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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page paper on Robert James Waller's novel The Bridges of Madison County. Calling upon the opinions of three literary critics/ columnists, the paper argues that the book's popularity is based on sentimentality at the expense of meaning, and is symptomatic of the mental decay of our entire culture. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Whymadi.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
every romance-genre clich? ever penned. Marketed almost totally by word of mouth, it sold four million copies in hardcover even before the movie came out. Of course, this is the
publishing phenomenon of the 1990s, Robert James Wallers The Bridges of Madison County. The book was almost universally panned by literary critics, just
as adamantly as it proved itself beloved by a wide spectrum of (mostly female) readers. But if there is so much wrong with the novel, why do so many people
love it so? Literary critics have expended much ink trying to figure both the novels shortcomings and its appeal, and in the process two general observations have emerged: the novel
ultimately has no meaning, but it is awash with an overabundance of emotion. There is a strong likelihood that these two elements are related.
Gail Collins, reviewing the book in Working Women, suspects that Wallers book reduces the requirements of a truly desirable woman to the lowest common denominator. She notes that
Wallers hero, Robert, thinks that "the intelligence and passion born of living are more important than firm thighs"; his heroine, Francesca, has "no personality whatsoever. The woman doesnt seem to
have held a job, had a hobby, read a book, or expressed an opinion since the Korean War. Still, this hunk from National Geographic takes one bite of her vegetable
stew and the next thing you know hes begging her to run away with him to make love in desert sand and drink brandy on the balconies of Mombassa. Superwoman
is out, people, Barely Adequate Woman is in. Forget all those romances about a spunky young gal who claws her way up in the business world until she wins true
...