Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide
()
About this ebook
This engaging summary presents an analysis of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, which tells the story of Calliope, or Callie, who is born and raised as a girl in an American family of Greek descent. However, as a teenager Callie is revealed to be intersex following a car accident, and decides to begin living as a man named Cal. The novel charts the events leading up to this revelation, including the unusual history of Cal’s Greek family, and explores his struggles to fit in as either a man or a woman. Although the novel is not strictly autobiographical, many elements of it reflect Eugenides’ own life, and the author garnered praise for his sensitive depiction of the immigrant and intersex experiences. The novel was both a popular and critical success, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003.
Find out everything you need to know about Middlesex in a fraction of the time!
This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection
Why choose BrightSummaries.com?
Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.
See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!
Read more from Bright Summaries
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beloved by Toni Morrison (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInfinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Marquez (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeath of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRebecca by Daphne du Maurier (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Analysis)
Related ebooks
A Study Guide for Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInfinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBetween the World and Me SparkNotes Literature Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Yellow Wallpaper Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5There There: A novel by Tommy Orange | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Fates and Furies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Other Mrs. Smith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Time to Kill Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhite Teeth by Zadie Smith (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Absolute Darling: by Gabriel Tallent | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bluest Eye: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Behind the Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of Robert Kolker's Hidden Valley Road Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Stranger in the Woods Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Immortality of Death Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGillian Flynn's Sharp Objects A Novel Summary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary and Analysis of Slaughterhouse-Five: Based on the Book by Kurt Vonnegut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSex Offender: My FatheraEUR(tm)s Secrets, My Secret Shame Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Little Life: A Novel by Hanya Yanagihara | Summary & Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Gatsby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hills Like White Elephants Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family by Garrard Conley | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChocolate Cake and Other Losses: Poems about Grief Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pleasure Was Mine: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Study Guide for Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGodless but Loyal to Heaven: Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wild Geese Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHe Thinks He's Wonderful Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Study Aids & Test Prep For You
Finish What You Start: The Art of Following Through, Taking Action, Executing, & Self-Discipline Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Seduction: by Robert Greene | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/512 Rules For Life: by Jordan Peterson | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 48 Laws of Power: by Robert Greene | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Man's Search for Meaning: by Viktor E. Frankl | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Do the Work: The Official Unrepentant, Ass-Kicking, No-Kidding, Change-Your-Life Sidekick to Unfu*k Yourself Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killers of the Flower Moon: by David Grann | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain | Conversation Starters Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Summary of Good Energy by Casey Means:The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.by Brené Brown | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Writing Series You'll Ever Need - Grant Writing: A Complete Resource for Proposal Writers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Verity: by Colleen Hoover | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Great Alone: by Kristin Hannah | Conversation Starters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secret History: by Donna Tartt | Conversation Starters Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Behold a Pale Horse: by William Cooper | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Analysis)
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Analysis) - Bright Summaries
AMERICAN NOVELIST
Born in Detroit, Michigan (USA) in 1960.
Notable works:
The Virgin Suicides (1993), novel
The Marriage Plot (2011), novel
Fresh Complaint (2017), short story collection
Jeffrey Eugenides is an American writer who began writing novels and short stories in the 1990s. His first novel, The Virgin Suicides, was published to critical acclaim and later became an internationally successful film directed by Sofia Coppola. The success of the novel and the film made Eugenides a household name and his next two novels received wide international readership, with Middlesex winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003. His work is notable for its attachment to his birthplace of Michigan. Many of his stories are set there and reflect the diverse nature of the state and, in particular, the city of Detroit. Many aspects of modern American culture originated in Detroit, such as Motown music and the automobile industry, and Eugenides references these in his work in order to build a colourful and rich background to the narrative.
AN EXPLORATION OF FAMILY & IDENTITY
Genre: novel
Reference edition: Eugenides, J. (2003) Middlesex. London: Bloomsbury.
1stedition: 2002
Themes: gender, fate, modernisation, America, family
Eugenides’ second novel is a family saga, depicting multiple generations of the Stephanides family as they move from the Old World amidst danger and war to a new and strange life in America. It builds many dichotomies into its structure, such as nature