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- Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
In "What's-His-Name," George Barr McCutcheon crafts a compelling narrative that deftly explores themes of identity, fame, and human connection within the context of early 20th-century American society. Written in McCutcheon's characteristic blend of humor and keen social observation, the novel employs witty dialogue and richly drawn characterizations to paint a vivid picture of the protagonist's struggle with the ephemeral nature of fame. McCutcheon's literary style, which often straddles the line between romanticism and realism, invites readers into a world where the pursuit of recognition clashes with personal authenticity, culminating in a narrative that resonates with contemporary issues of celebrity culture. George Barr McCutcheon, a prominent American novelist of his time, was well-acquainted with the intricacies of social dynamics and the allure of success, having achieved popular acclaim with his earlier works. His experiences as a writer, combined with his keen observational skills, enabled him to witness the societal shifts happening around him. This insight provides a rich backdrop to "What's-His-Name," as McCutcheon delves into the complexities of personal versus public personas, rooted in an understanding of the era's cultural milieu. I highly recommend "What's-His-Name" to readers who appreciate incisive social commentary interwoven with humor and engaging storytelling. McCutcheon's work remains relevant, shedding light on the timeless struggles of self-identity and the quest for meaning amidst the clamor of public life, making it an important read for both literary enthusiasts and casual observers of human nature. In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience: - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019
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What's-His-Name
Table of Contents
Introduction
In What’s-His-Name, George Barr McCutcheon offers a gently comic yet pointed study of how the bright glare of ambition and public applause can reduce the steadfast partner in the shadows to a nameless afterthought, testing the bonds of love, the durability of self-respect, and the meaning of identity in a modern world that measures worth by the noise it can summon, the doors it can open, and the introductions it can command, while the quieter virtues of loyalty, patience, and humble competence struggle to be heard above the din of notoriety, spectacle, and the quicksilver judgments of fashionable society.
Published in the early twentieth century, What’s-His-Name sits comfortably within American popular fiction’s blend of domestic comedy and social satire. McCutcheon, an American novelist known for accessible storytelling, situates his narrative within the theatrical milieu that flourished as urban entertainment expanded. The book moves between small-town familiarity and the metropolis, tracing the pressures that accompany proximity to the stage. Readers encounter a world of managers, publicity notices, and opening nights, sketched with an eye for everyday detail rather than technical backstage minutiae. The period setting informs the manners and mores at stake, while the genre promises wit, sentiment, and humane observation.
At its outset, the novel introduces a good-natured husband whose life is reordered when his wife’s talents attract opportunity and attention, and his own presence begins to be acknowledged only in relation to hers. Drawn from a provincial rhythm into the bright circuitry of the theater, he follows her ascent, discovering that rooms can be full and still leave one person curiously invisible. The nickname implied by the title captures the slight that becomes a daily ache. McCutcheon frames these early developments with levity and sympathy, inviting readers to feel the comedy of social misrecognition and the ache beneath it.
McCutcheon’s style is crisp, conversational, and gently ironic, favoring brisk scenes, straightforward exposition, and dialogue that reveals character without heavy ornament. The mood oscillates between buoyant satire and tender pathos, never tipping into cynicism. The humor arises from situations and manners rather than barbed caricature, which keeps the narrative inviting even as it scrutinizes vanity and pretension. Readers can expect a steady pace, an approachable voice, and a storyteller’s instinct for clear stakes. The book’s charm lies in its balance: it entertains while steadily sharpening the questions that haunt its central figure about dignity, affection, and the cost of success.
Identity and naming form the book’s core thematic thread: who gets to be introduced, remembered, or celebrated, and what that does to a marriage built on mutual regard. Surrounding that are inquiries into ambition, class aspiration, and the contrast between small-town rootedness and cosmopolitan allure. McCutcheon also considers labor that is emotional rather than spectacular—the quiet work of sustaining a household and a relationship. Contemporary readers may find resonances with today’s celebrity economy and social media attention cycles, where proximity to fame can alternately elevate and erase. The novel invites reflection without lecturing, letting situations reveal their moral texture.
Situated against the rise of mass entertainment in early twentieth-century America, the story reflects the period’s assumptions about gender roles, propriety, and the public’s hunger for novelty. McCutcheon attends to the way managers, audiences, and newspapers shape reputations, and he contrasts that machinery with the intimacies of home. The text mirrors its era’s conventions while leaving space for readers to weigh them, especially as work and marriage intersect with public performance. Rather than providing a backstage manual, the book uses the theater as a lens on social aspiration and the fragile calculus by which people measure themselves and one another.
For readers seeking a classic novel that mingles warmth, wit, and quietly accumulating emotion, What’s-His-Name offers a rewarding experience. Its accessible prose and focused scope make it an inviting entry into early twentieth-century American fiction, while its questions about recognition, loyalty, and selfhood feel enduring. The book rewards patient attention to tone and implication, inviting empathy for ordinary virtues that can be undervalued in a spectacle-driven culture. Approached as both entertainment and social reflection, it yields a portrait of marital devotion tested by public life and a reminder that being seen and being valued are not always the same.
Synopsis
George Barr McCutcheon’s What’s-His-Name follows an unassuming young man in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century. Quiet, diligent, and largely overlooked, he earns a modest living and expects a steady, ordinary future. His life changes when a traveling theatrical company passes through, bringing with it a spirited young performer whose ambition and charm contrast with his reserve. Their quick courtship leads to marriage, and he finds contentment in domestic routines. Locals affectionately, and sometimes dismissively, call him “what’s-his-name,” a nickname that underscores his tendency to fade into the background as more forceful personalities take center stage.
