Information of the Book
Paul Auster’s first (or second) long novel and his major debut novel originally published in 1985. And the first volume of the New York Trilogy.
Form, Style & Structure
A thirteen chaptered novel borrows the form of detective stories. And a snobbish postmodernist or avant-garde literature contains various elements and signs, many fine little episodes and mentions of classical literature, describes confusion, complexity, difficulties and emptiness of the contemporary huge metropolitan city, New York, and deconstructs the grand narrative, the significance and the form of traditional novels.
Characters
Daniel Quinn – The main character of this story and a novelist wrote mystery novels as the alias of William Wilson. Thirty-five years old man lost his son and wife, lived alone in a small apartment in the 107th Street, New York. Once, he had been written enthusiastically poetries, plays and critical essays, but he abandoned to write them five years before.
A detective, Paul Auster – A private detective in New York.
Virginia Stillman – A client of Daniel Quinn as Paul Auster. Peter Stillman Jr.’s wife around Thirty-five woman was a speech therapist of Peter Stillman Jr. for five years. Somehow, she passionately kissed Quinn.
Peter Stillman (junior) (2) – A mysterious and confused or crazy young man from old Boston, dressed entirely white with white-blond hair and had pale skin. He said his real name is Mr Sad, Peter Rabbit, Mr White and Mr Green. He inherited his father’s large amount of property. He was shut by a room nine years in his childhood by his father.
Peter Stillman (senior) (2, 3, 7, 8, 9) – His name is also Perter Stillman, same as his son. He was from good Boston Stillman family. He went to Harvard, studied philosophy and religion, and wrote a thesis on sixteenth- and seventeenth- century theological interpretations of the New World, then worked in the religion department at the Columbia University. Because of his wife passed away, and he left Columbia, shut himself in his house, and concentrated on and seriously believe his extraordinary religious theory and investigated God’s language. The time Quinn watched him, he was a tall, thin, past sixty old man with uncombed white hair wore a long brown overcoat and had a battered leather suitcase. (p. 55)
Mrs Saavedra (3)
Miss Barber (3) – The nurse of Peter Stillman (son).
Micheal Servedra (3) – A former policeman who knew Paul Auster was a good detective.
Henry Dark – An imaginary clergyman in Boston. He was a secretary of Milton, then emigrated the New World and published a pamphlet The New Babel which justified the conquest of the New World by his philosophical idea and thought of language. He argued that if man could restore the original language of innocence, man would obtain the New World as the new Eden. (6, pp. 45 – 49) Peter Stillman Sr. said Henry Dark is a fictional man in his book. (9, p. 80)
A writer, Paul Auster (10, 12, 13) – A tall, dark hair and mid-thirties writer lived in a well kept apartment near the place Quinn lived, was writing an essay about Don Quixote. He was friendly and cooperative to Quinn, but Quinn was envious of him that he had things Quinn had lost such as wife, son, intellectual writing and well-off life.
wife of a writer, Paul Auster (10)
son of a writer, Paul Auster (10)
a girl wore a white nurse’s uniform (12) – The new resident of Quinn’s room.
the narrator (13) – A friend of a writer, Paul Auster. He kept the red notebook of Quinn, read it and write this story.
Locations
New York – An inexhaustible, a labyrinth of endless steps. The city left Quinn with the feeling of being lost in the city, but lost within himself as well. It was the nowhere Quinn had built around himself, and he realized he had no intention of ever leaving it again. (1, pp. 3 – 4)
Places
Stillman Jr.’s apartment (2, 3) – It had five or six rooms, was richly furnished. (2, p. 14)
The Heights Luncheonette (5)
Columbia University library (6)
Grand Central Terminal (7)
The Hotel Harmony (7, 9) – A cheap and shabby hotel in the 99th Street, Stillman Sr. stayed.
Key Elements, Key Words & Key Phrases
motion (1, p. 4) – This novel is not an armchair story, is a story in the city and in motion or moving. Quinn experienced and made a story in while he moving.
mystery novels (detective stories ,1, pp. 7 – 8) – A reasonable solution to live for Quinn who want to write fine literature. Quinn was fond of mystery novels, because he was interested in “not their relation to the world but their relation to other stories” (1, p. 7) and the form of mystery novels. These books was sense of plenitude, and the world of book has possibilities and praised secrets and contradiction of them. And, in the world all of descriptions and words is meaningful. This description signifies the postmodernist literary thought of Paul Auster. At first, this novel and Ghosts were read as a mystery novel by readers and mystery fans.
detective (1, p. 8) – The detective for Quinn is the person who looks, listens and move through morass of objects, then pull all these things together and make sense of them. The detective is equal to the writer, carry a meaning other than the simple fact of their being itself. The word “private eye” for Quinn has triple meanings. The latter two are i is an initial letter of “investigator”, also I as a first person singular. The similar notion exists in Auster’s next novel Ghosts.
