In this third novel in kennedys depressionalbany series, the focus is on aging, bumming francis phelan, sire of smalltown gambler billy billy phelans greatest came, 1978. She was a singer on the radio, he a major league pitcher. Named for its tough stem, ironweed has excellent posture and never slouches in the garden. An exception is vernonia gigantea tall ironweed, which has hairless leaves and stems upon occasion. This third novel of kennedys albany cycle received wide critical acclaim, winning both the. Large, iridescent, redviolet, flattopped flower heads on top of tall, strong stalks from midsummer to fall give a rich display of color. Kennedys celebrated 1983 novel, ironweed, has won great acclaim over the years, and has earned a pulitzer prize, a national book critics circle award, and a penfaulkner award.
Literature lesson plans shakespeare quotes homework help literary. The flowers of ironweed are a rare color in the late summer landscape, and the brilliant purplecrimson bloom is very attractive to butterflies. Study guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. This study guide consists of approximately 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of ironweed. Tall ironweed is a member of the sunflower family asteraceae. Features numerous tiny, fluffy, deep purple, composite flowers rays absent in loose, 34 wide, terminal clusters. The same time frame and some of the same characters appear in ironweed, the final book of the cycle and the pulitzer prize winner. However, tall ironweed has a spreading inflorescence, and it is usually a taller plant as the name implies. In the morning the camera is looking at her through the the window of the door on which she appears to be leaning. In a 1992 interview with kennedy, former director of the new york state writers institute, the late tom smith. In limited space, cut the stems by half in early summer to control height. Analysis of william kennedys novels literary theory and.
All this time he has been tramping around the country, and now back home, he begins to take stock of his past life and come to terms with his family. When frances takes helen to sleep in the car, he puts her in the back seat from the drivers side. Based on the william kennedy novel of the same name ironweed is set in the waning years of the depression. Dec 24, 2018 home american literature analysis of william kennedys novels. Ironweed species in illinois, but it also occurs in moist open areas. First of all, since ironweed is the story of billy phelans father, who disappeared when the boy was only 9, the new book repeats or expands many of the scenes that tantalize us in the second. Francis phelan and helen archer are bums, back in their birth city. It won the pulitzer in 1984 beating out cathedral by raymond carver and the feud by thomas berger, neither of which i have read yet. January 23, 1983, sunday, late city final edition section 7. Ironweed takes place in albany over two days and two. Francis phelan returned to albany twenty two years after leaving his family to go on the run because he killed a strike breaker with a rock. Jack nicholson plays francis phelan, a washedup ballplayer a onetime infielder for the.
This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. The nectar of the flowers attracts bee flies, butterflies, skippers, and various bees primarily longtongued bees. It received the 1984 pulitzer prize for fiction and is the third book in kennedys albany cycle. Ironweeds can take their place in sunny moist beds and borders, rain gardens, and beside ponds and streams. I had not read kennedy before, but i am glad that i did. With jack nicholson, meryl streep, carroll baker, michael okeefe. It is native from ohio to north dakota south to missouri, oklahoma and texas.
This perennial plant is about 37 tall and usually unbranched, except near the inflorescence. Ironweed would be included on the modern library list, where, years later, some wildeyed bastard in brooklyn with a ridiculously ambitious reading project would finally get around to it. Francis phelan, haunted by ghosts from his past, returns home after twentytwo. In missouri, it typically occurs in low moist prairies and in swampy river bottom meadows north of the missouri river and in the western part of the state. Vernonia fasciculata is commonly called smooth ironweed because its leaves, stems and flower heads are distinctively glabrous. Giant ironweed is a member of the asteraceae, the sunflower family. The viking press finally agreed to publish ironweed in 1983 along with kennedys two previous novels, which are, like ironweed, set in albany, new. In addition to writing novels, kennedy coauthored the screenplay for the cotton club with francis coppola in 1984 and wrote the screenplay for ironweed in 1987. It attracts late season butterlies and monarchs and an excellent source of seeds for birds in the wildlife garden. Named for its tough stem, ironweed has excellent posture and never slouches in the garden making it an excellent high border garden plant. Vernonia noveboracensis, commonly called ironweed or new york ironweed, is a tall, coarse, upright perennial which typically occurs in the wild in moist thickets, low areas and along streambanks from massachusetts to mississippi. Unlike kennedys previous books, ironweed has no narrator or central consciousness.
William kennedys born, january 16, 1928 fiction is preoccupied with spirit of place, language, and style, and a mystic fusing of characters and dialogue. Ironweed is a 1988 american drama film directed by hector babenco. Analysis of william kennedys novels literary theory and criticism. The central stem is light green or purplish green, terete, and nearly glabrous to pubescent. Vernonia fasciculata common ironweed prairie moon nursery. Ironweed is a member of the composite family, also known as the asteraceae. Ironweed is set during the great depression and tells the story of francis phelan, an alcoholic vagrant.
As i expected, the movie paled in comparison to the book, despite the screenplay being written by kennedy himself. It is based on the pulitzer prizewinning novel of the same name by william kennedy, who also wrote the screenplay. The premise of the club is to read a novel and then view the movie at the group meeting that was based on the novel. Ironweed is loosely connected to kennedys earlier books by more than setting. Although his three previous novels had been highly praised, eleven major publishing companies rejected ironweed. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Ironweed by william kennedy meet your next favorite book. It has a tall erect stem and bears deep purpleblue flower heads in loose terminal clusters. Ironweed 1983billy phelans father, francis, a derelict on the run from his own demons and past mistakes, is the principal character of ironweed, a winner of the pulitzer prize and national book critics circle award for fiction.
