Marya: A Life as described by JCO in the preface to the Franklin Library edition of the book, is "very likely the most "personal" of my novels though it is not, in the strictest sense, autobiographical. It contains some autobiographical material, particularly in its opening sections, and it is set, for the most part, in places . . . closely resembling places I have lived . . . but I am not Marya Knauer and Marya is surely not I." (Note: the version I read did not include Oates' preface but it can be read in its entirety online at this link.)
The novel tells the story of Marya Knauer who grew up in the rural town of Innisfail (which resembles Lockport, NY where Oates grew up). The story opens with the brutal death of Marya's father who was a local mine worker. Marya's mother, an alcoholic, then abandons Marya and her two young brothers to the care of her aunt and uncle. Her cousin abuses her as a child, but she is able to excel in school and move out of her life of poverty. The novel's chapters are each written as a phase of Marya's life and show her progress moving away from her beginnings and being acknowledged for her intellect as a published author. The chapters tell of her exposure to religious beliefs by a local catholic priest, her introduction to writing by her high school English teacher, her college days and graduate work where she becomes the lover of her mentor, her teaching at a small college where she is harassed by the African-American janitor, her romance with the editor of a literary publication, and finally her desire to find her mother who she hasn't seen since she was abandoned decades previously.
This was an interesting telling of Marya's life and even though Oates states that it is not really autobiographical, it is still a very personal and fascinating story paralleling much of Oates life. I enjoyed this and felt that it was written much in the vein of Oates short stories (which I enjoy a lot). Each chapter can somewhat stand on its own with an ending that sometimes leaves the reader speculating on what happens next before moving on to another segment of Marya's story. JCO always amazes me and I will look forward to reading more of her.
The novel tells the story of Marya Knauer who grew up in the rural town of Innisfail (which resembles Lockport, NY where Oates grew up). The story opens with the brutal death of Marya's father who was a local mine worker. Marya's mother, an alcoholic, then abandons Marya and her two young brothers to the care of her aunt and uncle. Her cousin abuses her as a child, but she is able to excel in school and move out of her life of poverty. The novel's chapters are each written as a phase of Marya's life and show her progress moving away from her beginnings and being acknowledged for her intellect as a published author. The chapters tell of her exposure to religious beliefs by a local catholic priest, her introduction to writing by her high school English teacher, her college days and graduate work where she becomes the lover of her mentor, her teaching at a small college where she is harassed by the African-American janitor, her romance with the editor of a literary publication, and finally her desire to find her mother who she hasn't seen since she was abandoned decades previously.
This was an interesting telling of Marya's life and even though Oates states that it is not really autobiographical, it is still a very personal and fascinating story paralleling much of Oates life. I enjoyed this and felt that it was written much in the vein of Oates short stories (which I enjoy a lot). Each chapter can somewhat stand on its own with an ending that sometimes leaves the reader speculating on what happens next before moving on to another segment of Marya's story. JCO always amazes me and I will look forward to reading more of her.
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