A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE by MORLEY CALLAGHAN
SUMMARY
Ed Shore is an author living in a city with his wife. The house the Shores inhabit is next to a river which separates the more affluent side of the city from the less affluent side of the city, with the Shores being fortunate enough to live on the affluent side of the city.
Alexander Delaney is known as 'Al' and Al is a taxi driver and graduate student who is working on a dissertation concerning Norman Mailer and similar modern authors, and Delaney plans to develop his dissertation into a book following his graduation. Delaney meets a woman named Lisa Tolen one night while he is out driving his taxi and gives her a ride. Al and Lisa both live across the river from Ed Shore. Lisa and Al talk about literature at a bar where Al's brother Jake serves alcohol. Lisa goes to Al's house for the night. Al and Lisa see Shore's picture in the newspaper and, because she lives near Shore, Lisa meets Ed Shore. Realizing that Al does not have a lot of money and cannot afford to rent his own apartment comfortably, Lisa asks Al to move in with her.
Al accepts Lisa's offer. He repaints one room of Lisa's house and writes in the repainted room. Lisa types all of Al's work as Al writes the work by hand. Al procrastinates and decides to write his dissertation on Ed Shore, rather than Norman Mailer. Growing frustrated with Al's lack of progress, Lisa contacts Ed Shore again and arranges a meeting between Al Delaney and Ed Shore.
Shore and Delaney meet one night and speak as they walk. Delaney tells Shore that Shore's work helped Delaney to understand life, and Shore tells Delaney that Shore does not know the meaning of life and the reason why Shore's work makes life seem more complicated is that life begins to seem more complicated to Shore each time he thinks about it. Shore and Delaney go for a drive and Shore stops the car to pick up a newspaper which Shore pays for by sliding a quarter under the plastic binding holding the bundle of newspapers together. Shortly after Shore and Delaney get back in their vehicle, a police officer named Jason pulls over Shore's car.
The police officer accuses Shore of stealing the newspaper and, after Shore successfully shows the police officer proof of payment for the newspaper, the police officer writes Shore a ticket for a broken tail light. Shore insists that he will protest the ticket in court. The police officer leaves and Jason goes home.
Lisa finishes typing Al's notes into a book and shows the notes to Al. Al dislikes Lisa's arrangement of Al's notes to portray Ed Shore in a negative light, and Al tells her that he doesn't want to finish the dissertation he originally planned to do. Lisa pressures Al to finish his dissertation and Al leaves Lisa's home.
Lisa contacts Ed Shore after she has not seen Al for several days. Ed Shore tells her not to worry because it is natural for a writer to become upset when a writer is overworked. Al comes back to Lisa's apartment to get his notes, and Lisa claims that all the work Al completed in Lisa's home is Lisa's property, and they fight. Lisa destroys Al's notes.
The police officer who ticketed Ed Shore for having a broken taillight, Jason, has a mistress and a wife. Jason becomes frustrated and beats his mistress. Jason's wife is unstable and after a breakdown, he takes her to a sanitarium. On Jason's first shift home from delivering his wife at the insane asylum, Jason and his partner stop a teenager named Juan Gonzalez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, in an alley. When Juan reaches for his driver's license, Jason, mistakenly assuming Juan is reaching for a gun, shoots Juan. Juan's younger brother witnesses the killing.
Jason goes on trial for shooting Juan and Ed Shore is called as a character witness by the prosecution. Ed and Al meet and watch several days of the trial prior to the day on which Ed testifies. Ed offers to interview Jason and get Jason's side of the story, but Jason refuses Ed's request. Al becomes frustrated with Ed's sanctimonious treatment of Jason's plight and calls Ed self-righteous before leaving. Ed Shore gives an unflattering testimony concerning Jason.
After the trial, Al and Lisa reconcile. Ed Shore is hit by a car while he is walking home drunkenly one evening. Al feels remorseful for departing Ed with harsh words, but Al is glad because Al feels he understands Ed's work more than Ed did.
ANALYSIS
This book deals with the intentional fallacy, which is when a reader attempts to discover what the author was trying to communicate rather than what the piece does, in fact, effectively communicate to the reader. Ed does not intend the meaning that his pieces communicate to Al, while Al feels that because he understands Ed's personality from an outsider's perspective, he can see what environmental factors drove Ed to write in the manner that Ed did.
Sexual issues are also prevalent in this book. While Lisa appears to be an obedient woman as she types up Al's notes, she is quietly assuming ownership of the notes. Al is too conceited or naive to realize that Lisa expects recompense for her contribution to Al's success.
Ed is prone to keeping up appearances. The book details that Ed keeps a manicured lawn, and projects the appearance of a good neighbor, while quietly Ed's marriage is failing. The most revealing detail about Ed's shrouded personality is the manner in which he conceals his drunkenness after walking home from a poker game with a man who has a bad reputation each week. Ultimately, Ed dies because he was too drunk to spot a car driving toward him, although he may not have appeared drunk to an average bystander who Ed projected the image of a perfect, orderly neighbor to.
Many of the character surnames in this book are Irish, although none of the characters' first names are Irish. There may be a subtext about anti-Irish discrimination for lacking the appearance of conformity. Ed Shore is an example of conformity to urban, English culture, and Shore is described as wearing a bowl hat which "looks very Irish".
The reader never learns of Jason's fate in the trial. Other than that loose end, the book is an interesting read with a surprising ending. Callaghan did an excellent job of making a story about authors sitting and chatting interesting.
SOURCE
Callaghan, Morley. A Fine and Private Place: A Novel. New York: Mason/Charter, 1975. Print. Book about an author discussing his work with a graduate student.
