[Explanation of Reading Journal Entries/Ratings]
The 1969 literary hoax/oddity authored by two dozen Newsweek writers and published under the name Penelope Ashe. I read a 1970 Dell paperback edition.
Buy the Book (the only way to buy it “new” is in ebook form, otherwise, it can get pretty pricey)
3 out of 5 stars.
Times Read: 1
Seen the Movie: No.
The Plot:
Angry about her husband’s affair, Gillian Blake sleeps with as many men as she can.
Naked Came the Stranger is a curiosity; a book written by committee to “prove” that the reading public will go for titillation over literary merit, it actually sold more copies after the hoax was revealed, kind of ruining the whole experiment. The argument of “the public is dumb and reads dumb things” still rages on and is still annoying as hell. Let people read what they want to read and don’t get sore if audiences would rather have a fun time with escapist plots than plod through 500-page literary tomes about middle-aged ennui.
The authors were white dudes who decided to publish the work under a woman’s name. And it feels so obviously, offensively written by a bunch of white dudes. Despite being about Gillian’s conquests, the book isn’t about Gillian at all – or any of the wives, beyond labeling them “bitches” or “cows” – it’s obsessed, of course, with the men and their pleasure. It’s an interesting artifact of white male perspective in the late sixties, saying more about their hangups and biases than the public which they found so appallingly low-brow (see note [3]).
And, screwing up their thesis, Naked Came the Stranger is totally entertaining, a series of Mad Magazine-esque punchlines. Most chapters are offensive, but a couple are clever and the framing device (Billy & Gilly’s radio show introducing each conquest) works well.
[1] The dedication reads “To Daddy”, which might be the best and grossest joke in the whole book.
[2] Examples of the “bad” writing style:
“Another great effort by an all-time great,” the former great said. “That’s why Fuzzy’s so… great.”
(p.25)
Morton Earbrow found himself staring. Staring hard at her slim, exciting face. Then staring hard at her slim, exciting body. Her arms were slim and exciting, too.
(p.45)
[3] Almost every chapter exhibits racism, sexism, or extreme cruelty – and not in a way that seems to be satirizing people guilty of these actions. The fact is that the Newsweek guys play these aspects for humor:
He liked to tell about the time he broke into a hut and found a Japanese lieutenant about to commit hari-kiri [sic]. Ernie helped him along, but he preformed the ceremony by inserting the knife eleven inches into the lieutenant’s rectum.
(p.32)
[4] Reference:
William noted a resemblance to Skitch Henderson.
(p.55)
Lyle Russel “Skitch” Henderson (1918-2005) was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname “Skitch” came from his ability to “re-sketch” a song in a different key.
[5] References:
As evidence he named such composers as Arabanels in Spain and others such as Mendelssohn and Halevy.
(p.57)
Arabanels only leads to references in Naked Came the Stranger, though the name Abarbanel/Abravanel links to an old/distinguished Jewish family.
Maurice Abravanel (1903-1993) was an American conductor of classical music. He is remembered as the conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years. He was born in Greece and came from a family which was expelled from Spain in 1492.
Isaac Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a Portuguese Jewish statesman, philosopher, Bible commentator, and financier.
Fromental Halevy (1799-1862) was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.
[6] References:
If the tradition were literally adhered to, the great commentaries on the Bible, the Mishnah and the Gmorrah, would never have been written.
(p.58)
The Mishnah or Mishna (“study by repetition”) is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions known as the “Oral Torah.” It is also the first major work of Rabbinic literature.
Gmorrah leads to “Gomorrah,” a destroyed city in the Book of Genesis. I can’t find it referencing a “great commentary of the Bible.”
[7] Reference:
Who did she think was listening, Reinhold Niebuhr?
(p.59)
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) was an American theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years.
[8]
“Abstinence and profligacy are two sides of the same coin. To be obsessed by one, you must be fascinated by the other.”
