Bright lights, big city door Jay Mclnerney

1. Title: Bright Lights, Big City
Author: Jay McInerney
Publisher: Wolters-Noordhoff
First published in: 1984
Number of pages: 120 2. The main character is 24 years old and lives in New York. His name is unknown. He works at a magazine. His mother died a year ago due to cancer. His wife Amanda has suddenly left him. He is addicted to cocaine and he very often goes to nightclubs. He has a friend called Tad, who is a party animal. He tries to look normal to the outside world, but he isn’t. He can’t face the facts of his own life. Then the main character is fired and he goes further into the downward spiral. He wants to pick up his old life, but he can’t do it at that point. But at the end of the story, he meets his brother, they talk about their mother. Gradually he begins to pick up his old life. 3. Positive character traits

He is very polite to everyone; this is of course a good thing. He is capable to recover from a bad situation, at the end of the book it is seen that he is going back to his old life, which is a better one than the one he used to have. He is good at not taking things (and life) too seriously; this is useful in situation where something bad happens. Negative character traits
He is sometimes very arrogant, he doesn’t mind other people like Megan. Megan takes care of the main character, but he doesn’t do a thing back. He often forgets appointments he makes, such as a date with Vicky. If he keeps doing this other people will reject him. He lets himself being tempted to use drugs, he isn’t good at saying no, e.g. against Tad Allagash. 4. Passage 1 (page 12): I was impressed with the last paragraph of this page. Particularly the last sentence had me impressed. It has an impact on the reader; you want to read on, because you want to know what happens to the main character. That’s what’s good in this book, the good use of the English language. Passage 2 (page 31): I was impressed of this passage because of the humor: “At the left margin you type, ‘Dear Amanda,’ but when you look at the paper it reads ‘Dead Amanda.’”. There was more of this humor on this page, and that’s what I like in a serious novel like this. It keeps you pinned to the book, that’s what’s so good about this passage. I had to laugh loud out about it. Passage 3 (page 120): The end of this book made a great impression on me. It had me moved. Because of the build-up you are glad for the main character that he is crawling out of his deep valley. His life is beginning to build itself up. “You will have to learn everything all over again”. This is a nice end to a very nice novel. Also the metaphorical language on this last page is very good. When the main character trades his sunglasses for bread, he’s also starting a new life. 5. Never fear shadows... they simply mean there\'s a light shining somewhere nearby. The proverb means that you must not think pessimistic, it is better to always be optimistic and everything will be all right. It is seen in the book that the main character is at a low in is life (shadows), but gradually he comes back to his old life, a better life (light). This can also be achieved by thinking optimistic. It was the last straw that broke the camel\'s back. This proverb means that there is a limit to everything. You can load the camel with lots of straw, but finally it will be too much and the camel\'s back will break. And it is only a single straw that breaks its back; this is the last straw. In the book Amanda is the last straw, when she calls that she won’t be back, the main character collapses. Where there\'s a will, there\'s a way. It means that if we have the determination to do something, we can always find the path or method to do it. The main character is working his way back to the top in the book, and this can only be achieved by determination.
6. I think this book will be a classic of all times, although the book itself isn’t timeless. This fact gives the book a classic feeling. But the most important reason for this book to be a classic is that it’s written in the second-person perspective. This is what the book will be remembered for. The second-person perspective sees to that Bright Lights, Big City is a gripping book and also a very realistic one. Another reason for this book to be a classic is that it is a rare book where everything is good: the plot, the characters and the writing style. It also isn’t a superficial story; the story that is being told has a deeper meaning that underlies everything: nothing is what it seems to be. The last reason I choose for this book to be a classic is that it is book of its own time. This book could only be written at the time it is written: the end of the twentieth century. Cities were growing, people were working in boring offices, values were fading away and drugs were becoming a part of life in this period. The Internet wasn’t so popular in that era. The story could be seen as the story of the fourth quarter of the twentieth century: a classic. 7. Jay McInerney was born in Connecticut on 13 January 1955 and he is the author of seven novels. His most recent work was published in 2000: Bachus & Me, a book about wine. His first novel, Bright Lights, Big City, was made into a successful film with Michael J. Fox and Kiefer Sutherland. His inspiration for Bright Lights, Big City comes from the fact that he lived in Manhattan in that time, the novel is also considered as an autobiographical novel. Beside the books he writes Jay has also written many short stories and articles. He now writes a wine column in House and Garden Magazine. Jay McInerney married three times in his life and these days he spends half his year in Nashville, where he lives with his third wife, the Nashville jewelry designer and socialite Helen Bransford, and their young twins. Jay McInerney writes for a variety of publications, and has a wine column in House and Garden Magazine. He has published a book about wine entitled Bacchus and Me. At present, he is working on his next novel. 8. A letter to the main character (I’ll call him ‘José’) Dear José, You’ve had a rough time and I don’t know if you’re in the shape to read this letter. But please try it. I’m really glad that you met your brother. I know you are still torn by the death of your mother. You must accept your loss. I’m sure you brother will help you process her death. But the most important thing is that you abandoned the nightclubs. They were tearing you up, and it was a good time to walk away from those bright lights and your Bolivian Marching Powder. I’m really glad with the way your life is going, José! We can surely meet again if you want to, then you can give me some of your white bread. I’d like that very much. You have a responsibility to the living, you see? Take care of your loved one and all the pieces will fall in their places, go and make something of it. I know you can. With regards, Theije Visser
9. The best book I read was Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney. I liked this book so much because of the reality and because it’s about New York, a city I am fascinated by. I also liked the humour the writer uses. My opinion is that a book can’t be serious if it doesn’t contain any humour. The last thing I liked about the book was the deeper meaning of it. The book with the most literary value I read was Being There by Jerzy Kosinski. This is also a book that will be remembered for a long time. Its point of view is also very interesting. Chance is someone who never goes out. The world we live in is seen from different eyes, this very interesting. I think it is better to give an old-fashioned oral examination or a written test in class. It would also be good if there were a number of multiple-choice questions. This test is better because it’s easier to prepare for than the book reports. The book reports are too much work for the students. 10. The assignment I would give is an assignment with expression. The students must write a screenplay for a movie. This means this screenplay must be suitable for the big screen. For instance the students must add more action and drama. The screenplay is for a big-budget Hollywood movie. They must also choose what type of music fits this movie and what actors/actresses they want for this movie. The assignment that I once had and really liked was an assignment where you had to write a poem about the book. I like this better than to draw a picture or something like that. A poem is something literary, and this fits a good novel.