American graffiti 1973 a group of friends spend one fabulously entertaining night cruising the strip in their cars, chasing love interests, playing pranks, racing, fighting, and reminiscing about their high school. The stepford wives quotes showing 115 of 15 youre not going to get any true confessions out of me, she said. Stepford wives by ira levin in djvu, doc, txt download e book. The stepford wives is about a small suburb where the women happily go about their housework cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking gourmet meals to.
The stepford wives is a 1975 american satirical horror film directed by bryan forbes, written by william goldman, and starring katharine ross, paula prentiss, and peter masterson. By recreating their wives in their own image or in this case their ideal image, they take away the womans freewill. The movie was staged in a small suburban town, stepford, connecticut with the americanideal nuclear families with trophy wives, dutiful and homebound, happy to cook, clean, and serve their husbands. As with fundamentalist religion, this need to control takes precedence over morality, fairness and love. In the stepford wives, women are literally objects. All the beautiful people live in the idyllic village of stepford, connecticut, an affluent suburban eden populated with successful, satisfied hubbys and their beautiful, dutiful wives. If youre anything like me, you dont really feel like you need to read the stepford wives. The three versions of the stepford wives, the book, the 1975 movie, and the 2004 movie, all share a general plotline, but the 2004 movie took a completely different approach to the story. Walter eberhart decides to move his family to steford, a small town, to escape the violence of new york city. Unfortunately, bobbie and joanna discover that the villages wives have been replaced with robots, and joannas husband wants in on the action.
All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by. The movie was a travesty, so dont let it put you off the book. The the stepford wives community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. When joanna eberhart and her family move to stepford, joanna soon wonders why all the wives are submissive, beautiful and obsessed with housework, and before long finds herself on a mission to uncover the truth behind their perfect smiles.
The stepford wives summary and analysis like sparknotes. Another bad idea from the bad ideas factory and this ones just about as. Frances has very kindly provided the following summary of our discussion on the stepford wives during our discussion on the stepford wives it was noted how different the 1975 version is to its 2004 remake, particularly in regards to the latters happy ending. For joanna eberhart, a recent arrival with her husband and two children, it all seems too perfect to be true from the sweet, accommodating welcome wagon lady to all those cheerful, friendly faces in. The stepford wives 48 movie clip stepford book club 2004 hd duration. The stepford wives is a much shorter book than i had anticipated. Based on the 1972 novel by ira levin rosemarys baby, the stepford wives follows joanna eberhart katharine ross, a new york city photographer whose husband, walter peter masterson.
They all read another book, about creative ways to make christmas ornaments. I know im going to have to go look that up, but in the meantime ill say what little i have to say about the book. Originally published nearly forty years ago, levins tale of men creating perfect wives is still as relevant and shocking today, and. Ira levin thesis key themes of the small town amanda hedmann the small town of stepford functions as a gendered prison for women, which serves as a microcosm to highlight how women are imprisoned in feminine gender roles within the structure of patriarchy.
The stepford wives by levin ira, first edition abebooks. If this book doesnt scare the shit out of you then youre really not paying attention. It told the story of joanna eberhart, a semiprofessional photographer who moves to a. The stepford life minidocumentary on 1975 stepford. The princess bride context companionable narrative introduction in the same modern time. The three versions of the stepford wives, the book, the 1975 movie, and the 2004 movie. Until she sees them change and starts digging into the past of all the other wives in town. Joanna eberhart, a wildly successful president of a tv network, after a series of shocking events, suffers a nervous breakdown and is moved by her milquetoast of a husband, walter, from manhattan to the chic, upperclass, and very modern planned community of stepford, connecticut. Its short, its written lightly, and could easily be read in a days time, if you had the opportunity to sit down.