(p.63)
[9]
Scandal is a community service and a free entertainment at that; witnesses generally feel obliged to pay admission with sympathy.
(p.70)
[10] Translate/Reference:
“Querida,” he said, grabbing her left ankle brutally. “Say something dirty in Uxmex.”
(p.75)
querida – Portuguese: dear
I don’t know what Uxmex is supposed to mean. “Tex-Mex” is a fusion of Texan (American) and Mexican cuisine, but I don’t know what the prefix “Ux” means.
[11] Reference:
Tim Leary’s much touted LSD trip without LSD (you sat barefoot in a quiet setting contemplating a tin can and fruit seed).
(p.76)
I can’t find reference to Tim Leary promoting an “LSD trip without LSD” but I wouldn’t put it past him. This could also be satire.
[12] Reference:
“I tell her I’m from SNAC (…) I mean SNCC, you know, baby, civil rights.”
(p.78)
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, often pronounced SNIK) was one of the major Civil Rights Movement organizations of the 1960s. It emerged from the first wave of student sit-ins and formed at an April 1960 meeting organized by Ella Baker at Shaw University. It ended in 1976.
[13] Reference:
The Tanganyikan carvings.
(p.104)
Tanganyika was a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania, that existed from 1961 until 1964.
[14] Reference:
The Lombardy poplars marking the Goodmans’ rear property line.
(p.105)
From gardeningknowhow.com:
Lombardy poplars are the rock stars of the home garden, living past and dying young. Many homeowners select them when they need a quick privacy screen, but come to regret it later. (…)
This species of poplar is tall and thin, its shape columnar. (…) They could grow to a mature height of up to 60 feet, spreading around 12 feet. However, most are killed by canker disease within 15 years.
[15] Reference:
Gillian remembered the full-page ads – so sober, so shocking – telling women exactly what they must do if they get a harassing phone call.
(p.122)
I can’t track down any of these ads. If anyone can help, I’d love to see what they looked like.
[16] References:
Marin’s Lower Manhattan fought mood, color and style with Renoir’s Le Pont Noeuf. Beside the paintings was a Louis XV mirror that Gillian would have sworn was authentic. A copy of a G.H. Davis World War II sketch of German and American fighter planes in aerial battle hung tastelessly with the others.
(p.125)
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s webpage:
Lower Manhattan from the River, No. 1
John Marin
Date: 1921 (…)
Marin, who briefly studied architecture, painted this watercolor a year after moving to Cliffside, New Jersey. (…) Marin’s penchant for vivid colors and use of heavy charcoal strokes to accentuate the waves and articulate the gridded high-rises create a composition pulsing with the life of a city.
From the National Gallery of Art’s webpage:
Renoir, August
French, 1841-1919
Pont Neuf, Paris
1872 (…)
While his figure paintings are better known, Renoir’s landscapes resonate with a vigor and freshness of vision central to the development of impressionism, most apparent here in his transcription of the effects of sunlight.
—
The furniture of the Louis XV period (1715-1774) is characterized by curved forms, lightness, comfort and symmetry.
—
From The Illustrated First World War site:
George Horace Davis was born on 8 May 1881 in Kensington, London, and educated at Kensington Park College and Ealing School of Art.
He worked as a freelance artist and during the First World War served with distinction with the Royal Flying Corps (…), using his experience to create portrayals of aerial combat. (…)
George Davis continued to work into his eighties.
Examples of his work can be found on downthetubes.net
[17] Reference:
He switched on the diathermy machine and firmly clasped the cautery gun.
(p.126)
Diathermy is electrically induced heat or the use of high-frequency electromagnetic currents as a form of physical or occupational therapy and in surgical procedures. In surgery diathermy is used to cauterize blood vessels to prevent excessive bleeding.
[18]
“Why do you do this?” she asked.
“I’m a doctor,” he said. “I help people.”
“Seriously,” she said.
