bragging points for ubiquity, that bottom-line standard for a graffiti writer's success. . . . What's in it for the white kid? Well, he's been allowed to merge his identity in this way with the black kid's, to lose his funkymusicwhiteboy geekdom in the illusion that he and his friend Mingus Rude are both Dose, no more and no less. A team, a united front, a brand name, an idea." (pg. 136) Arthur, on the other hand, strives to distinguish himself with the tag name Art, but never reaches the level of importance that Mingus achieves. In later years, Mingus’ talent for graffiti art carries him through his years of prison as both a source of income and pride. Graffiti art is also juxtaposed with the avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
art of Dylan’s father, Abraham.
Music as a culture
Throughout the novel, Lethem seems to group people into distinct cultures by the music they listen to. Dylan is torn between the world of R&B, funk, and hip-hop opened for him by Mingus and Barrett Rude Jr. and the world of punk and classic rock expected of him by his classmates at Stuyvestant High and Camden College. Eventually, during his years as a DJ on the UC Berkeley student radio, Dylan emerges as a mix of music styles and cultures, which eventually leads to his profession as a writer of liner notesLiner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
. Part 2 of the novel is a direct reproduction of Dylan's liner note about Barrett Rude Jr.'s music and life. The references to music appear everywhere throughout the novel, even in the names of the two main characters, who were each named after different musical geniuses (Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
).
Gentrification
The Fortress of Solitude opens with Isabel Vendle’s vision of converting the brownstones of Gowanus into a classy new neighborhood called Boerum HillBoerum Hill
Boerum Hill is a small neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn that occupies 36 blocks bounded by State Street to the north, 4th Avenue to the east, Smith Street to the west, and Warren Street to the south. Commercial strips line Smith Street and Atlantic...
. Though the novel leaves the theme of gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
as Lethem follows Dylan’s childhood, it is revisited at the end of Part 3, when Dylan returns to Dean Street to find it almost foreign. To Dylan’s surprise, Arthur has remained in Boerum Hill and instead of fighting the gentrification, catalyzed it by opening several chic shops and bistros.
Friendship vs. love
Dylan’s friendship with Mingus is often blurred with admiration, such as the strange desire to “take a pick to his nappy-ass ‘Fro” (pg. 206) and the short scene of homoeroticismHomoeroticism
Homoeroticism refers to the erotic attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female , most especially as it is depicted or manifested in the visual arts and literature. It can also be found in performative forms; from theatre to the theatricality of uniformed movements...
that follows. At the end of the book, in Part 3, Dylan refers to Mingus as “the rejected idol of my entire youth, my best friend, my lover.” (pg. 441) The ring acts as a recurring symbol of the connection between Dylan and Mingus.
Drug abuse
The novel chronicles the movement of America’s drug addiction, from marijuana in the 1960s and 1970s to cocaineCocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
in the 1980s and 1990s. Cocaine is a central object in the book, almost becoming a character with its own actions and personalities. It is also the source of many characters’ troubles. Because of cocaine, Dylan is expelled from Camden College, Barrett Jr. wastes away to a waif, Mingus spends much of his adult life in and out of jail.
Father-son dynamics
Three father-son relationships evolve throughout The Fortress of Solitude: Dylan & Abraham, Mingus & Barrett Jr., Barrett Jr. and Barrett Sr. Abraham and Dylan’s relationship is strangely empty and aloof, but is marked by a reconciliation and silent understanding set to Brian EnoBrian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
’s “Another Green World
Another Green World
Another Green World is the third studio album by British musician Brian Eno. Produced by Eno and Rhett Davies, it was originally released by Island Records in September 1975. As he had done with previous solo albums, Eno worked with several guest musicians including Phil Collins, John Cale and...
” that serves as the ending to the entire novel. Mingus and Barrett Jr.’s relationship is also aloof, but is marked by the two common passions for music and illicit drugs. Barrett Jr. and Barrett Sr.’s relationship grows increasingly strained and violent as the novel wears on, ending in a loaded confrontation that involves all three generations of the Rude men.
Literary style
Stylistically, the two main parts of the novel are written as a) a third-person narrative ("Underberg" - part one) and b) a first-person narrative ("Prisonaires" - part three) with distinctive dialogue, though toward the very end of the book dialogue-intensive scenes and the brief entry of “Liner Notes” (part two) by Dylan are introduced to mirror his alienation from society. Since the work covers Dylan's life from the time he was a child to his growing independence and moral detachment from BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
as a young man, the style of the work progresses through each of its thirty-four chapters, with the complexity of language gradually increasing. However, throughout the work, slang and music are used to portray indirectly the state of mind of the protagonist, and the subjective impact of the events of his life. Through the use of these sly literary devices Lethem intends to capture the subjective experience through music, rather than to present the actual experience through prose narrative.
