Suggested Readings

Johnson, Greg. Understanding Joyce Carol Oates. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1987.

Pearlman, Mickey, ed. American Women Writing Fiction: Memory, Identity, Family, Space. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1989.

Winslow, Joan D. “The Stranger Within: Two Stories by Oates and Hawthorne.” Studies in Short Fiction 17 (1980): 263-268.

Sources

Gilman, Richard, Review of The Wheel of Love, in New York Times Book Review, October 25, 1970, p. 4.

Long, Robert Emmet, Review of Wheel of Love, in Saturday Review, October 24, 1970, p. 36.

Oates, Joyce Carol, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" and Smooth Talk: Short Story into Film, in (Woman) Writer: Occasions and Opportunities, Dutton, 1988, pp. 316-21.

Quirk, Tom, "A Source for 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'" Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. 18, no. 4, Fall, 1981, pp. 413-19.

Review of Wheel of Love, in Virginia Quarterly Review, Vol. 47, no. 1, Winter, 1971, p. xv.

Sullivan, Walter, "The Artificial Demon: Joyce Carol Oates and the Dimensions of the Real," The Hollins Critic, Vol. 9, no. 4, December, 1972, pp. 1-12.

Waller, G. F., Dreaming America: Obsession and Transcendence in the Fiction of Joyce Carol Oates, Louisiana State University Press, 1979.

Further Reading

Clemons, Walter, "Joyce Carol Oates: Love and Violence," in Conversations with Joyce Carol Oates, edited by Lee Milazzo, University Press of Mississippi, 1989, pp. 32-41.

Clemons explores Oates's role as a chronicler of contemporary life.

Creighton, Joanne V., Joyce Carol Oates, Twayne, 1979, p. 173.

Creighton examines the entirety of Oates's fiction up to 1979.

Johnson, Greg, Understanding Joyce Carol Oates, University of South Carolina Press, 1987, p. 224.

Johnson provides analyses of Oates's literary works.

Moser, Don, "The Pied Piper of Tucson," Life, March 4, 1966, pp. 18-24 and 80-90C.

This journalistic piece on an Arizona mass murderer parallels Oates's story. Oates has confirmed that her inspiration for "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" stemmed from this article and Moser's portrayal of the charismatic killer Charles Schrind.

Myers, George, "Oates Writes Out of 'Fascination,' Not Zeal," in Conversations with Joyce Carol Oates, edited by Lee Milazzo, University Press of Mississippi, 1989, pp. 181-85.

Oates discusses her roles as a reader, writer, and critic.

Wagner, Linda W., "Joyce Carol Oates: The Changing Shapes of Her Realities," in the introduction to Critical Essays on Joyce Carol Oates, G.K. Hall & Co., 1979, p. 180.

An overall evaluation of Oates's work and its impact on the American literary landscape.

Daphne du Maurier's renowned gothic novel Rebecca (1938) narrates the psychological manipulation of a young bride by her affluent and troubled husband, Max de Winter. The narrator's insecurities and her constant comparisons to Max's deceased first wife, Rebecca, result in her distorted perceptions, which reveal unexpected truths in the novel's suspenseful climax. Another notable work is The Member of the Wedding, Carson McCullers's 1946 novel that explores a young girl's emotional struggles and her challenging transition into adulthood. The twelve-year-old protagonist, Frankie Addams, prefers to be called F. Jasmine Addams and naively believes she will join her older brother on his honeymoon. McCullers's skillful use of perspective allows readers to empathize with Frankie while also gaining insights that she herself cannot grasp.

Flannery O'Connor's short story collection, A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955), demonstrates why Joyce Carol Oates's style, themes, and subject matter are often linked to O'Connor's influence. The title story, which depicts a family's ominous encounter with a man known as "The Misfit," offers an intriguing comparison to "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Another significant work is Susan Brownmiller's pioneering 1975 study, Against Our Wills: Men, Women, and Rape, which is regarded as a landmark feminist analysis of the history and psychology of male dominance over women.

Joyce Carol Oates's short story collection, Heat and Other Stories (1991), frequently addresses parent-child relationships. Oates's signature violence appears in several stories, while others explore the emotional extremes of everyday life, such as in the story "Shopping," which depicts a mother-daughter trip to the mall. The novel Zombie (1995) delves into the mind of a serial killer through the diary entries of the disturbed Quentin P, who is fixated on creating a zombie from one of his victims.

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" was adapted into the film Smooth Talk, directed by Joyce Chopra and starring Laura Dern, Treat Williams, and Mary Kay Place. Originally produced in 1985 for the American Playhouse Series on the Public Broadcasting System, the film is available from Live Home Video and Vestron Video.

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" was turned into a movie titled Smooth Talk. The film was directed by Joyce Chopra and features Laura Dern, Treat Williams, and Mary Kay Place. Initially produced in 1985 for the "American Playhouse Series" on the Public Broadcasting System, it is now available through Live Home Video and Vestron Video.

Johnson, Greg. Understanding Joyce Carol Oates. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1987, 224 p. This is a sympathetic biography of Oates that explores many of her works.

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" In Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them, Volume 4: World War II to the Affluent Fifties (1940-1950s). Edited by Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Detroit: Gale, 1997. This piece provides an overview of "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" and situates the story within its historical context.

Oates, Joyce Carol. "An Interview with Joyce Carol Oates." Compiled by David Y. Todd. The Gettysburg Review 6 (Spring 1993): 291-99. This is a compilation of an interview conducted at Bellarmine College where Oates discusses her writing techniques, literary influences, and recurring themes in her work.

Slimp, Stephen. "Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'" The Explicator 7 (Spring 1999): 179-82. Slimp focuses on the meticulously built, escalating tension in Oates's story, asserting that it symbolizes the decline of modern America.

Urbanski, Marie Mitchell Olesen. "Existential Allegory: Joyce Carol Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'" Studies in Short Fiction 15 (Spring 1978): 200-3. Urbanski posits that "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" serves as a modern religious allegory, akin to the seduction of Eve, and addresses the acceptance of fate.

Wagner, Linda W. "Oates: The Changing Shape of Her Realities." Great Lakes Review 5 (Winter 1979). Wagner contends that Oates is more invested in exploring the boundaries between reality and illusion and is less focused on technical precision or innovation.

Wesley, Marilyn C. "Joyce Carol Oates." In Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 130: American Short Story Writers Since World War II. Edited by Patrick Meanor. Detroit: Gale, 1993, pp. 241-52. This is a biographical profile on Oates.

——. Wesley, Marilyn C. "The Transgressive Other in Joyce Carol Oates's Recent Fiction." Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction XXXII (Summer 1992): 255-62. Wesley investigates Oates's later works for the recurring theme of the "transgressive other."

Wilkie, Brian. "Joyce Carol Oates: Overview." In Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Edited by Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. This is an overview of Oates's fiction.