“Seriously, I need the money,” he said. “Why do you do it?”
“Seriously, I don’t need the baby,” she said.
(p.127)
[19] Reference:
He gave Gillian an injection of ergot to stop the bleeding.
(p.128)
Ergot refers to a group of fungi. The neurotropic activities of the ergot alkaloids may cause hallucinations and attendant irrational behavior, convulsions, and even death.
Since the Middle Ages, controlled doses of ergot were used to induce abortions and to stop maternal bleeding after childbirth. Ergot extract has been used in pharmaceutical preparations to treat migraine headaches, and ergometrine, used to induce uterine contractions and to control bleeding after childbirth.
[20] Reference:
“I’ll write out a prescription for feosol,” he said. “That will keep your pep up.”
(p.130)
From feosol.com:
Feosol Natural Release contains carbonyl ironis, a pure form of iron that is naturally regulated by your body.
[21] Reference:
I think every woman enjoys watching a Pancho Gonzales playing tennis.
(p.136)
Pancho Gonzales (1928-1995) was an American tennis player who has been rated one of the greatest in the history of the sport. He was a fan favorite who drew more spectators than any other player of his time.
[22] Reference:
“For Christ’s sake!” she exploded – then changed the snarl to smiling Arpege.
(p.140)
I don’t understand the use of “Arpege” here. An arpege (Italian: arpeggio) is a chord “spread”, i.e. the notes heard one after the other from the bottom upwards, or sometimes from the town downwards.
In this context, it sounds like a reference to a mythological figure.
[23] References:
The prints The Ruins of Pompeii and Blue Boy.
(p.142)
The Ruins of Pompeii is an 1889 painting by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900). (It’s amazing. You can look at it on wikiart.org.)
The Blue Boy (1779) is a full-length portrait in oil by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), now in the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. It is thought to be a portrait of Jonathan Buttall (1752-1805), the son of a wealthy hardware merchant.
[24]
Varth loosened up during the drive to the motel. He was still talking as they entered the room. His conversation was full of words like cunt and snatch. Gillian was enchanted. Nobody had ever talked dirty that way to her before.
(p.168)
[25] Reference:
“I’m collecting for dementia praecox.”
(p.182)
Dementia praecox (a “premature dementia” or “precocious madness”) is a disused psychiatric diagnosis that originally designated a chronic, deteriorating psychotic disorder characterized by rapid cognitive disintegration, usually beginning in the late teens or early adulthood. Over the years, the term “dementia praecox” was gradually replaced by “schizophrenia.”
[26] Reference/Translate:
“Cheers,” she said. Then she laughed. “No. L’Chaim.”
(p.183)
L’Chaim in Hebrew is a toast meaning “to life.” When a couple becomes engaged, they get together with friends and family to celebrate. Since they drink l’chaim, the celebration is also called a l’chaim.
[27] Perhaps the most offensive chapter, “Willoughby Martin,” portrays a gay man who is “cured” after sex with Gilly. Even if this is meant to be a joke it’s tone-deaf and terrible.
Billy: Well obviously, [homosexuality is] an illness, and it should be treated as such.
Gilly: I think the trouble is they haven’t found the right way to treat it yet.
(p.193)
Pre-sex with Gillian:
He held the cigaret daintily between index and middle finger. Darn! The humidity would ruin his make-up.
(p.193)
After beach sex with Gillian:
He got up and strode to the water. He felt manful as hell. He urinated. Then he dipped his hands into the cold surf. He reached up and washed the make-up from his face (…)
Willoughby thought his voice sounded deep. By God, he was a man (…)
Imagine all the women who were out there in the world waiting for him. Just wait till Hank tried to come crawling back. Hank! thought Willoughby, and he snorted to himself. That damn queer.
(p.206)
[28] Reference:
They were doing the Madison, a group dance that had been popular back then.