Literary significance and reception
A common point of criticism of The Fortress of Solitude is the misplaced idea of the magic ring that confers the abilities of flight and invisibility. Though it does tie in with the sporadic comic book theme, it seems a jarring departure from the stark traumatic reality of Dylan’s childhood. Some critics see it as almost a gimmick; the glaring unreality of superhero fantasy is an unforgettable and almost unforgivable trait of the book. On the other hand, the magic powers of the ring only enhance the innocence, idealism and, to a degree, naiveté of Dylan’s childhood. Our main characters soon learn that “[it doesn’t] solve much of anything. A caped crime fighter is powerless against the shape-shifting demons of racism. A white boy might dream of becoming invisible, while a black man, whether or not he's read Ralph EllisonRalph Ellison
Ralph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953...
, might worry that he already is.” (A. O. Scott, New York Times)
Another recurring issue is the switch from third person narration in Part One of the novel to Dylan’s first person perspective in Part Three. Lethem intended this change to show the reader the pure, idyllic quality of innocence and childhood and the abrupt ending that Dylan experiences. As he said in an interview, “I did want to portray the kind of dream quality that childhood has. Being pulled out of it at the end of that section is sort of a rupture. Even though on the face it's a difficult childhood that Dylan has, it seems like a paradise lost once it's lost... You do become closer to him in the sense that first person forces an identification, but I think it's an uncomfortable one then because he's kind of a shit in the last part of the book and you loved him in the first part... I think there's almost a sense of betrayal that you feel when you encounter the small-mindedness of his adult life and the puniness of his moral sphere." (interview by Jay MacDonald, 2003) This switch is often viewed as detracting, since the adult Dylan is less evocative than the boy. However, this also supports the counter-argument that Dylan’s first person narration only strengthens the fact that he has become hollow and hopelessly lost.
Allusions to other works
| Artist | Song |
|---|---|
| Wild Cherry Wild Cherry (band) Wild Cherry was a funk/rock band best known for their funk song "Play That Funky Music".-History:Rob Parissi was raised in the steel mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio. Parissi graduated from Mingo High School in 1968. Rob formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio, one mile north of... |
"Play That Funky Music Play That Funky Music "Play That Funky Music" is a funk song written by Robert Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The performers on the classic recording included the members of the band at the time: lead singer Parissi, guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session horn... " |
| Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments... |
"The Inflated Tear The Inflated Tear The Inflated Tear is an album by Roland Kirk released in 1968. One of his most popular albums and sometimes regarded as his magnum opus, it established his reputation as a jazz composer and earned him a modicum of respect in music circles who had previously written him off as a sideshow.It was... " |
| The Main Ingredient | "Afrodisiac" |
| The Sugarhill Gang The Sugarhill Gang The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for their 1979 hit, "Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The song uses the instrumental track from the classic hit "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation.... |
"Rapper's Delight Rapper's Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a... " |
| Marvin Gaye Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range.... |
"Got to Give It Up Got to Give It Up "Got to Give It Up" is a funk/disco song by American recording artist Marvin Gaye. Written by the singer and produced by Art Stewart, it was recorded in three studio dates in 1976 with a final mixing in early 1977... " |
| Shuggie Otis Shuggie Otis Shuggie Otis is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist.... |
"Inspiration Information" |
| Lou Reed Lou Reed Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades... |
"Walk on the Wild Side" |
| Foxy Foxy (band) Foxy is a Latin Dance/disco group formed in 1976 in Miami, Florida.The group consisted of vocalist-guitarist Ish "Angel" Ledesma , percussionist Richard "Richie" Puente, keyboardist Charlie Murciano, bass guitarist Arnold Paseiro and drummer Joe Galdo... |
"Get Off Get Off "Get Off" was a hit song by Miami based Latin/disco band Foxy in 1978. Released from their LP of the same name, the song became a crossover hit. It spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart during the fall of that year and also peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot... " |
| Rufus Rufus (band) Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing," and "Ain't Nobody."-Origins:... (with Chaka Khan Chaka Khan Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career... ) |
"Tell Me Something Good Tell Me Something Good "Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, released in 1974. It was a big hit peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, though it didn't chart in the United Kingdom. Written by Stevie Wonder, the song is among the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box. The single... " |
| N.W.A. N.W.A. N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre.... |
