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Why Be Happy When You Could
Be Normal?
By Jeanette Winterson
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Is a memoir by J.Winterson the writer tells about her life with no chronological order
Constance Winterson
the book is dedicated to her three mothers: Ruth Rendell
Ann S.
Constance Winterson is her foster motherRuth Rendell is her ‘writer and literary’ motherAnn S. is her biological mother
The structure of the novel is composed with the title: what expectation is created? What does ‘be normal’ mean and what does ‘be happy’ mean? J. Winterson wants to pave the way of what she is going to tell us.
The memoire is divided into 15 chapters and a final coda
SETTING
MANCHESTER
Was the city where J.Winterson was born in 1959. Manchester was the world’s first industrial city; it was radical – Marx and Angels were her. It was repressive – the Perterloo Massacres and the Corn Laws. It was Utilitarian and Utopian – its Quakerism, feminism, anty-slavery movement, socialism, comunism
ACCRINGTON
Was the city where J.Winterson grew up and spent her childhood with her foster parents.
‘I LIVED ON A LONG stretchy street with a town at the bottom and a hill at the top’ from Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal
CHARACTERS
MAIN CHARACTERS
Jeanette Winterson: protagonist and novelist
Mrs Winterson: Jeanette’ s adoptive mother
Mr Winterson: Jeanette’s adoptive father
OTHER CHARACTERS
Helen: Jeanette’s first girlfriend
Susie Orbach: Jeanette’s girlfriend
Ruth Rendell: ‘writer and literary mother’
Ann S: biological mother
Gary: brother
STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
1° CHAPTER: THE WRONG CRIB
The first chapter is an introductory chapter where the novelist narrates about her difficulties in being an adoptive child and the difficulty in taking part of a new family: that’s why she felt in a wrong crib
2° CHAPTER: MY ADVICE TO ANYBODY IS: GET BORN
The second chapter describes the town where the writer was born. It shows Manchester during the Industrial Revolution
STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
3° CHAPTER: IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD
The third chapter tells about the life in Jeanette’s family sphere where the Bible had an important role because it was a religious family
4° CHAPTER: THE TROUBLE WITH A BOOK
The fourth chapter underlines the important role of the books in Jeanette’s life and the conservatory and austerity believe about life of her adoptive mother
STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
5° CHAPTER: AT HOME
The fifth chapter explains how reading books makes the novelist feel as if she was at home
6° CHAPTER: CHURCH
The sixth chapter tells about the relationship between Jeanette and the Church. It shows also the first omosexual love for a girl named Helen
STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
7° CHAPTER: ACCRINGTON
The seventh chapter tells about the town where Jeanette spent her childhood
8° CHAPTER: THE APOCALYPSE
The Apocalypse is a part of the Bible and it is associated to Mrs Winterson. In this chapter Jeanette discovers her omosexuality and Mrs Winsterson’s disapproval is shown
STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
9° CHAPTER: ENGLISH LITERATURE A-Z
The nineth chapter focuses the reader’s attention on Jeanette’s attitude in reading all the English Literature in order to excape from the real life and to take refuge in the literature world
10° CHAPTER: THIS IS THE ROAD
The tenth chapter shows the women’s conditions during the Industrial Revolution and Jeanette’s attitude to make the society homophobicless
STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
11° CHAPTER: ART AND LIES INTERMISSION
The eleventh chapter tells about Jeanette’s life during her university and her point of view about literature
12° CHAPTER: THE NIGHT SEA VOYAGE
The title of the chapter reminds of a dark atmosphere night
The Sea Voyage Jeanette’s walk of life
STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
13° CHAPTER: THIS APPOINTMENT TAKES PLACE
IN THE PAST
The thirteenth chapter tells about Jeanette’s memories regarding her parents and the death of her father
14° CHAPTER: STRANGE MEETING
The fourteenth chapter describes Jeanette’s meeting with her biological mother and her emotions and feelings are shown
STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
15° CHAPTER: THE WOND
The title of the last chapter refers to the pains linked to the neglet and to the adoption that Jeanette had suffered during her life
CODA
Coda is a brief conclusion of the memoir where Jeanette explains how the book was born and how the relationship with her biological mother followed