''Moo'' is a

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

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 ...

. Its setting is a large university, known familiarly as " Moo U" because of its large agricultural college, in the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. The novel is a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

that uses a sprawling

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller (ge ...

style, following the lives of dozens of characters over the course of the 1989–1990 academic year. It was a finalist for 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".hog named

Earl Butz Earl Lauer "Rusty" Butz (July 3, 1909 – February 2, 2008) was a United States government official who served as Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. His policies favored large-scale corporate farming an ...

whose only purpose in life is to eat as much as he would like in order to grow as large as possible as part of an experiment conducted by Dr. Bo Jones. Bob Carlson, a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

at Moo U, cares for Earl. Chapter two introduces the Dubuque House, a large

residence hall A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

and four of its newest residents Mary, Keri, Sherri and Diane. It is move-in day, and each of the four girls briefly reflects on what has brought her to Moo University and their hopes for their college careers. Timothy Monahan, a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of English, is returning to the campus for the beginning of the school year. He meets one of the new faculty members, Spanish professor Cecelia Sanchez, when their classes end up being in neighboring rooms. Marly Hellmich is an adult woman who works in the university cafeteria and lives at home caring for her elderly father. Marly also volunteers at her church, where she meets Nils Harstad, the dean of the

agricultural extension Agricultural extension is the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education. The field of 'extension' now encompasses a wider range of communication and learning activities organized for r ...

. Later in Part One, Nils decides that what he needs to complete his life is a wife and a large family of small children. He decides that Marly would be the perfect mate and proposes to her. Marly contemplates the

engagement An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

and decides to accept on the basis that a life with Nils, a successful and economically stable older man, would offer her all of the things that she would not be able to have on her own; she believes she will become a kind of

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

. Book One continues with a

lecture A lecture (from Latin ''lēctūra'' “reading” ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical inform ...

given by

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

professor Dr. Gift on

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

and the economic gains to be found there. The lecture is well attended by students and faculty but during the lecture Chairman X, the chairman of the

Horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

department, becomes outraged and attempts to point out how detrimental Gift's pursuits will be to Costa Rica's

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. Later, Ivar Harstad, provost of the university, meets with Elaine Dobbs-Jellinek, the associate vice-president, and Arlen Martin, CEO of the Trans National

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

. Arlen, a wealthy but not a moral businessman whose emphasis is on agricultural projects, is aware of the university's budget constraints and attempts to make a deal with them. He offers to give them money if they would devote some of their research facilities and faculty to help him on a project. Another important aspect of Book One is the introduction of Loren Stroop, a local

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

and a paranoid old man who is so suspicious of the big agricultural companies and the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

that he wears a

bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. T ...

every day. This fear is promoted by the fact that Stroop is building a machine that he believes will revolutionize agriculture. Stroop meets with Nils to speak about the machine and the two men set up a future meeting for Nils to come to the farm and see the machine. At the close of Part One, though, Stroop suffers a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. Joy Pfisterer oversees the university's fleet of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

s and is also the girlfriend of Dean Jellinek. Joy is introduced while teaching a class in which Bob Carlson is a student. After class, Joy reflects on her relationship with Dean, one that is strained because of Dean's constant obsession over his calf-free lactation project and his failure to tend to Joy and their relationship. Smiley closes Book One with a chapter entitled “Who’s in Bed With Whom” in which she lays out some of the intimate details of relationships occurring between various students and faculty including Mary and Hassan, a

graduate student Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

, Nils and Marly, Bob and Diane, Tim and Cecelia, Chairman X and Lady X, and Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Lake.

