Bellefleur | Bellefleur

At a glance:

Author: Joyce Carol Oates
First Published: 1980
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Gothic
Time of Work: Five years in the 1930’s, and 1806-1826
Setting: A mythical region resembling the Adirondacks, and Mount Blanc
Genres: Long fiction, Satire
Subjects: Family or family life, Suicide, Murder or homicide, Twentieth century, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Violence, Eighteenth century, Seventeenth century, Fantasy, Sixteenth century, Bombs
Locales: Adirondacks, NY

Characters Discussed

Leah Bellefleur, the daughter of Della Pym. She marries her first cousin Gideon. A dominating figure in the family who is believed to have the power to control events, Leah is beautiful, energetic, and passionate. Her youthful sexual hunger develops into an obsession with winning the release of convicted mass-murderer Jean-Pierre Bellefleur II and reuniting the 3-million-acre Bellefleur empire.

Gideon Bellefleur, the son of Noel Bellefleur. He marries his first cousin Leah. Gideon is strikingly handsome, emotionally reserved, and physically...

Bellefleur | Bellefleur

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

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