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Wonderland (novel)
Encyclopedia
Wonderland is a 1971 novel
by Joyce Carol Oates
that follows the character Jesse Vogel from his childhood in the Great Depression
to his marriage and career in the late 1960s. Oates later wrote that Jesse is a protagonist who does not have an identity unless he is "deeply involved in meaningful experience", a theme that allowed her to address both what she calls "the phantasmagoria
of personality" and the faceless nature of the novelist. Wonderland was a finalist for the 1972 National Book Award
, and Rocky Mountain News
and Entertainment Weekly
have listed it as one of Joyce Carol Oates's best books.
In a 1992 afterword to the novel, Oates wrote that, of her early novels, Wonderland was "the most bizarre and obsessive" and "the most painful to write." Oates continued to think about the novel after its completion, and rewrote the ending for the novel's 1972 publication in paperback. Oates continued to write about the Vogels; her play "Ontological Proof of My Existence" is an expansion of Jesse's visit to Toronto in the novel, and she sees her short story "How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Correction, and Began My Life Over Again" as "an analogue of Shelley [Vogel]'s experience as a runaway to Toledo."
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
that follows the character Jesse Vogel from his childhood in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
to his marriage and career in the late 1960s. Oates later wrote that Jesse is a protagonist who does not have an identity unless he is "deeply involved in meaningful experience", a theme that allowed her to address both what she calls "the phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria can refer to:* Phantasmagoria, a type of show using an optical device to display moving images* Phantasmagoria, a video game* Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, a video game sequel to Phantasmagoria...
of personality" and the faceless nature of the novelist. Wonderland was a finalist for the 1972 National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, and Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
have listed it as one of Joyce Carol Oates's best books.
In a 1992 afterword to the novel, Oates wrote that, of her early novels, Wonderland was "the most bizarre and obsessive" and "the most painful to write." Oates continued to think about the novel after its completion, and rewrote the ending for the novel's 1972 publication in paperback. Oates continued to write about the Vogels; her play "Ontological Proof of My Existence" is an expansion of Jesse's visit to Toronto in the novel, and she sees her short story "How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Correction, and Began My Life Over Again" as "an analogue of Shelley [Vogel]'s experience as a runaway to Toledo."