Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of Middlesex with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, which tells the story of Calliope, or Callie, who is born and raised as a girl in an American family of Greek descent. However, as a teenager Callie is revealed to be intersex following a car accident, and decides to begin living as a man named Cal. The novel charts the events leading up to this revelation, including the unusual history of Cal’s Greek family, and explores his struggles to fit in as either a man or a woman. Although the novel is not strictly autobiographical, many elements of it reflect Eugenides’ own life, and the author garnered praise for his sensitive depiction of the immigrant and intersex experiences. The novel was both a popular and critical success, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Apr 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9782808017909

Book preview

AMERICAN NOVELIST

Born in Detroit, Michigan (USA) in 1960.

Notable works:

The Virgin Suicides (1993), novel

The Marriage Plot (2011), novel

Fresh Complaint (2017), short story collection

Jeffrey Eugenides is an American writer who began writing novels and short stories in the 1990s. His first novel, The Virgin Suicides, was published to critical acclaim and later became an internationally successful film directed by Sofia Coppola. The success of the novel and the film made Eugenides a household name and his next two novels received wide international readership, with Middlesex winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003. His work is notable for its attachment to his birthplace of Michigan. Many of his stories are set there and reflect the diverse nature of the state and, in particular, the city of Detroit. Many aspects of modern American culture originated in Detroit, such as Motown music and the automobile industry, and Eugenides references these in his work in order to build a colourful and rich background to the narrative.

AN EXPLORATION OF FAMILY & IDENTITY

Genre: novel

Reference edition: Eugenides, J. (2003) Middlesex. London: Bloomsbury.

1stedition: 2002

Themes: gender, fate, modernisation, America, family

Eugenides’ second novel is a family saga, depicting multiple generations of the Stephanides family as they move from the Old World amidst danger and war to a new and strange life in America. It builds many dichotomies into its structure, such as nature