Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions

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Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions
Bigfishnovel.jpg
First edition cover
Author Daniel Wallace
LanguageEnglish
Genre Magical realism
PublisherPandher Books
Publication date
October 1, 1998
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages180 pp
ISBN 1-56512-217-8
OCLC 39269578
813/.54 21
LC Class PS3573.A4256348 B5 1998

Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions is a 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace. It was adapted into a film, Big Fish , in 2003 by Tim Burton. A musical adaptation starring Norbert Leo Butz premiered in Chicago in April 2013. [1]

Contents

Plot summary

A young man (William Bloom), at the deathbed of his father (Edward Bloom), tries to reconcile his memories of his dad with the person he really is. Where as he always saw his father as an irresponsible liar, he comes to understand his dad's exaggerations.

The book is written in a chronological (although they may not appear so at first) series of tall tales. Despite the novel's first-person narration, there is no present tense part of the book. The various stories are Will's retelling of tales that Edward has told about his life. The 'My Father's Death Take' chapters are William planning out his final conversation with his father in his head and how it will go, so that when the actual conversation takes place, he will be able to get to bottom of the truth and of truly understanding his father.

The book draws elements from the epic poem the Odyssey and James Joyce's Ulysses . [2]

Characters

References

  1. Heller, Scott (September 6, 2012). "'Big Fish' Musical to Open in Chicago". New York Times.
  2. Longman, Will (July 27, 2017). "A brief history of Big Fish, the Broadway musical coming to London". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved December 3, 2020.