Novels and Essays (Vandover and the Brute, McTeague, The Octopus, Essays)

Library of America #33

by Frank Norris

Book by Norris, Frank

Genres: Fiction, Essays, American, 20th Century, Literature, Novels

Hardcover

First published October 15, 1986

About the author

Naturalistic novels of noted American writer Benjamin Franklin Norris, Junior, brother of Charles Gilman Norris and sister-in-law of Kathleen Thompson Norris, about American life include McTeague in 1899.

This novelist during the Progressive era predominantly authored works that include The Octopus: A California Story (1901) and The Pit (1903). Although he not openly supported socialism as a political system, his work nevertheless evinces a socialist mentality and influenced socialist-progressive writers, such as Upton Beall Sinclair. Philosophical defense of Thomas Henry Huxley of the advent of Darwinism profoundly influenced him like many of his contemporaries. Norris studied under Joseph LeConte, who at the University of California, Berkeley, taught an optimistic strand of Darwinist philosophy that particularly influenced him. Through many of his novels, notably McTeague, runs a preoccupation with the notion of the civilized man overcoming the inner "brute," his animalistic tendencies. His peculiar and often confused brand of social Darwinism also bears the influence of the early criminologist Cesare Lombroso and the French naturalist Émile Zola.

Reviews

[James Violand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains one of my favorite books: The Octopus. Norris has become one of my favorite authors. His clear realism makes it easy to lose yourself in his wonderful writing. A truly gifted writer cut short. If he had lived he may have become one of the greatest American writers. What a pity.

[Jay French · Rating 4 out of 5]

An author cannot live on dreary, depressing novels alone. I listened to the audiobook versions of Frank Norris’ three novels in this Library of America collection over the last six years (reviewed separately), and found every story to be well written but depressing at its core, mostly dealing with greed, stupidity, and downright foolishness leading to a downfall. The Library of America included a number of magazine articles written by Norris, and I read those recently. With the articles you get an entirely different view of the author. Norris wrote literary criticism that had an edgy feel. His writing was modern. The topics seemed chosen to cause readers to be provocative to the literary crowd. I got the feeling that he was writing to reach a word count in most of these articles, as parts seemed there just to fill space. It was interesting to see this different perspective on the author, but unless you are a Norris scholar, these articles aren’t necessary. Overall, I am very glad I read Norris’ novels in this collection, and will likely read his other popular novel, “The Pit”, after I build up some positive reserves to counter the likely depressing story.

[Jim Leckband · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Norris was a surprise to me. I had expected a kind of dull and preachy experience from my hazy notion of naturalism and realism. This writing is anything but dull and preachy! Vandover and the Brute and McTeague are exemplars of the depressing nature of naturalism, but sometimes it was so over the top that it was entertaining. The Octopus: A Story of California is a frightening tale of the power of monopolies and greed to affect everyday life - things that hold so true even today. And as a forerunner of California Noir it is a hoot.

The Essays were also a surprise. For the most part they are writings about the novel, how Zola is not a naturalist but a romantic (!) and the Great American Novel for instance. One essay (written in 1902) bemoans the lack of art coming out of the Frontier, instead came genre hack work westerns or morality plays. And in the next essay (again written in 1902) he says that the novel is *the* art form of expression of the day and what will the future art forms be? Well, I think John Ford and the other great directors of westerns are the answer to both of those essays!

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/4 stars
McTeague/ The Octopus/ Essays

[Mark Dickson]

I bought this to have McTeague, but I intend to read the other works later.

[Martin Bihl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vandover and the Brute - finished 10/29/11

McTeague - finished 08/29/13

Essays - finished 04/24/14

[David Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have finished Essays by Frank Norris. editor, Donald Pizer, assembled them for 1896-1902, some published after the author's death from complications of appendicitis, during the 32nd year of his brief, but accomplished life. After a cover blurb, the contents, I have a series of quotes from Norris' thoughts on the responsibility of a novelist.
Blurb from the inside cover of the Library of America , published by Literary Classics of the United States, New York, 1986:
"The twenty-two essays in this volume cover the years 1896-1902. They include book reviews, articles, literary columns, and parodies of popular authors in the hilarious 'Perverted Tales.' They address theories of literature, the state of American fiction, and the social responsibilities of the artist."
Contents: "Theory and Reality" (1896); "Zola as a Romantic Writer" (1896); "The 'English Courses' of the University of California" (1896); "An Opening for Novelists" (1897); Fiction Is Selection" (1897); "Perverted Tales" (1897); "Frank Norris' Weekly Letter" (June 22, 1901); "Frank Norris' Weekly Letter" (August 3, 1901); "Frank Norris' Weekly Letter" (August 24, 1901); "The True Reward of the Novelist" (1901); "Novelists of the Future" (1901); "The Need of a Literary Conscience" (1901); "The Mechanics of Fiction" (1901); "A Plea for Romantic Fiction" (1901); "Fiction Writing as a Business" (1902); "'The Literature of the West'" (1902); "The Great American Novelist ([1902]1903); "The Frontier Gone At Last" (1902); "Story-Tellers vs. Novelists" (1902); "The Novel with a 'Purpose'" (1902); "A Neglected Epic" (1902); "The Responsibilities of the Novelist" (1902)
"On the contrary, I believe it can be proved that the successful novelist should be more than all others limited in the character of his work; more than all the others he should be careful of what he says; more than all the others he should defer to the audience; more than all the others-- more even than the minister and the editor-- he should 'feel his public' and watch his every word, testing carefully his every utterance, weighing with the most relentless precision his every statement; in a word, possess a sense of responsibility.
For the novel is the great expression of modern life...
To-day is the day of the novel. In no other way and by no other vehicle in contemporaneous life so adequately expressed; and the critics of the twenty second century, reviewing our times, striving to reconstruct our civilization, will look not to the painters, not to the architects, nor the dramatists, but to the novelists to find our idiosyncrasy..."
'The Critic," December 1902.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Literature II is a class that I am currently taking. During this class we are required to read novels, poems, and short stories that we might not have ever read otherwise. Some are good and some are bad; however, all are legendary and useful for the overall growth of literature everywhere.

[K. Fox (Cahill) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Norris is a wild boy.
**Spoilers maybe**
First off, this author blew me away.
Rarely do stories draw me in like this and make me feel so visceral a reaction.
Vandover and the Brute- like watching a terrible train wreck in slow motion. What happens when you let intrusive thoughts dictate your decisions.
McTeague- absolutely shattered me. What started out as a slow burn, slightly revolting love story turned into the ninth circle of hell. Making this the third book in the world I’ve ever wanted to throw against the wall. Sickening, horrible, relentless.
The Octopus- business politics bore me so I glossed over most of this one, but took in enough to realize no one has a happy ending.

Likes: written almost with a autobiographical tone, so it all feels like real life. Fully fleshed out settings and characters that make the impact of loss/regret/triumph all the more realistic.
Dislikes: long annoying paragraphs full of “eye-dialect” (when dialogue is written with the accent, nuances, and slurs, gets SO tiring on the eye and brain), rambling blocks of text describing characters (mostly women), stories just seemed to end suddenly and coldly.

Five stars.