22ndnd Period May 17 Period May 17thth, 2005, 2005

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Ephron was born May 19, 1941 in New York City to screenwriters

Phoebe & Henry Ephron, who wrote plays such as

There’s No Business Like Show Business, Desk Set, and What

Price Glory.

In 1944 Ephron moved to Beverly Hills, California with her parents

and three sisters Delia, Hallie, and Amy. The whole family thoroughly

enjoyed “verbal jousting.” .”

Naturally, her senior year, she

became the associate editor of

the Wellesley College News.

Ephron attended Wellesley College, where all she could think about was moving to New York to

become a journalist.

Ephron also wrote many letters home to her parents

during her college years that served as inspiration

for their comedy Take Her, She’s Mine.

Ephron then graduated from Wellesley in 1962 with a degree in Journalism. She

fulfilled her dream by moving back to New York to become a reporter for the

New York Post for five years.

Ephron gained popularity as

her work appeared in

famous publications

like

The New York Times Magazine Good Housekeeping &

Esquire.

vEphron also gained fame through her

books Crazy Salad, Scribble, Scribble & Heartburn. These

were all bestsellers for women during the Women’s Liberation

Movement of the 70s & 80s.

Ephron first married young to writer Dan

Greenburg; a man quite obsessed with

his hamsters.

After her relationship with Greenburg ended, she married

Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein. With Bernstein

Ephron had two sons, Jacob and Max. However, Ephron later

found he was having an affair and chose to leave him as well.

Finally,Ephron married her

current husband,

screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi,

in 1987.

Following her parents’ footsteps, Ephron later moved into screenwriting. She first popped onto the scene with Silkwood, which she co-wrote with Alice

Arlen.

This first screenplay eventually

granted Ephron her first of a few Academy Award

Nominations.

Ephron continued to write screen plays but

eventually chose to explore directing,

producing, and a bit of acting as well.

Silkwood (1983)

Heartburn (1986)

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Cookie (1989)

My Blue Heaven (1990)

This is My Life* (1992)

Sleepless in Seattle* (1993)

Mixed Nuts* (1994)

Michael* (1996)

You’ve Got Mail* (1998)

Hanging Up (2000)

Bewitched* (2005)

* wrote screenplay and directed film

• Scribble, Scribble: Notes on the Media (1978)

• Heartburn (1983)

• Wallflower at the Orgy (1970)

• Crazy Salad: Some Things About Women (1975)

"So many of the conscious and unconscious ways men and women treat each other

have to do with romantic and sexual fantasies that are deeply ingrained, not just in society

but in literature. The women's movement may manage to clean up the mess

in society, but I don't know whether it can ever clean up the mess in our minds."

-Nora Ephron

• 1960 – The FDA approved the Birth Control Pill

• 1963 – The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan was published.

• 1964 – The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was established which prevented discrimination based on sex.

• 1966 – Friedan and other feminists established The National Organization for Women (NOW).

• 1971 – A sample of Ms. Magazine article is first published in New York Magazine.

The Women’s The Women’s movement movement

“But [the stories] are true, I’m afraid. Bizarre and weird, but true. And

because they are, the book, in its sleazy, slapdash, pseudo-sociological way, is fascinating—both for what it

says about the women as for the men in their lives.”

~ Nora Ephron, “Girls in the Office”

““Girls in the Office”Girls in the Office”

Girls in the Office appears to be a book review for the Jack Olsen novel

Girls in the Office.

Ephron, however, actually spends more time addressing the women in the book than actually discussing the the novel

itself.

The StoryThe Story

To address the women in the book who put up with childish male tendencies and

sacrifice their female qualities to appeal to men.

Purpose:Purpose:

A Deeper LookA Deeper Look

Theme:Theme: Women should focus more on themselves and not sacrifice themselves to boost the

male ego.

A Deeper LookA Deeper Look

Analytical and unsympathetic

Audience:Audience:

Females in general, particularly those that conform to society’s idea of a

woman

Tone:Tone:

Literary Devices:Literary Devices:

A Deeper LookA Deeper Look

• Cites Examples of particularly bizarre relationships

• Uses logos when asking why women submit to men that act like boys

• Humor is employed to emphasize her apathetic nature towards the naive women and their approach to men

“We were sent off into a college environment that expected us to grow up to be soothing women, women who could preside at the

dinner table or at a committee meeting and when two people disagreed, we would be intelligent enough to step in, soothingly, to

point out the remarkable similarities between the opposing positions. We were to spend our

lives making nice."

““Reunion”Reunion”

~ Nora Ephron, “Reunion”

In this story Eprhon takes the audience to her 10-year reunion with

her Wellesley classmates.

She states that she is there merely to write about it, but in the end she

reveals that she enjoyed the reunion and is still cares about her college

years.

The StoryThe Story

To attack the college institutions that protect women and do not prepare them for the world

outside teaching and homemaking.

Purpose:Purpose:

Theme:Theme:Colleges contribute to the subordinate role of

women in society and educate them according to that standard.

A Deeper Look…A Deeper Look…

A Deeper Look…A Deeper Look…

Tone: Tone:

Point of View: Point of View:

Understanding yet angry.

First person, which enables Ephron to speak from personal experience

and establish credibility.

• Juxtaposition/Relevant example: juxtaposes an incident of advice she and a previous graduate received.

• Appearance vs. Reality: Wellesley appears to be well-rounded and educational but is not

• Analogy: “This college is about as meaningful to the educational process in America as a perfume factory is to the national economy.”

• Diction: “Mickey Mouse Institution”

Literary Devices: Literary Devices:

A Deeper Look…A Deeper Look…

Three tabloid reporters travel to see the Three tabloid reporters travel to see the angel Michael.angel Michael.

However, they find the only thing angelic However, they find the only thing angelic about Michael are his wings.about Michael are his wings.

Michael then agrees to go to Chicago with Michael then agrees to go to Chicago with the reporters. On the way Michael the reporters. On the way Michael

performs various miracles and performs various miracles and demonstrates the power of love.demonstrates the power of love.

The StoryThe Story

To demonstrate that one large To demonstrate that one large miracle will not heal the world. miracle will not heal the world.

Instead, people should note the Instead, people should note the smaller miracles in life that have an smaller miracles in life that have an

important impact.important impact.

A Deeper Look…A Deeper Look…

Purpose & Purpose & Theme:Theme:

A Deeper Look…A Deeper Look…

Devices : Devices :

Pathos: used to identify with emotions of audiencePathos: used to identify with emotions of audience

Irony: Michael is not a typical angel and he died Irony: Michael is not a typical angel and he died before arriving in Chicagobefore arriving in Chicago

Michael’s name: “Michael” was a principle angel and the Michael’s name: “Michael” was a principle angel and the war-cry of the good angels in the battle between good and war-cry of the good angels in the battle between good and evil.evil.

“My mother wanted us to understand that the tragedies of your life one day have the potential to be

comic stories the next.”

~Nora Ephron

Bibliography

Complete List of Works:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001188/

Background Information:

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall99/Kirkman/ephronbio.htm

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/a17418-2004Nov1.html

www.hollywood.com/celebs/detail/celeb/195557

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10275b.htm

Women’s Movement:

http://search.eb.com/women/articles/women’s_liberation_movement.html

www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html

College.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_030902_iifrom1960to.htm