Reflections of Marilyn Monroe

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I was curious to see how well the actual biography of Marilyn Monroe lines up with Joyce Carol Oates's novel, if Wikipedia can count as an actual biography.

I learned that, even when it comes to her more biographical, historical novels, Ms. Oates is more of a literary artist than an historian. One big fact. Oates has Norma Jeane living with her grandmother before Gladys, the mother, takes her in. Wikipedia has it that Gladys tried to get the grandmother to take the girl, but she would not, and so Norma Jeane was placed with a foster family in earliest childhood, long before she became a ward of the state. That's a pretty big fact to play around with, and one would think that this very early experience in foster care would make for a more touching tale, seeing how Norma Jeane had to deal with such alienation at the earliest age - more extreme than that even depicted in the novel.

Okay, but this is still a Joyce Carol Oates novel, and it is delightfully up to her standards. Monk just cannot hope to cheat and get a real biography to boot. The novel is loosely based on Marilyn Monroe, more a source of inspiration, as well as a source of fascination. I'm fine with that. A good read is a good read is a lifesaver.

( Nude Marilyn )

xXx

Reflections of Marilyn Monroe

♠
I was curious to see how well the actual biography of Marilyn Monroe lines up with Joyce Carol Oates's novel, if Wikipedia can count as an actual biography.

I learned that, even when it comes to her more biographical, historical novels, Ms. Oates is more of a literary artist than an historian. One big fact. Oates has Norma Jeane living with her grandmother before Gladys, the mother, takes her in. Wikipedia has it that Gladys tried to get the grandmother to take the girl, but she would not, and so Norma Jeane was placed with a foster family in earliest childhood, long before she became a ward of the state. That's a pretty big fact to play around with, and one would think that this very early experience in foster care would make for a more touching tale, seeing how Norma Jeane had to deal with such alienation at the earliest age - more extreme than that even depicted in the novel.

Okay, but this is still a Joyce Carol Oates novel, and it is delightfully up to her standards. Monk just cannot hope to cheat and get a real biography to boot. The novel is loosely based on Marilyn Monroe, more a source of inspiration, as well as a source of fascination. I'm fine with that. A good read is a good read is a lifesaver.

( Nude Marilyn )

xXx