Rick Moody Criticism
Rick Moody, an influential American novelist and short story writer born in 1962, has earned acclaim for his penetrating exploration of suburban malaise and family dynamics, particularly within the context of American cultural and historical shifts. Emerging as a significant literary voice in the 1990s, he is often seen as the successor to John Cheever and John Updike, delving into the intricate layers beneath the surface of affluent northeastern suburban life, as evidenced in works like The Ice Storm. This novel, which was adapted into a film by Ang Lee, examines the unraveling lives of two families during the 1970s, marked by personal and societal crises. Critics like Adam Begley and Brooke Allen have praised its keen observation of human suffering and its placement within the tradition of American WASP fiction.
Moody's style is marked by a blend of dark humor and postmodern sensibilities, resulting in a body of work that includes novels like Purple America and short story collections such as The Ring of Brightest Angels around Heaven and Demonology. His narrative techniques are often experimental, as noted by Richard Eder and Alexander Laurence, who highlight his innovative approach to storytelling.
Biographically, Moody's life experiences deeply influence his work. His upbringing in Connecticut amidst family disruptions, alongside struggles with addiction, have provided a rich backdrop for his exploration of fragmented families and personal crises. Educational influences, such as his time at Brown University, where he studied under Stanley Elkin, also shaped his narrative style. The death of his sister profoundly impacted his writing, contributing to the thematic depth of stories in Demonology.
Despite facing criticism for stylistic indulgences and "literary flourishes," as noted by David Nicholson and others, Moody's work remains celebrated for its intellectual whimsy and daring exploration of complex themes. His narratives often mirror societal crises, such as in Purple America, which intertwines personal upheaval with a nuclear plant meltdown, a technique that continues to receive both critical acclaim and scrutiny.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Entering Gothic Suburbia, Where Dysfunction Romps Across Tidy Lawns
(summary)
In the following positive review of The Ice Storm, Begley commends Moody's “keen observation and sympathy for human suffering,” though finds shortcomings in the novel's unnecessary “literary flourishes.”
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Cheever Country, 1994
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Allen offers a favorable evaluation of The Ice Storm, which she places in the tradition of American WASP novels and contrasts with the fiction of John Updike and John Cheever.
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Old-Fashioned Families
(summary)
In the following review, Harrison offers a favorable assessment of The Ice Storm.
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Voices in the Night
(summary)
In the following review, Akins offers a positive assessment of The Ice Storm, describing it as an excavation of the nuclear family in the 1970s, meticulously cataloguing the era's argot, foibles, fads, and artifacts, while focusing on the Hoods, a suburban family experiencing significant events.
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Dropping Out
(summary)
In the following review of The Ring of Brightest Angels around Heaven, Eder commends Moody's narrative skill and humor, but concludes that the stories in this collection are marred by literary artifice and “a lack of authorial conviction.”
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The Ring of Brightest Angels around Heaven
(summary)
In the following review, Laurence praises Moody's stylistic experimentation in The Ring of Brightest Angels around Heaven, highlighting the unconventional collection of stories that explore the idea of form and the portrayal of characters from various societal backgrounds.
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Rick Moody: A Nuclear Family Meltdown
(summary)
In the following interview, Rick Moody and Matthew Debord explore Moody's literary journey, highlighting his stylistic evolution, the emotional depth of his novel Purple America, and his aim to bridge experimental prose and traditional realism, all while confronting personal and societal fears through his character-driven narratives.
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Taking Care of Mother
(summary)
In the following review of Purple America, Nicholson finds the novel hindered by Moody's indulgent prose and “stylistic quirks.”
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Purple Haze
(summary)
In the following review, Frank maintains that Purple America is “an original and reverberative novel” despite finding shortcomings in the novel's characterizations and unsatisfying ending.
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A Full Day: Rick Moody's Rich, Dazzling Novel of 24 Hours in the Life of a Troubled Family
(summary)
In the following review, Solomon offers a positive assessment of Purple America. Rick Moody's extraordinary third novel Purple America covers just one fateful day in the lives of the troubled Raitliffe family, yet seldom has an author crowded so much substance into 24 hours.
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Purple America
(summary)
In the following review, Maliszewski offers a positive assessment of Purple America.
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Family Matters
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Merkin offers a tempered assessment of the film adaptation of The Ice Storm, exploring themes of anomie and dysfunction within affluent suburban life in the 1970s.
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The Way It Was
(summary)
In the following review of The Ice Storm, Moher objects to Moody's portrayal of New Canaan suburbanites as effete and aimless, citing as evidence his own positive experiences in New Canaan as a teenager during the early 1970s.
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Gospel Musings by Younger Authors
(summary)
In the following review, Lampmann offers a positive assessment of Joyful Noise. A thought-provoking anthology of essays, Joyful Noise: The New Testament Revisited is a conscious attempt to enter into today's public debate about the values we live by.
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Slanted Types
(summary)
In the following review, Quinn offers a positive assessment of Purple America.
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Following the Fall-Out
(summary)
In the following review, Star provides an overview of Moody's thematic preoccupations and artistic development from Garden State to Purple America. Like much of Rick Moody's previous work, Purple America charts the lives of the ‘slovenly, affluent’ young. It's not an especially good life. Moody's characters are distinctly unhappy, unformed, unable to proceed with their lives in anything like a reasonable way. Instead, they gradually succumb to a set of local problems. When the logic of crisis is put in motion, the outlook further darkens. In Moody's novels, to be born is a crime, and to grow up compounds the offence. The enclosed residences of American affluence are under a curse—nature and neuroses will contrive to bring them low.
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A Veiled Look into Voicing the Unspeakable
(summary)
In the following essay, Brady provides an overview of Moody's life, fiction, and literary career.
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Joyful Noise
(summary)
In the following review, Parry offers a positive assessment of Joyful Noise, an eclectic collection of essays on religion in general and the New Testament in particular by mostly young, contemporary writers. The collection is noted for its engagement with spirituality in a less than dogmatic manner, featuring a variety of interpretations from diverse backgrounds. The editors compare the collection to jazz, hence the name Joyful Noise, with various riffs on Jesus and the apostles.
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Moody on Dark Humor, Bright Angels, and Quantum Leaps
(summary)
In the following interview, Moody with Fran Dilustro Gordon examines the interplay of spirituality, family dynamics, and morality in his writing, particularly in "Purple America," highlighting his use of dark humor, the evolution of his prose style, and his stance on literary realism versus stylistic ambition.
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Moody Indigo
(summary)
In the following essay, Moore provides an overview of Moody's life and literary career, his artistic and thematic preoccupations, and the development of his fictional concerns and prose style.
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In a State of Irony
(summary)
In the following review, MacFarlane finds Demonology to be “an uneven collection,” despite the presence of several strong stories in the book.
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Moody Rips the Suburbs Again
(summary)
In the following review, Charbonneau offers a positive assessment of Demonology.
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A Moody Kind of Suburbia
(summary)
In the following essay, Reynolds discusses Moody's literary career and relays the author's comments on his life and work.
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Entering Gothic Suburbia, Where Dysfunction Romps Across Tidy Lawns
(summary)
- Further Reading