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Blinding Light
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Plot Summary of Blinding Light
"Slade Steadman has become wealthy from the proceeds of a single book he wrote more than 20 years ago, his account of his travels without passport, without luggage and with little money has inspired lines of luggage, fancy travel gear and travel clothing. A film and television program based on the book have a large cult following.

But Steadman's 20-year writer's block leaves him unhappy and hungering for another travel book. A trip into the jungle of Ecuador to take drugs and hallucinations seems to be the basis for the next work. Steadman and his girlfriend, Ava, join a tour that turns out to include a crowd of the kind of tourists Steadman hates gear-toting, wealthy thrill seekers. However, Manfred Steiger, a serious student of botany, introduces Steadman to a more powerful drug, one that opens an inner eye while blinding the outer eyes.
On returning to the United States, Steadman begins his new novel, a journey through his inner erotic fantasies, acted out each night with Ava. During the day, Ava serves as his note-taker, operator of his recording machine and transcriber. Steadman awakens each morning with his normal vision working, then takes the drug to open his inner vision while becoming outwardly blind.

As Steadman becomes addicted to the drug and the insights it brings, he begins to lose touch with normal reality. However, like many drugs, this special potion stops bringing on the inner vision, but leaves Steadman blind.
"

David Gordon, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Blinding Light
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Life of a profession: - writer
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story Yes
Druggie/Wino problems? - drugs

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - writer
Age: - 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - journalist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Jungles? Yes

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - actual description of hetero sex
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Blinding Light
Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
Snow in July by Heather Barbieri
Tangled Up In Daydreams by Rebecca Bloom
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh


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Paul Theroux Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Gordon  

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