The Plastic Age

Last updated
First edition, with a picture from the movie that was released a year after the book was published ThePlasticAge.png
First edition, with a picture from the movie that was released a year after the book was published

The Plastic Age (1924) is a novel by Percy Marks that tells the story of Hugh Carver, a student at a fictional men's college called Sanford. With contents that covered or implied hazing, smoking, drinking, partying, and "petting," the book sold well enough to be the second best-selling novel of 1924. The book was, however, banned in Boston. [1] The following year, it was adapted into a film of the same name, starring Clara Bow.

Contents

Marks was an English instructor at Brown University at the time of publication. Previously he taught at Dartmouth College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Brown's administration took offense at the book, which they perceived to be a barely disguised version of Brown, and Marks's teaching contract was not renewed. [2] The Plastic Age provides a composite image of 1920s campus life with many references to campus traditions at Dartmouth and Brown including bonfires, beanies, and fraternity rushing. The novel is notable for its depiction of students attending a film, a lightly fictionalized representation of the Nugget Theater in Hanover, NH which had opened in 1916. Marks and his book remained popular on college campuses for several years after the book's publication. Students—including humorist S. J. Perelman—protested his release and a satire of the book, titled, "The Plastered Age," by E.Z. Mark, was produced on campus; but to no avail. [2] Marks left academia for many years and devoted his time to writing books.

In 1928, under the title Red Lips , the novel was again adapted into a film. This remake starred Charles "Buddy" Rogers, who had just co-starred with Clara Bow in a different film, Wings , the previous year.

The Plastic Age was reprinted in 1980, in a series subtitled "Lost American Fiction," from Southern Illinois University Press and continues to be available in book form from other sources.

Characters

Related Research Articles

Dartmouth College Private university in Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth College is a private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is the ninth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native Americans in Christian theology and the English way of life, Dartmouth primarily trained Congregationalist ministers during its early history before it gradually secularized, emerging at the turn of the 20th century from relative obscurity into national prominence.

Wabash College Liberal arts college in Indiana, United States

Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum in three academic divisions with 39 majors.

Hiram College Private liberal arts college in Hiram, Ohio, US

Hiram College is a private liberal arts college in Hiram, Ohio. It was founded in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute by Amos Sutton Hayden and other members of the Disciples of Christ Church. The college is nonsectarian and coeducational. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Hiram's most famous alumnus is James A. Garfield, who served as a college instructor and principal before he was elected the 20th President of the United States.

Lehigh University University in Pennsylvania

Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer.

Portland State University Public university in Portland, Oregon

Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades and was granted university status in 1969. It is the only public university in the state of Oregon that is located in a large city. It is governed by a board of trustees. PSU is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

Washington and Lee University Private liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia

Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia. Established in 1749 as the Augusta Academy, the university is among the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States. Washington and Lee's 325-acre campus sits at the edge of Lexington and abuts the campus of the Virginia Military Institute in the Shenandoah Valley region between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains. The campus is approximately 50 miles (80 km) northeast from Roanoke, 140 miles (230 km) west from the state capital of Richmond, and 180 miles (290 km) inland southwest from the national capital at Washington, D.C.

University of West Georgia Public university in Carrollton, Georgia, United States

The University of West Georgia is a public university in Carrollton, Georgia. The university offers a satellite campus in Newnan, Georgia, select classes at its Douglasville Center, and off-campus Museum Studies classes at the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta, Georgia. A total of 13,238 students, including 10,411 undergraduate and 2,827 graduate, were enrolled as of Fall 2019. The university is also one of four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia.

Alpha Chi Alpha

Alpha Chi Alpha (ΑΧΑ) is a fraternity at the American Ivy League university of Dartmouth College. Alpha Chi Alpha is a member of Dartmouth's Greek system, which currently has fourteen fraternities, nine sororities and three co-ed undergraduate houses that fall under the umbrella of the Greek system.

