Plot
In both The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker the plot was simply a guy named Howie on a escalator, and while he was on the escalator he thinks about one particular mundane thing, for example, a straw. Then, he goes on a long tangent about that mundane thing, and then he progresses a little on the escalator ride. This cycle repeats until Howie reaches the top of the escalator.
During the discussion of the book, people were talking how the book was interesting in the fact the plot was not the main point of the book, the message being "look at mundane things in a different light". However, the absence of plot annoys me a lot, because we've always been told when we were younger that plot is the "backbone" of the book, and without it then the book just collapses in a mess. Reading The Mezzanine was a huge mess because I did not really know what was going on until the book transitions back into the actual plot, the escalator.
Given that The Mezzanine is a book that was intended to have no plot, I wonder if books actually need plot. For me, the answer is yes, because I read books and watch TV shows simply for the plot. One of my favorite books is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Every page I turned during the actual Hunger Games was an intense moment for me because I did not know who was going to die next and I really want to know. For me, intense plots are what make literary works enjoyable.
During the discussion of the book, people were talking how the book was interesting in the fact the plot was not the main point of the book, the message being "look at mundane things in a different light". However, the absence of plot annoys me a lot, because we've always been told when we were younger that plot is the "backbone" of the book, and without it then the book just collapses in a mess. Reading The Mezzanine was a huge mess because I did not really know what was going on until the book transitions back into the actual plot, the escalator.
Given that The Mezzanine is a book that was intended to have no plot, I wonder if books actually need plot. For me, the answer is yes, because I read books and watch TV shows simply for the plot. One of my favorite books is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Every page I turned during the actual Hunger Games was an intense moment for me because I did not know who was going to die next and I really want to know. For me, intense plots are what make literary works enjoyable.
I agree in that in the first reading of The Mezzanine, it seemed like a bit of a mess, and that plot driven books are very exciting. It was hard to follow what exactly was going on and honestly felt a little boring and confusing when I read it. However, I like to think of The Mezzanine taking Virginia Woolf's ideal novel to the extreme, in that the story has much more to do with the character than the plot. I think this is an important expansion in the types of novels that exist because even though there are thousands of different ways to make plot-intense stories, it really is a challenge to make a more mundane story like an escalator ride interesting, and after talking in class about the intricacies of The Mezzanine, I think Baker accomplishes this. Then again, that might just be in theory and if I go back and read the book again then I'll still be lost and bored. But it's a cool concept nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point on how The Mezzanine was hard to read because it didn't follow a "conventional" book, which is mainly driven by plot. The idea of an entire book based on a character's thoughts and ideas of the trivial things around him may seem foreign to us, but I feel like that is partly due to the fact that we are surrounded by contemporary writers who write books like the Hunger Games, where the plot is the driving force of the book that attracts the audiences. Part of the reason it was so difficult for me to read the book was not only because it was at times boring, but I often got confused about what was happening in the story. I think Mrs. Dalloway is a little easier for us to read because there is more plot involved in the story, but it still follows The Mezzanine in that it heavily focuses on the character's thoughts, feelings, and their development throughout the story. These stories might be difficult to read at first, but I feel like they become easier as the book goes on because we become accustomed to how the author writes.
ReplyDeleteThe Mezzanine is one of those books where I can understand what the author was trying to do, but I felt that it also wasn’t 100% successful. The absence of plot for me was something that also made me feel frustration with the author. To some extent it’s great to read about Howie and his unique worldview. On the other hand, I think that a book should have something that motivates you to keep reading, which in a book with plot would be the resolution. Reading the Mezzanine there were countless times I had to put down the book and do something else simply because no matter how much I read it seemed that nothing was happening.
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog post! I know what you mean but I might argue the mezzanine does have a plot. Maybe woolf would argue it's not constrained by the victorian style of a plot or an intense action filled plot, but it certainly has a timeline. For me the timeline of Howie before he got on the escalator was quite exciting because i had an idea where it was culminating and when he was reading the paperback on philosophy it seemed quite exciting as he is reflecting on some philosophical ideas.
ReplyDeleteYes, "The Mezzanine" did take a considerable amount of time for me to adapt to as well. In the beginning, I could not discern between Howie's observations, flashbacks, and thoughts. Me, believing in the one uniform plot line all books nowadays exhibit, was utterly confused at what was happening in the novel. My mind was unable to comprehend this narration technique: was Howie at a CVS buying a replacement pair of shoelaces, or was he in his cubicle contemplating why his left shoelace snapped before his right? Only in the end did I realize Howie was on a minute-long escalator the whole time. I feel Baker wrote this novel to inform the reader more so than to entertain, resulting in a greater focus on Howie's environment than the plot.
ReplyDeletePlots a tricky thing. Just because a book doesn't have a distinct plot doesn't mean it lacks one. Granted "The Mezzanine" has a "plot" well, kind of. It sort of reminded me of the Lord of the Ring books by J.R.R. Tolkien. These books/ movies had a distinct plot but one that was dragged on...and on....andddddd.......onnnnn. To be honest i never finished the series because i fell asleep when the Elf was giving a speech about prosperity or something like that. Back to my main point however I, as a writer myself, am in awe of the way Nicholson Baker was to able to depict Howie in a story that had no purpose. And referring to your question about whether a book needs a plot i'm going to say no. I say no because i feel like a books purpose is to entertain and indulge one's mind and if it does that without a plot it doesn't make it not interesting.
ReplyDeleteI guess that how books are enjoyed by different people is based on personality, because I really love Lord of the Rings because the plot was great, and I don't really care if the plot is almost 3 hours of movie screen time. I feel like books like the Mezzanine is not entertaining at all because it is not a story.
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