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| Plot Summary of Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen |
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"In this book, Larry McMurtry (author of such great novels as The Last Picture Show and Lonesome Dove) interweaves tales about his family with stories from his life as a writer and bookseller with thoughts about an essay written by Walter Benjamin about storytelling.
McMurtry was born way out west in Texas, in dry, flat Archer County. His grandparents were true pioneers, who arrived in the area when it was still unsettled. He grew up on their stories, including one about one of their neighbors, a woman who at the age of 13 was traded to her husband for a winter's catch of skunk skins, and another about the German rancher who went out and milked his entire herd before committing suicide.
McMurtry spent his teenage years in the saddle, working as a cowboy. This book contains passages about cowboying and what it means. In 1954, he'd go off to Rice University in Houston, to study literature.
This isn't a linear autobiography, but in it McMurtry does write about his career as a writer. He talks about which of his books he's liked, which ones he can't stand, and why the western appeals so to him. He writes about who he likes to read and how he collects book. He also talks some about the filming of the Last Picture Show in Archer City, his life as a father, and his heart surgery.
"
Ann Gaines, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Kids:
- general coming of age story
Period of greatest activity?
- 1900+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 60's-90's
Biography of famous person?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other people
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 7 (a good amount)
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Farm/Ranch?
Yes
Farm/Ranch:
- ranch
- lot of descript of animal care
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- dumb Rednecks, like Gomer Pyle
Century:
- 1930's-1950's
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Book makes you feel?
- thoughtful
Is book humorous?
Yes
If humorous, kind of humor
- eccentric personalities
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
How much dialogue in bio?
- little dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 0-25% of book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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