Analysis of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City Series

5069 Words11 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Themes a tale of two cities

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.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    The World Fair of 1933 brought promise of new hope and pride for the representation of Chicago, America. As Daniel Burnham built and protected America’s image through the pristine face of the fair, underlying corruption and social pollution concealed themselves beneath Chicago’s newly artificial perfection. Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City meshes two vastly different stories within 19th century America and creates a symbolic narrative about the maturing of early Chicago.

    Read More

  • Book Analysis: The Descent Of Alette

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book The Descent of Alette by Alice Notley, the book is a twist to what readers would expect. In the story, a girl name Alette is chosen for a certain mission and she goes in not knowing what to expect. Alette goes on these journey and face with challenges that she must overcome, but it is more about the destination then than the journey itself. One of the important theme throughout the book is transformation.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Judith Walkowitz's 'City Of Dreadful Delight'

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    In City of Dreadful Delight, Judith Walkowitz effortlessly weaves tales of sexual danger and more significantly, stories of the overt tension between the classes, during the months when Jack the Ripper, the serial murderer who brutally killed five women, all of them prostitutes, terrorized the city. The book tells the story of western male chauvinism that was prevalent in Victorian London not from the point of view not of the gazer, but rather of the object. Walkowitz argues that the press coverage of the murders served to construct a discourse of heterosexuality in which women were seen as passive victims and sexuality was associated with male violence. Much of City of Dreadful Delight explores the cultural construction and reconstruction of class and sexuality that preceded the Ripper murders. Walkowitz successfully investigates the discourses that took place after the fact and prior social frameworks that made the Ripper-inspired male violence and female passivity model possible and popular.

    Read More

  • Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Typically, a novel contains four basic parts: a beginning, middle, climax, and the end. The beginning sets the tone for the book and introduces the reader to the characters and the setting. The majority of the novel comes from middle where the plot takes place. The plot is what usually captures the reader’s attention and allows the reader to become mentally involved. Next, is the climax of the story. This is the point in the book where everything comes together and the reader’s attention is at the fullest. Finally, there is the end. In the end of a book, the reader is typically left asking no questions, and satisfied with the outcome of the previous events. However, in the novel The Things They Carried the setup of the book is quite different. This book is written in a genre of literature called “metafiction.” “Metafiction” is a term given to fictional story in which the author makes the reader question what is fiction and what is reality. This is very important in the setup of the Tim’s writing because it forces the reader to draw his or her own conclusion about the story. However, this is not one story at all; instead, O’Brien writes the book as if each chapter were its own short story. Although all the chapters have relation to one another, when reading the book, the reader is compelled to keep reading. It is almost as if the reader is listening to a “soldier storyteller” over a long period of time.

    Read More

  • The Significance of Chapter 5 in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

    1761 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this way the novel ends on the course of despair that it began in

    Read More

  • Michael Boudreau's City Of Order

    1701 Words  | 4 Pages

    Right off the bate, the title of this book is called City of Order, which as reading through its entirety is a huge contradiction in itself as the author focuses a lot of his attention on the disorder and instability in the city between the years of 1915 to 1935. In his book Michael Boudreau pieces together, with the use of case profiles; a depiction of the citizens; policy makers; and enforcement officials, a picture of the criminal justice system and its influence on the city of Halifax during its period between the two world wars. Boudreau emphasises on the modernization of Halifax and how changes in ideas and technologies impacted the justice system and its effectiveness in maintaining security and order in Halifax. Boudreau clearly discusses the struggle to adopt to the new ideas and technologies

    Read More

  • Theme Of Slaughterhouse Five

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    The beginning of this book was somewhat confusing, we all wondered if the book was really the authors trouble of putting the book together that led to its structure or if it was meant to represent something else. We had

    Read More

  • Tale Of Two Cities Motifs Essay

    870 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens repeats a number of symbols and motifs. By employing these two literary devices throughout the duration of the story, Dickens is working to emphasize the importance of these specific components of the story. Motifs and symbols represent repeating ideas that help the reader to understand, as well as highlight the author’s central idea. Dickens employs the usage of symbols and motifs, such that by using both he adds a layer of significance and deeper meaning to actions, people, as well as objects. Additionally, by using symbols and motifs, Dickens is able to create a story in which both the characters, and the plot are interwoven.

    Read More

  • Meshes of the Afternoon by Maya Deren

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    “In my estimation a good book first must contain little or no trace of the author unless the author himself is a character. That is, when I read the book I should not feel that someone is telling me the story but t...

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ater appreciate and learn several lessons from its theme and historical content. Overall, the novel is valued by many writers and will continue to be inspirational to all throughout the many generations to come.

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing in A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

    282 Words  | 1 Pages

    In conclusion, it is hard to grasp the true meaning of the story unless the story is read a second time because of the author's style of writing.

    Read More

  • Faulkner's Ability to Draw Empathy From the Reader

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...and through an unfolding of events display to the reader how their childhoods and families past actions unquestionably, leads to their stance at the end of the novel.

    Read More

  • Thesis on a Tale of Two Cities

    528 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charles Dickens’s voice varies from being sympathetic with the revolutionaries, to a feeling of discord with their method of revolting. A Tale of Two Cities revolves around the French revolution and the tension in England. Dickens gives the tale of a family caught in the conflict between the French aristocracy and radicals. In the course of the book, the family handles extreme difficulty and obscurity. Dickens’s neutrality, though sometimes wavering from side to side, is apparent throughout each book in the novel.

    Read More

  • A Tale of Two Cities Book Report

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sacrifice, even when it comes to one’s ultimate end, is crucial in order to survive as a productive race. In the book Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, he illustrates the hardships of the early-nineteenth-century lifestyles. With the resurrection of an evicted man, the novel sprouts from a broken family recovering and growing. This novel incorporates many grand gestures and adventures, such as the French Revolution, treason trials, and the sacrifice of one’s own life in the name of love.

    Read More

  • Tale Of Two Cities Society Analysis

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    While venturing through the world of “A Tale of Two Cities” there are many practices seen throughout the book that would be unheard of in society and politics today. The book, written by the famous English author Charles Dickens, explains the story of people from both France and England and what part they took in the French Revolution. Some of these people, the aristocrats, were against the revolution because they wanted to maintain the form of government where they ruled over the people. If the revolutionaries won, the aristocrats would lose both their power and their wealth. This tension between people and clear class definition is a perfect example of how far both society and

    Read More

More about Analysis of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City Series

Open Document