''A Thousand Acres'' is a 1991 novel by American author
Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel ''A Thousand Acres'' (1991).
Biography
Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a su ...
. It won the 1992
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published durin ...
, the
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".a 1997 film of the same name. It was premiered as an opera by the Des Moines Metro Opera during their 2022 season.
The novel is a modernized retelling of
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...
'' and is set on a thousand-acre (four hundred hectares) farm in
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
owned by a family of a father and his three daughters. It is told through the point of view of the oldest daughter, Ginny.
Plot summary
Larry Cook is an aging farmer who decides to incorporate his farm, handing complete and joint ownership to his three daughters, Ginny, Rose, and Caroline. When the youngest daughter objects, she is removed from the agreement. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes long-suppressed emotions, as the story eventually reveals the long-term sexual abuse of the two eldest daughters that was committed by their father.
The plot also focuses on Ginny's troubled marriage, her difficulties in bearing a child and her relationship with her family.
Similarities to ''King Lear''
There are many similarities between ''King Lear'' and ''A Thousand Acres'', including both plot details and character development. For example, some of the names of the main characters in the novel are reminiscent of their Shakespearean counterparts. Larry is Lear, Ginny is Goneril, Rose is Regan, and Caroline is Cordelia. The role of the Cooks' neighbors, Harold Clark and his sons Loren and Jess, also rework the importance of Gloucester, Edgar and Edmund in ''King Lear.''
The novel maintains major themes present in ''Lear'', namely: gender roles, appearances vs. reality, generational conflict, hierarchical structures (the
Great chain of being
The great chain of being is a hierarchical structure of all matter and life, thought by medieval Christianity to have been decreed by God. The chain begins with God and descends through angels, humans, animals and plants to minerals.
The great ...
), madness, and the powerful force of nature.
Correspondences between the characters in the novel and in the play
*Larry Cook = King Lear
*Ginny Cook Smith = Goneril
*Rose Cook Lewis = Regan
*Caroline Cook Rasmussen = Cordelia
*Frank Rasmussen = King of France
*Ty Smith = Duke of Albany
*Pete Lewis = Duke of Cornwall
*Jess Clark = Edmund
*Harold Clark = Earl of Gloucester
*Loren Clark = Edgar
*Ken La Salle = Kent
*Marv Carson (The Fool)
World Book Club
''World Book Club'' is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her ...