Book Two

Book Two, the shortest section of the book, opens with a news article detailing Governor Early's budget cuts, which include severe reductions for the university. The chapter also contains a series of memorandums within the university detailing the likely impact of the proposed cuts. One of the most significant developments is the relationship between Cecelia and Chairman X. The two meet one day in the library where Cecelia is reminiscing about her former life in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. She recognizes Chairman X from Dr. Gift's lecture. They strike up a conversation and surprisingly have sex on the library floor. Meanwhile, Keri is failing Dr. Gift's economics class. She reflects on her family's experiences on their

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

. When one of her uncles buys out the other, it causes a deep family division that ruins the family dynamic, and Keri blames her uncle's selfish drive for fortune and prosperity and his disregard for the family. Chairman X and Cecelia continue their relationship. Cecelia fabricates a story about her uncle Carlos and his farm in Costa Rica and her childhood that she spent there. By telling the story she manages to convince X to stay longer and spend more time with her rather than returning home to have dinner with his family and take his children to a movie. Book Two closes with a visit to Loren Stroop in the hospital after his stroke. His neighbors, the Millers, come to visit him and reassure him that they have taken care of everything around the farm except for visiting the

shed A shed is typically a simple, single-story roofed structure that is used for hobbies, or as a workshop in a back garden or on an allotment. Sheds vary considerably in their size and complexity of construction, from simple open-sided ones de ...

where he keeps the machine locked up. He nods to try to tell them that they should look in the shed and tell someone about the machine but they fail to understand this since he cannot talk.

Book Three

The section opens with Dr. Gift reflecting on a report he wrote supporting the gold mine under a virgin cloud forest in Costa Rica. Mary, Keri, Sherri, and Diane are spending more time together. Mary is sick with a virus. Gary Olsen revises a short story, but is disappointed with the result. After a night at the library, Diane decides to follow Bob in hopes of learning the mystery of his work-study job and she meets Earl Butz. Tim and Cecelia have an unhappy date. Multiple characters discuss the fall of and importance of Eastern European communism. Helen hosts a Thanksgiving feast with Ivar, Nils, Marly, and Marly's father. Marly's father and Nils debate Marly and Nils future, after Nils announces to everyone that “God’s plan” is that he and Marly have six children and live in Poland. Joy sets goals for her future, including marriage and a child. Tim Monahan's third novel is accepted for publication. Helen, Dr. Garcia, Dr. Gift, and Dr. Cates consider Monahan's promotion to full professor. Dr. Gift says Monahan's writing is salacious, and Helen disagrees. Monahan's promotion is only given lukewarm approval. At the meeting, Helen distributes copies of Dr. Gift's paper to everyone at the meeting, revealing the virgin cloud forest mining project much to Gift's chagrin. Gary Olson and Lydia go out. Lydia suggests Gary should kick out Lyle, his roommate, so she could come over more often. Margaret gets Tim to call Cecelia by giving him a copy of Dr. Gift's memo which she had secretly kept. A grant saves Old Meats, but it would have to be a chicken museum, which was not what Dr. Bo Jones requested. The book concludes with Mary being the victim of bigotry and feeling unable to discuss her experience with Keri, Sherri, and Diane. Gary continues to struggle with his writing.

Book Four

The main connection between characters in this section is the holidays. It is Christmas time, and Cecelia decides not to return to Los Angeles for the holiday because of Chairman X. However, she changes her mind the following day and goes to LA. A friend of Bob's comes to care for Earl Butz, and Earl notices and is shaken up by the change. Drama unfolds in the X's household. Chairman X spends the holiday at home with his family. He admits to Lady X that he is having an affair with Cecelia. As they fight, they both make accusations and blame the other for their unhappiness. Mary spends Christmas with her family. She is worried about her grades and somewhat disappointed she did not stay back at school. Joy is talking to Dean and becomes upset with their conversation. She goes outside, runs, and remains outside until she is nearly frozen to death. When she returns home Dean has to take care of her until an ambulance arrives. It is time to ring in the New Year. Chairman X writes a flyer opposing the destruction of the virgin cloud rain forest and revealing Gift's role in the scheme. The media reports on the issue and tries to unravel the controversy. As word spreads of the mining plan, chaos occurs. Dean Nils Harstad is attacked by Chairman X. Tensions run high between Mary, Keri, Sherri, and Diane in Dubuque House until they hear about the riot at Lafayette Hall and leave to go there.