God’s language (2, pp. 20 – 22)
cheque (3, 10, 12) – A five hundred dollar cheque for Paul Auster, Virginia Stillman gave it to Quinn. Quinn hand it over a writer Paul Auster. Auster tried to convert but it was the cheque bounced.
a red notebook – Quinn picked a good spiral and standard eight and a half by eleven red notebook with narrow lines and one hundred pages in the impressive pile of new notebooks, a beautiful array of blues, greens, reds and yellows. He bought one, it seemed to call out him as it had a destiny hold the words came from his pen. (4, pp. 38 – 39) To write informations, observations and questions about Stillman Sr. in a notebook, made a story, meaning(s) or a consistency, and Quinn could control the task. This novel is the writings by Quinn on this notebook and the narrator organized and narrates them.
to wear other people’s clothes (5, p. 40)
to remember who I am (5, p. 40)
The Garden and the Tower: Early Visions of New World (6) – A imaginary book was written by Peter Stillman Sr., two parts book the former is titled “Myth of Paradise” and the latter is “the Myth of Babel”. The content is an extraordinary, occultist, audacious, deranged and confused theory about the Book of Genesis, the origin of language, the Tower of Babel, the New World and the life of Henry Dark, which justified the foundation of the USA.
to invent language (6, p. 43) – The only work of Adam in the Paradise is to invent language. At the time, names and things coincided completely. After the lost of paradise and the fall of men, names became detached from things and words separated into a collection of arbitrary and artificial signs. I think the language theory by Stillman Sr. and its view is contrary to Saussure’s semiology and Wittgenstein’s language game.
Suicide Squeeze by William Wilson (7, pp. 53 – 54) – The book was written by Quinn himself.
inventing a new language by Stillman Sr. (9, pp. 76 – 78) – It seems to be alike the classical historical linguistic theory to find one ideal language or the thought of Esperanto language.
give them names (9, p. 78)
the Tree of Life (9, p. 86)
yoyo (10, pp 101 – 103)
Cultural Things on This Novel
Marco Polo’s Travels (1, p. 6, 9) – It implies writing should be do in an adventure and the real world, and this novel may be a fantasy.
Haydn’s opera The Man in the Moon (1, p. 10)
Vermeer’s Soldier and Young Girl Smiling (2, p. 12)
The wild boy of Aveyron (4, p. 33)
Montaigne (4, p. 33 ; 6 p. 41)
New York Mets (5, pp. 37 – 38)
Dupin ; Poe (5, p. 40)
Thomas More (6, p. 42)
"noble savage” of Rousseau and Locke (6, p. 42)
Paradise Lost and the Areopagitica by Milton (6, p. 42)
Melville Moby Dick (7, p. 51)
A. Gordon Pym by Edger Allan Poe (8, p. 70)
Henry David Thoreau (9, p. 80)
Heraclitus & Democritus (9, p. 80)
Humpty Dumpty (9, p. 81)
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (9, p. 81)
Columbus’s egg (9, p. 82)
Edgar Allan Poe (9, p. 83)
Don Quixote by Cervantes (10, pp. 97 – 100) A writer, Auster as wrote an essay about Don Quixote. The theme is “the authorship of the book” and “Who wrote it, how is was written.”, because Cervantes made effort to readers think he wasn’t the author. (10, pp. 97) Auster’s inference is the author(s) is the combination of four characters, and the work is an experiment by Don Quixote tested gullibility of people, also he wasn’t madman and conducted all from behind. (10, pp. 99 – 100)
Baudelaire (11, p. 110)
Riddles & Questions
Quinn was deceived by the Stillman family, Miss Barber and Micheal Servedra ? – An essay on Don Quixote by a writer, Auster suggests that Stillman Sr. might act as a madman and they tested Quinn. But the riddle can’t be solved.
Why Quinn was vanished ? – He was involved in complexity and enigma of New York and others’ stories, got mentally and physically sick and lost his existence and reality, so he left from New York and disappeared.
