Irving, John: *1942

The World According to Garp, 1978 - Information About the Book

General Information | Facts | Author | Title | Commentary | Articles | Podcasts

General Information
- Good for Discussing:
  Feminism
  Gender Roles
  The Tensions Between Art, Identity, and Societal Expectations
- "The World According to Garp" tells the life of T. S. Garp—a writer raised by his fiercely independent mother—as he navigates love, loss, parenthood, and the absurd dangers of everyday life in a world that is both comic and tragic. See Summary.
- Information from Wikipedia
- Information from Encylcopedia
- John Irving’s inspiration for writing “The World According to Garp.”
  
  Irving’s time in Austria during the 1960s influenced several of his works, including Garp. His experience as a writer and his reflections on the challenges of being an artist are mirrored in Garp’s journey as a struggling author.
  Irving incorporated personal concerns into the narrative. For instance, Garp’s obsession with safety reflects Irving’s own anxieties as a parent. Additionally, the character Jenny Fields’ feminist ideals and unconventional choices echo Irving’s interest in challenging traditional societal norms.
Facts
- Awards:
  
  Some of the notable awards are:
  National Book Award for Fiction: In 1980, "The World According to Garp" won the National Book Award for Fiction, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the United States. This recognition helped solidify its place in American literature.
  The novel has also garnered numerous other honors, including being named one of the 100 best English-language novels by Time magazine and included in The Guardian's list of the 100 greatest novels of all time.
- General Perception
  
  The novel received widespread critical acclaim and became a bestseller. Critics praised Irving's storytelling prowess, particularly his ability to blend tragedy and comedy. Irving's narrative style, characterized by its intricate plot and detailed character development, garnered particular attention.
  Over the years, "The World According to Garp" has maintained its status as a modern classic. It is frequently included in discussions of important American literature from the late 20th century and remains a popular and influential work in Irving's bibliography.
  
  Overall, "The World According to Garp" was and continues to be celebrated for its originality, emotional impact, and insightful commentary on human nature and society.
- Reader Rating:
Author
- John Irving says the title "The World According to Garp" was actually a mistake. CTV
- The Novel Was Never Meant to Be This Timeless: "The novel was always a feminist novel, but in the passage of time I’ve become more of a feminist." John Irving; November 21, 2018
- John Irving on why The World According to Garp is more relevant now than he ever imagined. Author John Irving reflects on the book that made him famous 40 years after its release.
Title
- Symbolic meaning:
  Garp, the main character, is a writer, and much of the novel deals with the chaos, unpredictability, and sometimes absurdity of life. The title suggests that the novel presents a world filtered through Garp’s experiences, imagination, and personal struggles.
  It also hints at subjectivity—everyone experiences the world differently, and this is Garp’s version of reality.
  
  Broader implication:
  
  The phrase can be used more generally to describe someone’s unique worldview or philosophy, especially when it’s quirky, unusual, or deeply personal, just like Garp’s.
Commentary
- John Irving's "The World According to Garp" is a masterful exploration of life’s chaos, the unpredictability of human ambition, and the complexities of relationships. Through the story of T.S. Garp, Irving delves into themes of mortality, love, and identity, blending tragedy and comedy in a way that is both poignant and absurd.
  The novel captures the eccentricities of its characters, particularly Garp’s fiercely independent mother, Jenny Fields, whose radical feminism and unconventional life choices challenge societal norms. Garp himself embodies the struggle to reconcile personal ambition with familial responsibilities, navigating the unpredictability of life with a mix of humor, passion, and occasional despair.
  
  Irving’s storytelling is rich with metafictional elements, as Garp’s own writings mirror the chaos and beauty of the narrative itself. The book is also a critique of the dangers of fanaticism, as evidenced by the extremists who emerge in response to Jenny’s autobiography.
  
  Ultimately, "The World According to Garp" celebrates the messy, often painful, but deeply meaningful experiences that define human existence. Irving’s ability to balance the grotesque and the tender, the comic and the tragic, makes this novel a timeless and deeply affecting meditation on what it means to live fully and authentically.
Articles: General Information | Detailed/Scholarly Information
- General Information:
- Garp’s fiction is autobiographical in spirit, though not always in detail. Each story is a lens into his psyche:
  “Grillparzer” = emotional disconnection and early existential musings.
  “Vigilance” = paranoia and possessiveness in relationships.
  “Bensenhaver” = violent grief and the blurred line between healing and harm in storytelling.
  
  John Irving uses Garp’s fiction to externalize internal conflict, showing us how personal experience fuels creative work—and how writing becomes both a refuge and a reckoning.
- Capsule Review: "The article offers a personal and opinionated summary of the novel with some descriptive details and critique." Josh Philip Ross; December 17, 2022
- Book Review: "The article gives a general overview of the novel’s themes and characters with some critical points on social issues and narrative style." The Writerly Review
- Kirkus logo: "The review gives a fairly detailed summary of the novel’s plot and style, noting its broad scope and digressive storytelling." Kirkus Reviews; May 1, 1978
- Books of the Times: "The article gives a general overview of Irving and the novel’s significance and touches on thematic elements (Irving as a storyteller, the book’s stature) but isn’t a deeply detailed literary analysis." The New York Times; April 13, 1978
- Analysis: "The article provides a moderately informative overview of the novel by placing it within John Irving’s broader body of work, summarizing its themes, major events, and stylistic qualities." Literary Theory and Criticism; December 24, 2018
- Garp, Forty Years Later: "The article offers a thoughtful, thematic exploration, focusing on gender, sexuality, death, and tolerance." Academia
- Detailed/Scholarly Information:
- Laughing at the Damndest Things: "The article gives a thoughtful and clear analysis of the novel, showing how John Irving uses black humor to make readers laugh at extreme and violent events while also appreciating the imagination behind the narrative." Literary Hub; May 2, 2017
- A Feminist Study: "The article offers a focused feminist analysis of The World According to Garp, exploring how the novel portrays women, gender issues, sexual violence, and feminist themes through its characters and narrative." Research Gate; November 2020
- Subversion of Literary Conventions: "The novel offers a clear, scholarly analysis, focusing on how Irving subverts traditional literary conventions through pleasing techniques, interwoven narratives, and the interplay of violence, humour, and genre." Research Gate; November 2020
Podcasts:
- Podcast
  Colin McEnroe and Jim Chapdelaine explain how they felt about Garp when the book came out and how they feel about it now.