Book Five

Book five opens with Dr. Margaret Bell arriving at a conference in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

where she is to present a paper. Her senses seem to awaken through this mini get-away, and she indulges in the experience. When the conference is abruptly cancelled, Margaret ends her vacation and receives a large bill. Back on campus, Dr. Gift reflects on Arlen Martin and the collapse of Seven Stones Mining. A memo is sent out announcing more proposed cuts in the budget, resulting in threats of layoffs. Another setback for the university occurs when Elaine Jellinek breaks the news to Dr. Bo Jones that there is no longer a grant for the chicken museum. Dr. Jones does not seem very disappointed and decides to take a trip to

Kirghizia Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

to research wild boars. Loren Stroop has moved home and maneuvers around on his own to the best of his ability. Although his physical stamina has diminished, his quirky personality still remains. Feeling the need to check up on his invention, Loren attempts to travel out to his barn during a snowstorm. He struggles against the winter wind and falls into the heavy snow, never reaching his destination. He perishes in the storm. The announcement of a future

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

takes the campus by surprise and forces Marly to contemplate her existence on campus. She decides to leave her job as well as abandon her relationship with Nils. In the end, Marly chooses to run off with her truck driver boyfriend. Another major event at the university occurs during the destruction of Old Meats. This pivotal scene showcases Earl Butz as he is trapped inside the building during the demolition. Bob realizes that Earl is in danger but is unable to stop the destruction process. Earl is aware of his dire situation. Instinct takes over, and Earl takes off running, making his way across campus. As Bob tries to catch Earl, Mrs. Walker, Chairman X, and Keri all witness Earl's rampage through the university. Earl eventually stops from exhaustion and falls dead at the feet of Keri. His death makes front-page news. Dean and Joy work on their couple's therapy. Dean immerses himself in helping Joy out of her depression, which she finds exhausting. Cecelia continues to struggle with finding her place in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

and Moo University, and considers returning to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. As the cutbacks continue to stress the faculty, Mrs. Walker realizes that her job is on the line as a result of leaking Gift's memo as well as the discovery that she has transferred funds from the athletic budget to the library. Mary, Keri, Sherri, and Diane seem to be heading their separate ways as the school year closes out. For the following year, Sherri makes plans to room with friends from high school, and Mary decides to return to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. When some of the future plans fall through, Mary and Keri decide to reside together again. As the university's future appears bleak, Ivar reflects on how he originally viewed the university and how things have changed since he and Nils were first students at Moo. Just when the university seems doomed, Joe Miller arrives with a sense of hope by carrying out Stroop's wishes to donate his invention to the university. Ivar, Nils, Bob Brown, and the president all assemble to begin a frantic search for the blue prints for Stroop's machine. Coincidentally, Dr. Cates acquired these blue prints from a student, and thinking they were a work of art, Cates calls Mrs. Walker in effort to discover who the artist might be. At the same time, the committee contacts Mrs. Walker to discuss Stroop's donation. Gaining power with this information, Mrs. Walker not only connects the missing prints to the hands in need, but saves her own position. The discovery of the machine uplifts everyone's spirits and causes the governor to reverse the budget cuts. The campus atmosphere starts to lighten. Marriage comes into play towards the end of the novel when several characters contemplate their relationships and their plans for the future. Dr. Gift and Elaine Jellinek dine together and day-dream about the possibility of a life with each other, but in the end, they each discard the thought. Marriage is not in the cards for Nils and Marly, but Nils and Marly's father reach an understanding and decide to reside with one another due to Marly's absence. The biggest turn-around occurs between Chairman X and Lady X as they resolve their disputes and reunite their family. Chairman and Lady X have a small wedding which attracts the curiosity of the neighbors and close friends. The marriage upsets Cecelia, who has decided to stay, but Tim convinces her that this is for the best. The book then closes as Chairman X and Lady X embrace in a “legendary” kiss.

