Analysis of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City Series

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Analysis of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City Series

When you sense the affection where people enfold their loving kindness you

are probably amidst the tenants of 28 Barbary Lane, San Francisco 94109.

Perhaps ‘tenants' is the wrong word, it should be something more like a friendly

community of people. In Tales of the City , by Armistead Maupin, the characters

are intertwined with togetherness. The mother of all mothers, ‘the landlady',

guardian of all who live under her roof, orchestrates an unfolding story that is

captivating and compelling. It Is her love that permeates the other characters

within this story.

This sequence of story snippets was originally introduced to San Francisco

Chronicle readers back in 1976. It is because of this that each sub-story, or

chapter in the book, is a self sustaining story in itself, more so than most

chapter arranged narratives. This book is the first volume in a series, that

chronicles the life of a small number of San Francisco residents. With each new

chapter there is a personal development for the characters within. It is this

sense of development that is most important for the continuity of Tales of the

City. The development neatly meshes the character's lives with one another,

till ultimately the product is a mass evolution.

It is interesting to note that the writing style Mr. Maupin uses to guide

the story forward is consistent throughout the book. Chapters inevitably

commence with a character's response to the given situation. There are several

departures from this style, which are explained further on in this book report.

The chapters are suited for the readers of a newspaper. Each is short,

usually between two and four pages in length. This makes the reading simple to

digest. Each chapter equates to an individual episodes of a television soap

opera. Chapters link their engaging scenarios together to form a habit forming

series. The first thirty-one chapters amply show the author's intended

direction & purpose for the entire novel.

"Taking the Plunge" ch.1 p.1-3: This is the introduction of the unfolding

Mary Ann Singleton & the expeditious Connie Bradshaw. Vacationing in San

Francisco for eight days Mary Ann discovers that she wishes to escape her home

and stay in San Francisco. She attempts to convince her mother she is doing the

right thing. Haplessly she is not e...

... middle of paper ...

...s Invade p.262

Ch. 82. Trick or Treat in Suburbia p.265

Ch. 83. Chip off the Old Block p.268

Ch. 84. DeDe's Growing Dilemma p.271

Ch. 85. Mrs. Madrigal and the Mouse p.275

Ch. 86. The Shadow Knows p.278

Ch. 87. How to Cure the Munchies p.281

Ch. 88. The Hungry Eye p.284

Ch. 89. Trauma in a Travel-Eze p.287

Ch. 90. And Baby Makes Three? p.290

Ch. 91. Ties That Bind p.293

Ch. 92. New York, New York p.296

Ch. 93. Full Moon in Sea Cliff p.299

Ch. 94. Norman Confesses p.302

Ch. 95. What D'or Won't Tell Her p.305

Ch. 96. Michael's Visitor p.309

Ch. 97. Three Men at the Tubs p.312

Ch. 98. Cruising at The Stud p.315

Ch. 99. She is Woman, Hear Her Roar p.318

Ch. 100. The Doctor is In p.321

Ch. 101. Not Even a Mouse p.324

Ch. 102. Enigma at the Twinkie Factory p.327

Ch. 103. Anna Crumbles p.330

Ch. 104. The Baker's Wife p.334

Ch. 105. Old Flames p.337

Ch. 106. A Lovers' Farewell p.340

Ch. 107. Edgar on the Brink p.343

Ch. 108. Breaking and Entering p.347

Ch. 109. At the Grove p.350

Ch. 110. Art for Art's Sake p.353

Ch. 111. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? p.356

Ch. 112. The Confrontation p.360

Ch. 113. The Party p.363

Ch. 114. Saying Good-bye p.366

Ch. 115.

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