Thought & Philosophy
In some parts, Auster indicates his literary thought and philosophy of writing. For him the ideal form of novel is practical detective stories has full of meaning and no vainness. And Quinn was interested in the relation among stories and their combinations. (1) And words are has no fixed meanings (6, Stillman Sr. denied the state of language now, he think it was the fall.), words and stories should be made by people’s activities as writing. On this novel Quinn gathered fragments of things, wrote a red notebook and resulted in construct a his story. (5, 11, 12) I think the Auster’s thought of writing is like behalf of Wittgenstein’s language game and Sartre’s existentialism, also includes the postmodernist theory of deconstruction. It is an active and pragmatic policy of writing put emphasis on physicality, reality and contingency or randomness. The policy resembles the descriptions about an imaginary writer Derek Hartfield on Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami, his debut novel.
Synopsis
The trigger was a wrong number. A mystery writer in NY, Daniel Quinn accepted the case of Peter Stillman, as a private detective Paul Auster. Virginia Stillman, the wife of Peter Stillman, requested him to watch the same name father, Peter Stillman would discharge soon, the former professor of Columbia University wrote a book of extraordinary and occultist religious theory. He shut up his son in a room for nine years.
Quinn watched Stillman during two weeks, but he was wandering around a constant area of town only. Quinn tried to talk to Stillman but his talkings were incoherent. A day, Stillman suddenly checked out of the hotel he stayed, so Quinn lost track of Stillman…
Summaries of Each Chapter
1
Daniel Quinn, a mystery novelist lived in New York, caught wrong number phone calls to Paul Auster as a private detective. 4 days later, he changed his mind, he answered the phone call and accepted the case, as Paul Auster.
2
The next morning, Quinn visited the gorgeous apartment of the client, Peter Stillman Jr.. He met his wife Virginia Stillman, and was compelled to hear a long confused talk by Peter.
3
The speech by Peter was over, a whole day had gone by. Virginia talked about the history of Peter and his family. Peter’s father was a scholar of philosophy and religion, but he divorced and resigned Columbia University and shut himself in a house, was devote to and became seriously believe his extraordinary religious theory. And he shut his son in a room during nine years. And Virginia said Peter Stillman Sr. would be released on the next day. She requested Quinn to watch him. Quinn accepted the request, and received a five hundred dollars cheque and a picture of Peter Stillman Sr. twenty years ago. Then she passionately kissed Quinn.
4
Quinn reflected about the episodes about isolated children like Stillman Jr. and wild boys.
5
In his way to home, Quinn visited the Heights Luncheonette to eat dinner. And Quinn talked about New York Mets with an acquaintance and a counterman. After the finished eating, he bought a red spiral notebook at the stationary corner.
Then in his apartment, he write his initials D.Q. on the first page.
6
In the next morning, Quinn read a book The Garden and the Tower: Early Visions of New World written by Peter Stillman Sr. at Columbia library.
The content is an occultist, audacious, deranged and confused theory about the Book of Genesis, the birth of language, the Tower of Babel, the New World and the life of Henry Dark, which justified the foundation of the USA.
7
Quinn arrived Grand Central Terminal at just past fourearlier than the time Stillman would come, six forty-one, to investigate the geography of the place. Quinn reflected his duty as Paul Auster while he was wandering the station.
At past five o’clock, Quinn went to the waiting room. A young woman sat on his right, read a book written by Quinn, Suicide Squeeze by William Wilson, the first volume of the Max Work novels. Quinn had been watching her and the book too hard, so she said “You got a problem, mister?”. They chatted about the book, and she said “It passes the time, I guess. Anyway, it’s no big deal. It’s just a book.”
Quinn moved in front of gate twenty-four, the point Stillman Sr. would get off. The train arrived and Quinn found Stillman Sr. in a crowd. At the threshold of the station, Quinn saw an illusion of the second Stillman Sr. who had prosperous air and an expensive blue suite. Quinn followed the first Stillman. Stillman entered and stayed the Hotel Harmony at 99th Street, a small fleabag for down-and-outs.
8
Quinn watched Stillman Sr., but he only wandered around the constant area of town and picked up something from the ground and sometime kept them in his suite case. The situation lasted for about two weeks. Quinn can’t comprehend what he did. To follow wandering Stillman Sr. is a technique of reversal, Quinn felt to take the lead occasionally, but basically, wandering is a kind of mindlessness.
Quinn called Virginia and said Stillman Sr. wasn’t a menace, and he suggested the case put an end. But she requested to continue watching Stillman for more two days. He demanded do the task by his own way.