Characters

Chairman X: Chairman of the Horticulture Department who wants to save Old Meats; in an open relationship with Lady X, they have four children; becomes involved with Cecelia. He has left-wing political beliefs and hates Dr. Gift and Nils Harstad. Bob Carlson: Sophomore work-study student who takes care of Earl Butz for Dr. Bo Jones; dates Diane, lives with Gary Olson and Lyle Kartensen. Earl Butz: 18-month-old Landrace boar who is the subject of Dr. Bo Jones’ secret experiment to see how big a pig can grow; cared for by Bob Carlson. Name refers to

, former secretary of agriculture who was responsible for the modern farm subsidy system who during his tenure frequently admonished farmers to "Get big or get out." Dr. Bo Jones: Animal Science professor conducting a secret experiment on Earl Butz; goes missing during one of his travels to find wild boars. Lady (Beth) X: Lives with and has four children with Chairman X, but not married. Cecelia Sanchez: First year assistant professor of foreign languages from Los Angeles who becomes involved with Chairman X. Tim Monahan: Self-centered associate professor of English who teaches fiction writing and is being considered for promotion to full professor. Keri: The “mother” figure of the four roommates in Dubuque House who grew up on a farm in Iowa. Sherri: One of the four roommates in Dubuque House; struggles with her classes and weight issues. Mary Jackson: One of the four roommates in Dubuque House who is from Chicago, Illinois. Diane Peterson: One of the four roommates in Dubuque House; has a relationship with Bob Carlson and wants to be in a sorority. Dr. Margaret Bell: English professor on the tenure and promotion committee who was involved with Tim Monahan. Dr. Helen Levy: Professor of foreign languages, French and Italian, who is a member of the tenure and promotion committee; involved in discreet, long-term relationship with Ivar Harstad; loves cooking and gardening. Governor O.T. Early: State governor who threatens numerous budget cuts to Moo University. Associate Vice President Elaine Dobbs-Jellinek: Associate Vice President for Development; writes grants, tries to help Dr. Bo Jones save Old Meats. Gary Olson: Student in Tim Monahan's fiction writing class; lives with Bob Carlson and Lyle Kartensen. Dr. Lionel Gift: Economics professor who is obsessed with money and writes a report in support of mining for gold in Costa Rica; chair of the tenure and promotion committee. Provost Ivar Harstad: Twin brother of Nils Harstad who is in a long-term relationship with Helen Levy; his secretary is Mrs. Walker. Dean Nils Harstad: Dean of extension; twin brother of Ivar Harstad who plans to marry Marly Hellmich, a woman from his church, and have six children; approached by Loren Stroop for funding of his invention. “Father” Helmich: Marly Hellmich's ultra conservative, Christian father who requires constant care. Marly Helmich: Cafeteria worker who agrees to marry Nils Harstad, a man from her church. Dr. Dean Jellinek: Animal Science professor who is researching calf-free lactation with grant funding; divorced from Elaine Dobbs-Jellinek and in a relationship with Joy Pfisterer. Mrs. (Martha) Lake: Mrs. Walker's partner Lydia Henderson: Lyle Kartensen's girlfriend; character in Gary Olson's stories. Lyle Kartensen: Roommates with Gary Olson and Bob Carlson; Lydia Henderson's boyfriend. Arlen Martin: Head of TransNational America Corporation, which is planning to mine gold in Costa Rica under the last virgin cloud forest. Jack Parker: Federal grant specialist; Elaine Dobbs-Jellinek's competition. Joy Pfisterer: Trains horses and teaches an equine class; in a relationship with Dr. Dean Jellinek. Loren Stroop: A paranoid farmer who has invented a farming machine and wears a bulletproof vest all the time. Alison Thomas: Elaine Dobbs-Jellinek's secretary. Mrs. (Loraine) Walker: Ivar Harstad's secretary who wields great informal power within the university and continually transfers funds between budgets without approval. Associate Vice President Bob Brown (“Just Plain Brown”): Assistant to the university president; refers to students as customers. Dr. William Garcia: Member of the tenure and promotion committee from the Psychology department; close friend to Chairman X. Dr. John Vernon Cates: Member of the tenure and promotion committee from the Chemistry department. Joe Miller: Loren Stroop's neighbor.