Dartmouth College Greek organizations Host to Greek organizations

Dartmouth College is host to many Greek organizations, and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. In 2005, the school stated that 1,785 students were members of a fraternity, sorority, or coeducational Greek house, comprising about 43 percent of all students, or about 60 percent of the eligible student body. Greek organizations at Dartmouth provide both social and residential opportunities for students, and are the only single-sex residential option on campus. Greek organizations at Dartmouth do not provide dining options, as regular meals service has been banned in Greek houses since 1909.

Valparaiso University Lutheran university in Indiana

Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university located in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of 350 acres (140 ha).

<i>3-South</i> American animated TV series

3-South is an American adult animated series that aired on MTV from November 7, 2002 to January 16, 2003. The show focused on two lifelong friends, Sanford and Del, and their adventures at the fictional Barder College. With the exception of their roommate Joe, nearly everyone at Barder is stupid and inept. Nonetheless, the idiotic, irresponsible, and thoughtless Sanford and Del are portrayed as the series' heroes, whereas the responsible, intelligent Joe is the de facto villain in most episodes.

<i>The Rule of Four</i> Book by Ian Caldwell

The Rule of Four is a novel written by the American authors Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, and published in 2004. Caldwell, a Princeton University graduate, and Thomason, a Harvard College graduate, are childhood friends who wrote the book after their graduations.

<i>The Plastic Age</i> (film) 1925 film

The Plastic Age is a 1925 black-and-white silent film, starring Clara Bow, Donald Keith, and Gilbert Roland. The film was based on a best-selling novel from 1924 of the same name, written by Percy Marks, a Brown University English instructor who chronicled the life of the fast-set of that university and used the fictitious Sanford College as a backdrop. The Plastic Age is known to most silent film fans as the very first hit of Clara Bow's career, and helped jumpstart her fast rise to stardom. Frederica Sagor Maas and Eve Unsell adapted the book for the screen.

Harry Augustus Garfield American lawyer, academic and public official

Harry Augustus "Hal" Garfield was an American lawyer, academic, and public official. He was president of Williams College and supervised the United States Fuel Administration during World War I. He was a son of President James A. Garfield.

<i>Moo</i> (novel) Book by Jane Smiley

Moo is a 1995 novel by Jane Smiley. Its setting is a large university, known familiarly as "Moo U" because of its large agricultural college, in the American Midwest. The novel is a satire that uses a sprawling narrative style, following the lives of dozens of characters over the course of the 1989–1990 academic year. It was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.

Jean Hanff Korelitz American novelist (born 1961)

Jean Hanff Korelitz is an American novelist, playwright, theater producer and essayist.

Percy Marks was an American author and college English instructor best known for his best selling 1924 novel, The Plastic Age.

National University (California) Private university in the United States

National University (NU) is a private university with its headquarters in San Diego, California. Founded in 1971, National University offers academic degree programs at campuses throughout California, a satellite campus in Nevada, and various programs online. Programs at National University are designed for adult learners. On-campus classes are typically blended learning courses, concentrated to four weeks or on weeknights with occasional Saturday classes. The university uses asynchronous learning and real-time virtual classrooms for its online programs.

<i>Red Lips</i> (film) 1928 film

Red Lips is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring Marian Nixon, Charles "Buddy" Rogers and Stanley Taylor. It is based on the 1924 novel The Plastic Age by Percy Marks.

Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Like other members of the Ivy League, it is known for prestige, academic rigor and selective undergraduate admissions process. Among its peers, Brown is noted for a culture of campus activism and longstanding commitment to academic and intellectual freedom exemplified by its Open Curriculum and course "shopping period." The university has been described as the "progressive Ivy," "hip Ivy," and "creative Ivy."

References

  1. Noble, William (1990). Bookbanning in America : who bans books?--and why? . Middlebury, Vt.: P.S. Eriksson. p.  84. ISBN   0839710801.
  2. 1 2 Rubinton, Noel (September–October 2016). "Goldie's World". Brown Alumni Magazine. Retrieved September 23, 2016.