The stepford wives is not only a creepy horror flick, but also a stinging piece of commentary on the culture of the suburbs. His plays include no time for sergeants, critics choice, and the longestrunning thriller in broadway history, deathtrap. My copy is only 116 pages long, but it achieves a lot in those few pages and bulking out of the story would only have spoiled it. If there is a the stepford wives sparknotes, shmoop guide, or cliff notes, you can find a link to each study guide below. The internationally bestselling novel by the author of a kiss before dying, the boys from brazil, and rosemarys baby. In the film, liberated females who are equal to, if not more powerful than their husbands and hold on to their own sexuality are murdered and changed with supposedly superior copies who supposedly embody perfection. They havent even time for that maxwell house coffee break when they come to call on someone new in town. Its plot follows a woman who relocates with her husband and children from new york city to the connecticut community of stepford, where she comes to find the women live unwaveringly. Traditional american community, frilly aprons, nicely waxed floors, scarily upbeat housewives. The remake of the stepford wives doesnt aim for the chilling power of the originali its too invested in being liked for that. When joanna eberhart and her family move to stepford, joanna soon wonders why all the wives are submissive, beautiful and. The stepford wives is a 1972 novel by ira levin, according to what ive read its a satirical thriller whatever that is. For joanna, her husband, walter, and their children, the move to beautiful stepford seems almost too good to be true.
The stepford wives forbes, 1975 portrays the feminine condition in a bourgeois, patriarchal society boruzkowski, 1987. Novelist and playwright ira levin 19292007 was a native new yorker whose books include a kiss before dying, rosemarys baby, this perfect day, the stepford wives, the boys from brazil, sliver, and son of rosemary. Ira levins original 1972 novella the stepford wives was both suspense and witty satire. No worries, though, she still meets some cool women who think like her. Joanna and walter eberhart move with their two children to. This is illustrated in the stepford wives book club scene. The stepford wives by ira levin meet your next favorite book. The men in the stepford wives choose, in a sense, to play god. The stepford wives is not just any other suspense novel. Stepford wives, according to ira levinss original 1972 stepford wives novel. The origins of the stepford wives may lie in henrik ibsens play a dolls house 1879 and hedda gabler 1890, both of which concern the plight of women incarcerated in maledominated society.
The secret to a stepford wife lies behind the doors of the mens association. The stepford wives is about a small suburb where the women happily go about their housework cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking gourmet meals to please their husbands. The the stepford wives community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author. Prior to writing the princess bride, he had been writing books and screenplays for years, including butch cassidy and the sundance kid, the stepford wives, and misery. The stepford wives cert 12a peter bradshaw friday 30 july 2004 the guardian. The stepford wives is where you will fall into a dream of all things to do with baking, cooking, recipes, pin up icons and all things stepford. What does joanna seem like at the beginning of the book and how does her character change over. When she moves to stepford, she notices how every wife around her is the perfect hausfrau. When he created the princess bride and set it back before europe but after blue jeans, he came after an already towering canon of science fiction and fantasy novels.
Some of these connect to themes we find in ethical considerations of technological. Instead of being a movie about the sexist tendencies of many men, the 2004 movie was more a mockery of highpowered women. Jeanette winterson on what the stepford wives says about. The stepford wives stepford is a small exurban community are contentedly submissive in bed and happy all the livelong day dusting and waxing and washing. It was remarked that this remake completely removes the social commentary of the original which, whilst depressing, is.
When joanna, the main character, speaks at the stepford wives book club, she mentions a book she read about lyndon johnson and there is a unanimous look of confusion from the other stepford wives. Joanna eberhardt, a modern 70s woman, is uncertain of stepfords women. Summary of discussion on the stepford wives melodrama. At the premiere of the original stepford wives in 1975, the films director bryan forbes was assaulted with an umbrella by a woman he described as a militant libber.
For that reason, it is easy to dismiss this book as just another lighthearted fiction novel. However bryan forbes 1975 is a sciencefiction thriller referring to. The stepford wives 1972 young housewife joanna eberhart moves with her husband and two children to the idyllic small town of stepford. Because honestly, we already know what its about, right. The stepford wives has one of the most enduring premises of 20thcentury american fiction. Prior to writing the princess bride, he had been writing books and screenplays for years, including butch cassidy and the sundance kid, the stepford.
1308 1187 1080 787 1216 336 615 46 1299 299 971 1101 1617 348 624 839 705 651 534 790 1324 741 1488 1529 947 1558 1228 110 1056 969 395 655 1075 651 357 344 405 1101 944 903 505 637