Quinn drew the traces by Stillman Sr. on his note, and he found his traces formed the spelling of a word “TOWER OF BABEL”. He confused and doubted that Stillman intentionally did it and noticed the presence of Quinn.
9
Finally, Quinn talked to Stillman Sr.. Stillman explained his work is inventing a new language exactly corresponds to physical things.
The second time Quinn talked to Stillman Sr., Stillman remembered him, and Quinn called himself as Henry Dark. Still man answered Henry Dark is a fictional person in his book, and they talked about initials H. D., Henry David Thoreau, Humpty Dumpty and something.
The third time, Stillman didn’t recognize Quinn is the identical person. Quinn called himself as Peter Stillman Jr., then Stillman Sr. talked to Quinn as if Quinn was his son.
The next morning, Quinn visited the Hotel Harmony, but Stillman had checked out of the hotel. In his apartment, Quinn called Virginia Stillman, told he lost track of Stillman Sr. and promised to make phone calls for her every two hours.
10
Quinn searched the yellow page for Paul Auster in Manhattan, to cooperate to him. Quinn visited the room of Auster. Quinn told his name, Auster knew the collection of poetry by Quinn. Auster invited Quinn to his living room and served beer. Quinn explained he searched for a private detective, Paul Auster and matters about Stillman. But Auster answered he was writer and didn’t know the name of Stillman. Then Auster made two ham omelette and they ate, and they talked about Don Quixote Auster was writting an essay about it, and the literary trick of it. Then Auster’s wife and son got back.
11
(…)
12
(…)
13
(…)
Important & Impressive Scenes & Descriptions
Description of New York (1, pp. 3-4)
Thought about mystery novels and detective (1, pp. 7-8)
Quinn picked and bought a red notebook (5, pp. 38 – 39)
A Summary of The Garden and the Tower: Early Visions of New World by Peter Stillman Sr (6)
Vivid and colorful portrayals of Grand Central Terminal (7, p. 51, pp 54 – 55)
A writer, Paul Auster’s thought about Don Quixote (10, pp. 97 – 100)
Writings by ruined Quinn on a red notebook (11, pp. 108 – 111)
Quinn’s dreamy but mysterious experiences in the Stillman’s apartment (13, pp. 129 -132)
Comments, Remarks & Analysis
- A snobbish postmodernist and avant-garde novel contains many signs and elements, fine little episodes and mentions of classic literature.
- My first impression, I think this novel resembles Auster’s next novel Ghosts. Both of them is the story the main character was perplexed, confused and manipulated by a mysterious and confused person(s), and the storyline and elements are resemble.
- This novels is a self-reference novel. Quinn, a writer “Paul Auster” and the narrator are writers, the characters may reflect Paul Auster himself, and the notion what are writing, story and words is an important element in this novel.
- This novel is an excellent story of stories and writings. The stories in this story splendidly consists this story.
- I think an outstanding characteristics of Paul Auster’s novels is there were many or some impressive, colourful and vivid scenes and interesting, intellectual and integral descriptions and little fine and funny episodes. They calls a harmony and an elaborated image like music, especially like a symphony or a concerto.
- Almost works of Paul Auster and contemporary novelists have a structure as to seek a riddle or something, or solve a question. Auster do that activity itself on this novel in a symbolic form. This novel has no conclusion and answer. Many riddles and questions remain. So no conclusion is the answer or conclusion.
- This novel is not an armchair story, is a story in the city and in motion or moving. I think Auster’s policy of writing a novel is novels should be written in motion or moving and in the city. The main characters of Auster’s novels moved, fought with difficulty, struggled in the real world or a restricted situation, and the stories progress. So it’s Auster’s practice of language game which was mentioned by Wittgenstein. Also in Auster’s novels, characters play their own language games construct words and stories.
- A sub theme of this novel is a struggle of the view to words and language between Quinn and Stillman Sr.. The former is a contemporary practical language theory like Wittgenstein’s language game or the Saussurean semiology. The latter is like the classical historical language study pursues Proto-Indo-European such as Wilhelm von Humboldt and Jacob Grimm.
Details of the Book
The New York Trilogy
Paul Auster
Faber & Faber, London, 2 Jun 2011
320 pages, £5.99
ISBN: 978-0571276554
Contents:
- City of Glass
- Ghorsts
- The Locked Room
Related Posts and Pages
Synopsis & Book Review | City of Glass
Synopsis & Book Review | Ghosts
Synopsis & Book Review | The Locked Room
YouTube Paul Auster Commentary Playlist
YouTube Literature & Philosophy Channel