The Group (novel)

"The Group" is a 1963 novel by American novelist Mary McCarthy. It made the New York Times Best Seller list in 1963. [cite web
last =
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title = Biographical Sketch
work = Henry Ransom Center The Group Manuscripts
publisher = University of Texas at Austin
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url = http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/fa/mccarthy.html
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accessdate = 2008-01-26]

Content

In 1933 a group of eight young women friends graduates from New York's Vassar College. One of them, Kay Leiland Strong marries a theater producer. At this scene the narrator tells about the family background and the characters of the young women, whose lives until 1940 are the issue of the novel. Most of them come from wealthy families, but the depression makes them poor(er). Only the New Yorker Society-Girl Mary Prothero (named Pokey) and the intellectual Elinor Eastlake from Chicago (named Lakey) have a lot of money.

This economic crisis helps the women to live more liberal, autonomous lives. They live alone in New York and earn their own money. For example Dottie Renfrew from Boston plans to work as welfare worker, Helena Davison wants to be a teacher, Polly Andrews works at a laboratory, Priss Hartshorn is getting involved with the N.R.A. (National Recovery Administration), and the Anglicist Libby MacAusland writes and works for a publisher. By and by the reader learns to know a lot about the liberal and sometimes surprisingly conservative views of the eight girls, about contraception, extramarital affairs, love, socialism, child education and psychoanalysis. On the way McCarthy provides an accurate portrait of that decade.

In the end Kay – meanwhile divorced – dies. Nobody knows, was it by accident or by suicide. Once again the women meet each other at the funeral. Meanwhile most of them are married, they all have made concessions.Lesbian Lakey returns from Europe with her girlfriend, an Italian baroness, and for a short moment it will be clear: Hitler and Mussolini rage in Europe and the Roosevelt administration will be urged to intervene.

Background

In some aspects the novel is autobiographical. Mary McCarthy studied literature at the Vassar College and graduated in 1933.

Film adaption

In 1966 Sidney Lumet adapted the novel. Main characters were played by Candice Bergen (Lakey), Joan Hackett (Dottie), Elizabeth Hartman (Priss), Shirley Knight (Polly), Joanna Pettet (Kay), Mary-Robin Redd (Pokey), Jessica Walter (Libby), Kathleen Widdoes (Helena). In 1966 Lumet was nomitated for the Golden Bear at the Berlinale.

. [cite book
last = McCarthy
first = Mary
authorlink =
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title = The Group
publisher = Harvest/HBJ
year = 1963
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isbn = 1991 reprint:ISBN 0-15-637208-8]

References

* Charles Poore. "The Group, by Mary McCarthy". In: The New York Times, 29. August 1963.