(p.194)
The Madison is a novelty dance that was popular in the late 1950s to mid-1960s. It was created and first danced in Columbus, Ohio. The Madison is a line dance that features a regular back-and-forth pattern interspersed with called steps. The Madison is featured in the John Waters movie Hairspray.
[29] Reference:
Their subscriptions to Mattachine Society literature.
(p.195)
The Mattachine Society, founded in 1950, was one of the earliest LGBT organizations in the United States, probably second only to Chicago’s Society for Human Rights. Harry Hay and a group of Los Angeles male friends formed the group to protect and improve the rights of gay men. The name came from Medieval French secret societies of masked men who, through their anonymity, were empowered to criticize ruling monarchs with impunity.
[30] Reference:
“You know, we haven’t been to a sixish in such a long time.”
(p.196)
Educalingo.com gives examples of the use of “sixish.” From New York Magazine:
Then everyone goes to the sixish – that’s the big cocktail party by the bay. It’s called the sixish because you’re supposed to come around sixish, but only the desperate do. The first one back to the house throws some coals on the barbecue.
From The Fire Island National Seashore: A History:
Davis Park has long been popular with singles and home to the “sixish,” a popular innovation in which a single residence would be randomly chosen as the site of a “bring-your-own-bottle” party.
[31] Reference:
Like most of the cognoscenti.
(p.208)
People who are considered to be especially well informed about a particular subject.
[32] Reference:
An oil of Paige Marchand in bra, panties and leather boots.
(p.211)
I can’t find a Paige Marchand who would have been referenced in the sixties.
[33]
“This is rape,” Gillian said.
“It may begin as rape,” he said, “but that’s not the way it generally winds up.”
(p.212)
And grossly, dangerously, many of the sexual encounters in his book begin with one party repeatedly saying no and the other party continuing to push. It’s played as funny or sexy when Gillian keeps going when men say no. The idea of any man not wanting to have sex with a beautiful woman is seen as absurd – even when that sex will destroy their lives. I understand this book is a joke, but like I said in the beginning, I find this book most interesting when viewed as what a sex parody looked like to white men in the 1960s.
[34] Reference:
A pretty little blonde virgin of sixteen with a maddening resemblance to the White Rock girl.
(p.215)
White Rock Beverages is an American beverage company located in Whitestone, New York. The company was established in 1871. White Rock predated Coca-Cola’s usage of Santa in advertisements for soft drinks. The company has used the image of Psyche as its logo for over 120 years. The company purchased the rights to a painting title “Psyche at Nature’s Mirror,” by Paul Thumann, at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.
In a May 15, 2012 blog post titled “The Evolution of the White Rock Beverage Co.’s Girl”, Rachel Marie Stone has some interesting information about the painting and several photos of the advertising through the years.
[35] Reference:
Three cheers for Salinger’s Fat Lady.
(p.217)
From Salinger’s Zooey (1957):
There isn’t anyone anywhere that isn’t Seymour’s Fat Lady. Don’t you know that? Don’t you know that goddam secret yet? And don’t you know – listen to me, now – don’t you know who that Fat Lady really is? . . . Ah, buddy. Ah, buddy. It’s Christ Himself. Christ Himself, buddy.
(Zooey, p.?)
Oddly, the scene we’re waiting the whole book for never happens; Billy and Gilly never confront each other over their affairs. There’s no blow-up, no discussion, no agreement to stay together while sleeping with other people. I know the point of this thing isn’t the plot, but I was surprised that the climax involved a character we didn’t meet until the last chapter.
Naked Came the Stranger could have been an interesting satire but the group of authors decide that racism, “cow/bitch” wives, and bad metaphors are funnier than an opportunity to poke at traditional marriage and relationships. They had a chance to do something clever and ended up producing little more than an oddity, written from an aggressively male perspective
Next week, doing an intense tonal shift by covering John Hersey’s Hiroshima. Probably should have planned a better buffer between these two weeks…
I might be pedantic 