SUMMARY
Ed Shore is an author living in a city with his wife. The house the Shores inhabit is next to a river which separates the more affluent side of the city from the less affluent side of the city, with the Shores being fortunate enough to live on the affluent side of the city.
Alexander Delaney is known as 'Al' and Al is a taxi driver and graduate student who is working on a dissertation concerning Norman Mailer and similar modern authors, and Delaney plans to develop his dissertation into a book following his graduation. Delaney meets a woman named Lisa Tolen one night while he is out driving his taxi and gives her a ride. Al and Lisa both live across the river from Ed Shore. Lisa and Al talk about literature at a bar where Al's brother Jake serves alcohol. Lisa goes to Al's house for the night. Al and Lisa see Shore's picture in the newspaper and, because she lives near Shore, Lisa meets Ed Shore. Realizing that Al does not have a lot of money and cannot afford to rent his own apartment comfortably, Lisa asks Al to move in with her.
Al accepts Lisa's offer. He repaints one room of Lisa's house and writes in the repainted room. Lisa types all of Al's work as Al writes the work by hand. Al procrastinates and decides to write his dissertation on Ed Shore, rather than Norman Mailer. Growing frustrated with Al's lack of progress, Lisa contacts Ed Shore again and arranges a meeting between Al Delaney and Ed Shore.
Shore and Delaney meet one night and speak as they walk. Delaney tells Shore that Shore's work helped Delaney to understand life, and Shore tells Delaney that Shore does not know the meaning of life and the reason why Shore's work makes life seem more complicated is that life begins to seem more complicated to Shore each time he thinks about it. Shore and Delaney go for a drive and Shore stops the car to pick up a newspaper which Shore pays for by sliding a quarter under the plastic binding holding the bundle of newspapers together. Shortly after Shore and Delaney get back in their vehicle, a police officer named Jason pulls over Shore's car.
The police officer accuses Shore of stealing the newspaper and, after Shore successfully shows the police officer proof of payment for the newspaper, the police officer writes Shore a ticket for a broken tail light. Shore insists that he will protest the ticket in court. The police officer leaves and Jason goes home.
Lisa finishes typing Al's notes into a book and shows the notes to Al. Al dislikes Lisa's arrangement of Al's notes to portray Ed Shore in a negative light, and Al tells her that he doesn't want to finish the dissertation he originally planned to do. Lisa pressures Al to finish his dissertation and Al leaves Lisa's home.
Lisa contacts Ed Shore after she has not seen Al for several days. Ed Shore tells her not to worry because it is natural for a writer to become upset when a writer is overworked. Al comes back to Lisa's apartment to get his notes, and Lisa claims that all the work Al completed in Lisa's home is Lisa's property, and they fight. Lisa destroys Al's notes.
The police officer who ticketed Ed Shore for having a broken taillight, Jason, has a mistress and a wife. Jason becomes frustrated and beats his mistress. Jason's wife is unstable and after a breakdown, he takes her to a sanitarium. On Jason's first shift home from delivering his wife at the insane asylum, Jason and his partner stop a teenager named Juan Gonzalez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, in an alley. When Juan reaches for his driver's license, Jason, mistakenly assuming Juan is reaching for a gun, shoots Juan. Juan's younger brother witnesses the killing.
Jason goes on trial for shooting Juan and Ed Shore is called as a character witness by the prosecution. Ed and Al meet and watch several days of the trial prior to the day on which Ed testifies. Ed offers to interview Jason and get Jason's side of the story, but Jason refuses Ed's request. Al becomes frustrated with Ed's sanctimonious treatment of Jason's plight and calls Ed self-righteous before leaving. Ed Shore gives an unflattering testimony concerning Jason.
After the trial, Al and Lisa reconcile. Ed Shore is hit by a car while he is walking home drunkenly one evening. Al feels remorseful for departing Ed with harsh words, but Al is glad because Al feels he understands Ed's work more than Ed did.
ANALYSIS
This book deals with the intentional fallacy, which is when a reader attempts to discover what the author was trying to communicate rather than what the piece does, in fact, effectively communicate to the reader. Ed does not intend the meaning that his pieces communicate to Al, while Al feels that because he understands Ed's personality from an outsider's perspective, he can see what environmental factors drove Ed to write in the manner that Ed did.
Sexual issues are also prevalent in this book. While Lisa appears to be an obedient woman as she types up Al's notes, she is quietly assuming ownership of the notes. Al is too conceited or naive to realize that Lisa expects recompense for her contribution to Al's success.
Ed is prone to keeping up appearances. The book details that Ed keeps a manicured lawn, and projects the appearance of a good neighbor, while quietly Ed's marriage is failing. The most revealing detail about Ed's shrouded personality is the manner in which he conceals his drunkenness after walking home from a poker game with a man who has a bad reputation each week. Ultimately, Ed dies because he was too drunk to spot a car driving toward him, although he may not have appeared drunk to an average bystander who Ed projected the image of a perfect, orderly neighbor to.
Many of the character surnames in this book are Irish, although none of the characters' first names are Irish. There may be a subtext about anti-Irish discrimination for lacking the appearance of conformity. Ed Shore is an example of conformity to urban, English culture, and Shore is described as wearing a bowl hat which "looks very Irish".
The reader never learns of Jason's fate in the trial. Other than that loose end, the book is an interesting read with a surprising ending. Callaghan did an excellent job of making a story about authors sitting and chatting interesting.
- Man studies a local author for his dissertation
- man and local author are stopped by a police officer
- officer kills a different boy and local author is called as a character witness
- local author dies and man finishes dissertation
SOURCE
Callaghan, Morley. A Fine and Private Place: A Novel. New York: Mason/Charter, 1975. Print. Book about an author discussing his work with a graduate student.
