The Beet Queen (Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Louise Erdrich
- First Published: 1985
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: 1932-1972
- Setting: Argus, North Dakota; Minneapolis; a Chippewa reservation; and Florida
- Principal Characters: Mary Adare, Karl Adare, Celestine James, Sita Kozka, Wallace Pfef, Dot Adare, Russell Kashpaw, Father Jude (Adare) Miller
- 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
Form and Content
The Beet Queen’s culmination in a bizarre beauty contest stands in ironic counterpoint to the odd looks of most of its major characters and the unhappiness of even its beauties, Adelaide, Karl, and Sita. As elsewhere, Louise Erdrich is interested in the interaction of a number of families, related not only by blood but also by (usually informal) adoption, and the often-unpredictable development of character over decades of the twentieth century. Her particular focus is upon American Indians—the Chippewas who dominate the interrelated other parts of...
[The entire page is 2535 words long]
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