The Beet Queen (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Louise Erdrich
- First Published: 1985
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: 1932-1972
- Setting: Primarily Argus, North Dakota; Minneapolis; Florida; and a Chippewa reservation
- Genres: Long fiction, Short fiction, Domestic realism, Family literature
- Subjects: 1950’s, Maturation or coming of age, Values, 1960’s, 1970’s, Blizzards, Family or family life, Self-discovery, Mothers, Parents and children, Tradition, Dogs, Gay men, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Love or romance, Suicide, 1940’s, Abandoned children, Midwest, Brothers and sisters, 1930’s, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Native Americans or American Indians, Small-town life, Ethics, Abandonment, Eccentrics or eccentricities
- Locales: Florida, Argus, ND (fictive), Chippewa Indian Reservation, Minneapolis, MN
Characters Discussed
Mary Adare, daughter of the novel’s principal family. Abandoned by their mother, Adelaide, she and her brother Karl flee Minneapolis, she to her Aunt Fritzie and Uncle Pete’s butcher shop in Argus, which she eventually takes over. Her rivalry with her cousin Sita is balanced by her lifelong friendship and work-partnership with Celestine, the half-Indian mother of Dot by Karl. As her fierce motherliness focuses on Dot, she grows into a formidable, eccentric, and occasionally mystical woman.
Karl Adare, a bisexual man who wanders across the...
[The entire page is 1210 words long]
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- The Beet Queen (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
- The Beet Queen (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
- The Beet Queen (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
- The Beet Queen (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
- The Beet Queen (Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series)
- The Beet Queen (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
See Also:
Louise Erdrich (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Louise Erdrich (Poetry)Louise Erdrich (Short Fiction)Louise Erdrich (Dictionary of World Biography)Louise Erdrich (Long Fiction)Louise Erdrich (American Indians)Louise Erdrich (Identities and Issues)Theory of Short Fiction (Topical Overview--Short Fiction)
See Also:
- - The Beet Queen summary and study guide in the quickNotes.
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