McTeague

Rating:
Summary: Not really giving San Francisco a good name....
Review: I like this book, I really do, but I was troubled by the first eighty or so pages. I didn't know what to think. Was I supposed to laugh at McTeague's clumsiness? Were the characters supposed to be reflections of the real townspeople of San Francisco in 1899? These questions, however, were soon wiped away as the story unfolded.

Norris does a good job of putting rhyme with reason when describing the characters' motives for many of the things that occur. The repetition of a lot of descriptions seem a bit cumbersome at first, but then I got the feeling that these are the only words to describe them. This is a great novel in that Norris was able to make me feel for (or against) each person. But, he also makes them so rounded that you can't hate any one entirely.

The subplots to this book intermingle with perfection, each one coming to the desired ending (without being predictable) and adding the communal feel to what is going on with the main participants. The sharp contrast between good and evil fill the reader's thirst for revenge and peace in two of these stories. By kicking these feelings into me, it made me realize how not-so-perfect my mannerisms are, and therefore I don't think this is a "story of San Fransisco," but of America itself.

The language in this novel astounded me. It reads as true today as it relates to the turn of the century. When Heise shouts "Get out!" after receiving a bit of shocking news, I couldn't help but think of Elaine on Seinfeld. I know it probably wasn't meant in quite that way, but just the fact that it matches today's slang is rather remarkable.

This is a good book to read for both entertainment and enlightenment.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting thesis on realtionships and the middle class.
Review: I must admit that I was at first reluctant to read Frank Norris' McTeague on account of its not- so-breathtakingly-exotic title. But now that I have finished reading the book, I must say that McTeague has to be one of the finest writings on the plight of the middle class I have ever read. Set in the slummy streets of San Francisco, the book centers around a degree-less dentist named McTeague and covers the various the ups and downs of his miserable life. The book is kept mildly entertaining due to Norris' consistant introduction of new conflicts and events in successive chapters. Aside from the plot and characters, the book is also a very interseting thesis on human sexual roles by Norris. It proves to be entertaining due to Norris eloquent amalgum of sulleness, humor, and irony. The book's main negative is its haphazard pace. Progressing very slowly in some chapters and snowballing in others, the book is for the reader who prefers varity of pace over steadiness. Despite its creative shortcomings, the book succeeds in educating the reader about the difficult and disturbing lives of the lower-middle-class.

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Summary: To quote the Beatles "It's a dirty story of a dirty man..."
Review: I read this book several years ago, and i don't look back to it as one of the books that i really enjoyed. Sure, if you want to prove a point that people and society are evil, then you could probably use this book. The characters have no redeeming qualities to them, and so when their lives slide into ruin, you can maybe feel sorry for them, but you aren't torn up that such bad things happened to them. Life is a lot better than that.

Rating:
Summary: McTeague is good literature!
Review: I read this in High School thinking "this is going to be terrible", but I proved myself very wrong. I consider it one of the best books I've ever read, even topping "The Great Gatsby". It's a gripping story of greed, betrayal, and an incredibly realistic view of life. The language diction is easy to follow, and the storyline is sure to grip you. I swear, you'll love this book.

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Summary: Also A Silent Film
Review: I recently completed a film class. And while the rest of the class groaned at the required viewing of silent films, I warmed up to the story of McTeague. The silent film version was called "Greed".

Since that's basically what the book chronicles. The plot circles around, of course, the plight of Mac and Trina to reach the upper crust of society, but I believe some of the major conflict arises between the main characters and their inner drive to simply 'have more'.

I'm not sure if the book includes this reference but there was a bird cage that the film highlighted. It was one of the things that served as a symbol for greed. It was the only thing that was colored in the film, and it was bright gold. Mac wouldn't get rid of it even though they were living in a slum. Trina wouldn't even buy fresh meat simply so she could keep a few pennies for herself. Instead she bought old rotting meat. Yuck.