The story concerns the relationship of a homeless couple. Vernonia acaulis stemless ironweed vernonia albicaulis. New york ironweed is an herbaceous species in a genus that consists of about 500 species of herbs, climbers, shrubs and trees. In it, kennedy tells the story of a bum who was once a well liked ballplayer and family man but lost i made a decision a few weeks ago that i would read all the pulitzer prize winners for fiction, beginning in the year i was born 1984 and continuing through the present. Sunny, moist beds and borders, rain gardens, low areas, and stream banks suit it well. An excellent addition to the pollinator garden, ironweed is a host plant for the american painted lady butterfly. Author william kennedy takes us into the mind and heart of a homeless vagrant and explores the situations which have. Small herbaceous species are distributed throughout the world, while shrubs and trees are native primarily to tropical regions. Analysis of william kennedys novels by nasrullah mambrol on december 24, 2018 0.
Lowmaintenance ironweed grows best with full sun and rich, moist almost acidic soil. In older manuals and guides, this family is called the compositae because the flowers are a composite of many flowers, often of different types. Features numerous tiny, fluffy, deep purple, composite flowers rays absent in loose, 34 wide, terminal clusters cymes atop stiff. The plants database includes the following 30 species of vernonia. Controlling ironweed plants has been equated with nuking a fortified bunker. This stately plant offers a large cluster of unusually brilliant purple flowers on top of 6 tall, unbranched stems. Francis may be making another freightcar voyageafter still another killing at the end of ironweed. It is based on the pulitzer prize winning novel of the same name by william kennedy, who also wrote the screenplay. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. On a bright late summer day, the purple flowers of ironweed glow. Common ironweed vernonia fasciculata is usually referred to simply as ironweed. When you have eliminated the javascript, whatever remains must be an empty page. The novel details a few days in the life of francis phelan, a drifter long estranged from his family, upon his return to albany in 1938, taking his story as a chance to.
Vernonia noveboracensis new york ironweed from north creek. Ironweed plant control learn how to kill ironweed in. It is included in the western canon of the critic harold bloom. Ironweed is the remarkable story of francis phelan, once a talented major league baseball player, husband, and father of three, who has fallen so far from grace that his home for the past twentytwo years has been the street. An alcoholic drifter spends halloween in his home town of albany, new york after. Dive deep into william kennedys ironweed with extended analysis. It stars jack nicholson and meryl streep, with carroll baker, michael okeefe, diane venora, fred gwynne, nathan lane and tom waits in supporting roles.
Ironweed by william kennedy chapter 7 summary and analysis. Species of vernonia are distributed around the world with representatives found in south and north america, asia, and africa. George stade is a professor of english at columbia university and author of confessions of a ladykiller, a novel. Ironweed 1983 billy phelans father, francis, a derelict on the run from his own demons and past mistakes, is the principal character of ironweed, a winner of the pulitzer prize and national book critics circle award for fiction. Ironweed, as you may have figured out, was the 1984 winner. Tall ironweed is found in wooded areas to a greater extent than other vernonia spp. Jan 10, 1983 first of all, since ironweed is the story of billy phelans father, who disappeared when the boy was only 9, the new book repeats or expands many of the scenes that tantalize us in the second. This perennial also thrives in casual cottage gardens, native prairie gardens, meadows, and other naturalized areas. Plants profile for vernonia baldwinii baldwins ironweed. At first we cannot quite make out his face, and when we can and see that the character is played by jack nicholson, there is a shock, for even in that first moment he seems to have been enveloped by the character.
This 36page guide for ironweed by william kennedy includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 7 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Click below on a thumbnail map or name for species profiles. Ironweed is the third book of william kennedys albany series which focuses on the character francis phelan, father of the protagonist of his previous book billy phelans greatest game and referring at times to events in the first book of this series, legs. Ironweed, any of about 500 species of perennial plants constituting the genus vernonia of the family asteraceae. Kennedys tactic is to keep his plot and francis phelans fate open to all possibilities. Ironweed is an unusual novel which william kennedy found difficult to get published.
Tall ironweed vernonia gigantea aster family asteraceae description. Bill segarra, tom smith, harry staley, and frank trippett. Members of the genus have lanceshaped, toothed leaves. Still, ironweed is a separate novel and need not be read in connection with its predecessors, although such knowledge does enhance the book. Tall ironweed vernonia gigantea illinois wildflowers. Kennedy was the latest selection for a book club ive recently joined.
An alcoholic drifter spends halloween in his home town of albany, new york after returning there for the first time in decades. You can do some damage but usually the plant will find its way back. Winner of the pulitzer prize and the national book critics circle award for fiction. The magus only months after writing this essay, we were extremely honored to interview william kennedy for the bat segundo show. A few tips on how to kill ironweed, like those found in this article, should help. Baldwin ironweed western ironweed this plant can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing ironweed near you. All this time he has been tramping around the country, and. Author william kennedy takes us into the mind and heart of a homeless vagrant and explores the situations which have brought francis to this heartbreaking station in life.
Ironweed is set during the great depression and tells the story of francis phelan, an alcoholic vagrant originally from. The story begins in a seedy albany bar, where four of the books. In a 1992 interview with kennedy, former director of the new york state writers institute, the late tom smith, characterized francis as one of the gigantic. That conversation runs 64 minutes and gets into kennedys entire career. The flowers of ironweed are like crimson torches in the late summer prairie. At first the shape simply seems to be some old debris, blown up against the side of a building, but then the shape stirs and we see that it is a man.