- Man Crazy
-
For the behavioural syndrome, see Man-crazy.
1st edition cover (Dutton)
Man Crazy is a novel by Joyce Carol Oates. It was first published as a full novel in 1997 (parts of the novel appeared earlier in various journals).
Plot summary
Man Crazy follows the early life of Ingrid Boone, from early childhood to adulthood. But instead of following the usual journey of a coming of age story, where the character and personality of the central character are developed and formed, her character and personality become weaker, almost to the point of annihilation.
At the beginning of the novel her father Luke, a hot tempered Vietnam veteran, is already absent and seemingly hiding out after some unspecified trouble with the law. Her beautiful mother, Chloe Boone drifts from place to place with Ingrid, having many affairs with many men. Ingrid seems neglected by her mother who seems unable to provide the love and attention that her daughter so desperately needs.
As Ingrid hits adolescence she begins to compulsively scratch her face and body inflicting sores upon herself. This is obviously a sign of her inner anxiety and pain. During her high school years she is known as "Doll Girl" as she sleeps around and openly gives herself to much of the school's male population. She is incredibly lonely and doesn't have any real friends. She does excel at English though and her poetic ability is recognised by her English teacher who gives her an award and she is asked to read one of her poems for the school's closing/graduation ceremony. The prospect of being ridiculed by her peers and her belief that the poem is no good, brought on by her low self esteem, causes her to appear in front of the school, her face bloody from scratching, and reading not her own, but another poets work.
After this she leaves home and eventually gets involved with the Enoch Skaggs, a brutal, charismatic leader of the motorcycle gang/cult, Satan's Children. At this point her name has changed to 'Dog Girl', for her blind devotion and awe she feels and displays for her cruel master. She undergoes one brutal act after another, from gang rape, physical mutilation, to being locked in a cellar for days and watching a sacrificial killing. Only through luck is she rescued when her death seemed almost certain, the police burst onto the scene and justice is served.
After much needed counselling she puts her life back together and forms a partnership with her psychiatrist.
References
- Scott, A. O. (1997-09-21), "Angel of Darkness", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/09/21/reviews/970921.21scott.html?_r=1&oref=slogin, retrieved 2007-10-11
The Wonderland Quartet A Garden of Earthly Delights (1967) • Expensive People (1968) • them (1969) • Wonderland (1971)The Gothic Saga Bellefleur (1980) • A Bloodsmoor Romance (1982) • Mysteries of Winterthurn (1984) • My Heart Laid Bare (1998) • The Crosswicks Horror (Forthcoming)Other novels With Shuddering Fall (1964) • Do with Me What You Will (1973) • The Assassins: A Book of Hours (1975) • Childwold (1976) • Son of the Morning (1978) • Cybele (1979) • Unholy Loves (1979) • Angel of Light (1981) • Solstice (1985) • Marya: A Life (1986) • You Must Remember This (1987) • American Appetites (1989) • Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart (1990) • Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang (1993) • What I Lived For (1994) • Zombie (1995) • We Were the Mulvaneys (1996) • Man Crazy (1997) • Broke Heart Blues (1999) • Blonde (2000) • Middle Age: A Romance (2001) • I'll Take You There (2002) • The Tattooed Girl (2003) • The Falls (2004) • Missing Mom (2005) • Black Girl / White Girl (2006) • The Gravedigger's Daughter (2007) • My Sister, My Love (2008) • Little Bird of Heaven (2009) • A Fair Maiden (2010)As "Rosamond Smith" Lives of the Twins (1987) • Soul/Mate (1989) • Nemesis (1990) • Snake Eyes (1992) • You Can't Catch Me (1995) • Double Delight (1997) • Starr Bright Will Be With you Soon (1999) • The Barrens (2001)As "Lauren Kelly" Take Me, Take Me With You (2003) • The Stolen Heart (2005) • Blood Mask (2006)Novellas The Triumph of the Spider Monkey (1976) • I Lock My Door Upon Myself (1990) • The Rise of Life on Earth (1991) • Black Water (1992) • First Love: A Gothic Tale (1996) • Beasts (2001) • Rape: A Love Story (2003) • The Corn Maiden: A Love Story (2005)Young adult fiction Big Mouth & Ugly Girl (2002) • Small Avalanches and Other Stories (2003) • Freaky Green Eyes (2003) • Sexy (2005) • After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away (2006)Categories:- 1997 novels
- Novels by Joyce Carol Oates
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