Themes

"Developmental Events", such as the history of divorces and separations among the characters are important to this book. Similarly, teachers and mentors of both sexes are seen trying to cultivate their own talents, making them appear larger than life. Smiley helps nurture Mrs. Walker's genius in the book, creating a hero-like character that has a quiet feminine power that is often overlooked in some books. She is seen as someone “with quite complex power relationships…a person who gets things done” even though she is a mere secretary. In contrast to this, all the administrators who are men are much older and do not have as big a role as Mrs. Walker in making decisions. Also, Mrs. Walker represents “tacit power…which construct administrative workers as low level females.” The overt/position power is weak when it comes to Mrs. Walker's knowledge of the university, which she withholds unless asked, making her the most powerful character in ''Moo''. Smiley also helps bring out themes of her life by writing about them in ''Moo''. Two of the topics in the book are the issues with the history of divorce and break up. Smiley has been divorced three times, and many of her characters have complicated and interlaced relationships with one another (the relationship between Lady X and Chairman X, the ridiculous marriage of Dr. Dean Jellinek and Joy, and the failed relationship with Dean Nils Harsted and Marly Helmich). The mixture of relationships and satire in ''Moo'' creates absurd problems between the characters, but Smiley is still able to make it believable. There is a “popular assumption that the academy is a ‘closed society’—idiosyncratic, isolated, out of touch with the ‘real world.” Moo U. is actually a part of the surrounding culture instead of a separate entity, and it “may be set off from the larger culture, but it is never cut off, a lifeline of money being necessary for its well-being and growth.” It is a symbol of the town itself. The search for a “comic protagonist to lead an unauthorized, irrelevant tour through academia” is and seems misguided. It is also considered a social comedy, where “no individual being is the heroic center of the institution.”

Key events

In Chapter 21, Loren Stroop suffers a stroke, leaving his plans for the revolutionary equipment he builds in limbo. This eventually leads to the solution to the lack of funding that threatens the well-being and livelihoods of the characters of ''Moo'' as the university eventually receives control of the machine. In Chapter 22, Governor Early proposes budget cuts that lead to the near downfall of Moo University. The faculty begins downsizing and the class sizes for students become larger. In Chapter 34, Dr. Gift finishes his report for the Transnational America Corporation discussing mining for gold in the last virgin

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

. This sets forth the course of action that leads to professors choosing sides on the issue of the mining proposal. In Chapter 47, Joe Doakes utters a racial slur to Mary, an African-American student at Moo University. Mary's roommates at the Dubuque House drive Joe Doakes away from the table with insults (though Mary is uncertain as to whether they heard what Doakes said). Mary goes on a downward spiral of social withdrawal as she realizes the roommates do not discuss anything that may create tension between themselves. In Chapter 64, Earl Butz escapes from Old Meats as the building is torn down. Earl Butz exemplifies the embracing of the idea that bigger is better as he is a project that no one but the few people directly involved know anything about. When he escapes, he becomes a public symbol of a university in crisis.

Reception of ''Moo''

"And Moo To You Too" by

explains the experience of her book tour for her new novel ''Moo''. While writing this satirical novel, Jane Smiley knew just what she had in mind and how she felt it would be received. However, when it came time for her novel to be circulated, she found that the reception was not what she expected. As it turned out, critics and readers did not seem to know about what Smiley was writing. Critics had very different responses to ''Moo''. Some felt that the book was extremely funny, others less so. Some spoke of characters with no depth or shape, while others noted that they had come to care about the outcome of the characters' lives. Smiley speaks about how this made her feel irritable because this was an endeavor on which she spent over a year writing. She thought that her feeling and passions were well displayed but none of this was mentioned by critics. In the end, Smiley was still happy with ''Moo.'' She was happy that it could be read in two ways. She had intended for it to be tricky and evasive, "And then, it turned out, that's exactly what it was!" "And Moo To You Too" Jane Smiley, Civilization, Nov/Dec95, Vol.2 Issue 6, p75, 1p, 1c.

Footnotes

External links

Understanding Jane Smiley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moo (Novel) 1995 American novels American comedy novels Campus novels Alfred A. Knopf books Novels set in Iowa American satirical novels