I just thought I'd let you people know that its also a silent film. The film was edited into a time period of maybe 2 and 1/2 hours. Maybe 3, I'm not sure. But Silent film is generally of epic proportions. They just didn't like to edit back then I guess.

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Summary: An Enduring Classic of Western Literature
Review: I sort of stumbled upon this page as I was doing a search for a book on California history. I am the great-niece of Frank Norris (living in San Francisco, frequently driving past Frank Norris St., an alley just off Polk St.) I, too, had to read the novel in high school (along with "Sister Carrie", etc) many years ago -- and loved it (though wasn't sure I would). Seeing the film "Greed" a number of years later cemented my regard for the work of my my colorful ancestor. It's great to read these comments and find how much today's readers enjoy the novel...and realize that it probably will not just fade away, but has probably achieved lasting status as one of the great works of western -- Californian -- literature.

Rating:
Summary: Glad I stumbled across a great book and a wonderful writer
Review: I was in the bookstore scanning the fiction section and looking for both a "classic" and something "different" when I came across this gem. I had never heard of the book or Frank Norris before, but the back-cover synopsis grabbed me. I am glad I picked it up, because it's a wonderful, insighful work that's still fairly brutal today (I can only imagine what reaction was a century ago!). Norris' greatest skill is making Mr. & Mrs. McTeague's rapid changes in fortune and the various low and highlifes around them so realistic and alive. And though it did drag in some places (their early marriage), the last 1/3 was hard to put down, and in retrospect, I can totally see how Norris paced it like he did. Next, I'll tackle his "Octopus" and see if it also measures up.

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Summary: Realism; not once, not twice, but thrice over!!
Review: I, like at least one other reviewer below, first heard of Frank Norris while rummanging the bookstore. After finishing McTeague, it puzzles me how I made it to age 25, through high school and college American Lit courses without reading him! Maybe I'm bold but I enjoyed this book more than any Hawthorne, Steinbeck or Twain.

This book is realism thrice over. The first 'realism' is coventional. Norris in the vain of the French realists writes a novel exploring people with complete human imperfections. From the feeble-witted McTeague (Norris never gives us his first name) to his avaricious wife Trina, we are introduced to a cast of characters who fuction the way people do. And unlike today's 'realist' literature that tries to be shocking for shock value, Norris is nothing but sincere.

The second 'realism' is Norris's refreshing 'fly on the wall' approach. Unlike fellow realists like Dreiser and Lewis, Norris does not judge his characters- never commenting or moralizing, just reporting. Through two murders, one rape fantasy and spousal abuse among other things, Norris simply tells it as it 'happens.'

The third 'realism' is in the language, both that of the characters and the novelist. It is always said that Hemingway was the one who taught us that descriptively, less is more. Now I see that there would have been no Hemingway without Norris. He is sparse and terse, giving the novel a life-like tone. The characters tend to stammer ("Yeah- uh- uh- yeah, that's the word") reflecting the way we really talk.

This is not Henry James, Edith Wharton or Harriet Stowe. It is a gritty tale set in 1890's San Francisco with an ending that will leave you in nothing less than shock. Before Raymond Carver, Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck, there was Frank Norris and McTeague.

Rating:
Summary: Predictable and repetitive, but that's the point.
Review: It is true that aspects of this story are continually repeated. The repitions are vital to Norris' powerful story of the lost "American Dream". I had to read this book while in high school and I just read it again a few months ago. I would suggest that anyone who has read it once as a young person to read it again. The meaning will be greatly enhanced as you have learned about the world we are all living in.

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Summary: A novel portraying the ups and downs of living in the city
Review: McTeague does an excellent job of showing, with detailed description, the cyclical paths that life takes us through. The greedy characters find themselves in good fortunes one day, and down on their luck the next. As Nature chooses how McTeague will live his life, McTeague finds that he has no control over his destiny. Readers will discover how weak humans, even the strongest of men, are when standing toe to toe with the might of Nature, who conquers all.