"Straight Outta Compton Straight Outta Compton (song) "Straight Outta Compton" is the lead single from N.W.A's second album with the same name. It was released in 1988. It also appears on N.W.A's Greatest Hits with an extended mix and The Best of N.W.A. It was voted number 19 on About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, and is ranked number 6 on VH1's 100... " |
| Ian Dury Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music... |
"Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3 Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3 "Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3" is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, initially released as the single BUY 50 "Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3 / Common as Muck" issued on 20 July 1979 and reached number 3 in the UK singles Chart the following month... " |
| Rick James Rick James James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B... |
"Super Freak Super Freak "Super Freak" is a 1981 hit single produced and performed by Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' album Street Songs and became one of James' signature songs. It features background vocals from Motown labelmates The Temptations, in which the bass... " |
| Esther Phillips Esther Phillips Esther Phillips was an American singer. Phillips was known for her R&B vocals, but she was a versatile singer, also performing pop, country, jazz, blues and soul music.-Early life:... |
"Black-Eyed Blues" |
| Digital Underground Digital Underground Digital Underground was an alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. It could have been considered a music "family" rather than a group, as its personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.... |
"Foghorn Leghorn" |
| Run DMC | "Walk This Way Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by American hard rock group Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the 1975 album Toys in the Attic. It peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit... " |
| Brian Eno Brian Eno Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,... |
"Another Green World Another Green World Another Green World is the third studio album by British musician Brian Eno. Produced by Eno and Rhett Davies, it was originally released by Island Records in September 1975. As he had done with previous solo albums, Eno worked with several guest musicians including Phil Collins, John Cale and... " |
Allusions to actual history, geography and current science
The novel takes place in the early 1970s and spans the next two decades, making references to many political and artistic events during that time. At one point, the main characters are affected by the resignation of Richard NixonRichard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
. They discuss the effects and ramifications of the New York City blackout of 1977
New York City blackout of 1977
The New York City blackout of 1977 was an electricity blackout affected most of New York City from July 13, 1977 to July 14, 1977. The only neighborhoods in New York City that were not affected were in southern Queens, and neighborhoods of the Rockaways, which are part of the Long Island Lighting...
, the benefits of the Fresh Air Fund
Fresh Air Fund
The Fresh Air Fund is a not-for-profit agency that provides free summer vacations in the country to New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through the Friendly Town...
, and the explosion of the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scene at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
. There are also passing references to the capture of David Berkowitz
David Berkowitz
David Richard Berkowitz , also known as Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer and arsonist whose crimes terrorized New York City from July 1976 until his arrest in August 1977.Shortly after his arrest in August 1977, Berkowitz confessed to killing six people and...
, the legitimacy of the Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
victory, and the importance of Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
A film version, directed by Joshua MarstonJoshua Marston
Joshua Jacob Marston is an American screenwriter and film director best known for the film Maria Full of Grace.Born in California, he graduated from Beverly Hills High School. Marston worked in Paris as an intern for Life, then for ABC News during the Gulf War...
, is currently in pre-production.
Publication history
2003, United States, Doubleday ISBN 0385500696, Pub date 16 September 2003, HardcoverExternal links
- "The Fortress of Solitude", "The Fortress of Solitude" September 2003
- "The Fortress of Solitude: When Dylan Met Mingus", New York Times Sunday Book Review, September 21, 2003
- "The Fortress of Solitude" by Mark Dionne, "PopMatters" September 11, 2003
- "A Mighty Fortress: Jonathan Lethem takes readers on a magical history tour of Brooklyn" by Jay MacDonald, "BookPage" 2003
- "The Fortress of Solitude" by Mary Whipple, "Mostly Fiction BOOK REVIEWS" September 7, 2003
- "The Fortress of Solitude" by Poornima Apte "Curled Up With A Good Book" 2003
- "Back to the Fortress of Brooklyn and the Millions of Destroyed Men Who Are My Brothers" by Jacob Siegel, an in-depth analysis of the novel, from New Partisan, April 18, 2005
- "Welcome to New Dork" by John Leonard from "The New York Review of Books", April 7, 2005
- "There Goes the Neighborhood" by Ron Charles "The Christian Science Monitor", October 6, 2003
- "Jonathan Lethem Takes the Long Way Home", "Powell Books: Author Interviews", September 23, 2003
- "The Fortress of Solitude" by Jonathan Lethem, reviewed by Ted Gioia, (The New Canon)