As married life settles, practical worries emerge. Money is tight, and the opportunities in their town are limited. The young wife’s talent draws notice beyond the local stage, and a producer encourages her to try her luck in the city. Hesitant but supportive, the husband agrees to a move that promises advancement for her while offering uncertainty for him. They find a modest boardinghouse, he looks for work that fits around her rehearsal schedule, and the household expands its rhythms to include backstage demands. A child’s arrival deepens their responsibilities and complicates the balance between home life and professional aspirations.
In the metropolis, the wife’s career gains momentum. A new stage name, careful publicity, and the attention of patrons help her rise. The theatrical managers prefer an alluring public image, and the husband’s presence is minimized for marketing reasons. At gatherings, he is introduced vaguely, if at all, and the moniker “what’s-his-name” begins to carry a sharper edge. While she navigates rehearsals, fittings, and opening nights, he handles the everyday burdens of rent, errands, and childcare. Social differences become more apparent as wealth and influence circle around her, leaving him on the periphery of a world that treasures visibility.
Touring follows success, with long stretches of separation and strained correspondence. The husband keeps the home together on a strict budget, learning the city’s rhythms and its impersonal demands. Occasional invitations to her social events highlight their different spheres, and rumors about benefactors and admirers swirl around the company. He meets both kindness and condescension from those who see him as a hindrance to her ascent. Amid late trains and shifting engagements, he remains attentive to the child, cautious with household accounts, and respectful of her ambitions, even as practical hardships and public scrutiny magnify the fragility of their arrangement.
A summer interlude offers a return to familiar streets and steadier values. Back in the small town, friends and neighbors greet the family warmly, and the husband briefly regains a sense of place. Yet new contracts beckon, and the city’s promises—and pressures—prove difficult to resist. The wife follows the tour’s itinerary, and the husband, attentive to the child’s needs, weighs how to divide their time between stability and opportunity. Invitations from influential supporters tempt with comfort and prestige, and the husband’s instinct for privacy sharpens. The stage world and the domestic sphere continue to pull in different directions, testing patience and loyalty.
The strain culminates in an abrupt crisis that demands immediate decisions. Health concerns, financial urgencies, and intrusive publicity converge, laying bare the costs of a life lived under the spotlight. The husband, though often overlooked, proves resourceful in practical matters—consulting physicians, quieting speculation, and safeguarding the household from gossip. He absorbs the unglamorous tasks that keep the family afloat. Observers who once dismissed him begin to see a steadiness that does not require proclamation. The manager’s priorities and the family’s needs collide, bringing the quiet figure’s role into focus and revealing the uneasy trade-offs behind theatrical success.
Pressure intensifies as the company and its backers advance a plan meant to preserve the star’s image and momentum. Legalities, contractual clauses, and social expectations are all invoked to justify choices that would simplify publicity while complicating private life. The husband confronts these proposals with measured resolve, mindful of vows and of the child’s welfare. A frank reckoning follows between husband and wife, free of sentiment but attentive to facts: her path upward, his invisibility, their shared obligations, and the horizon each imagines. The turning point arrives in quiet conversation rather than spectacle, setting the stage for a decisive, personal course.
Consequences unfold with restraint. Careers are recalibrated, living arrangements reconsidered, and reputations adjusted by the same press that helped create them. The husband’s nickname changes in tone: once a slight, it becomes shorthand for reliability—someone who shows up when attention fades. The circle around the stage recognizes limits to publicity’s power over private bonds. Without grand declarations, practical arrangements emerge that allow work to continue and the household to function. The story moves toward closure by clarifying responsibilities and acknowledging the value of uncelebrated labor, leaving room for ongoing growth rather than an abrupt, melodramatic resolution.
What’s-His-Name presents a measured portrait of anonymity and renown, examining how public adoration can eclipse ordinary devotion. McCutcheon traces the friction between ambition and duty, the pressures of early twentieth-century entertainment culture, and the quiet heroism of people who make a life run. The novel suggests that worth is not confirmed by headlines or applause but by constancy under strain. By following events as they unfold—from courtship to career ascent, crisis, and accommodation—the book conveys its central message: identity can be grounded in steadfast responsibility, even when the world forgets one’s name, and the durable ties of family outlast passing fame.
Historical Context
Published in 1911, What’s-His-Name unfolds in the United States during the high tide of the Progressive Era, roughly the first decade of the twentieth century. Its geographic imagination straddles a modest Midwestern town—echoing the small-city culture of Indiana and Illinois—and the burgeoning theater world of New York City’s Broadway district, newly electrified and commercialized after 1900. Railroads and inexpensive intercity travel knit these places together, enabling touring theatrical companies and rapid migration from provincial life to metropolitan stages. The period’s urban dynamism—Times Square’s 1904 renaming, the 1904 subway, glittering marquees—and the lingering moral strictures of small-town America form the novel’s social weather, shaping its conflicts over respectability, marriage, ambition, and class visibility.
The rise of Broadway and the national booking system defined American entertainment between 1896 and 1910. The Theatrical Syndicate—formed in 1896 by Charles Frohman, Abe Erlanger, Marc Klaw, Al Hayman, Samuel F. Nixon-Nirdlinger, and Fred Zimmerman—monopolized bookings across hundreds of theaters, while the Shubert brothers (Sam, Lee, and J. J.) built a rival empire after 1905. Landmark venues such as the New Amsterdam Theatre (opened 1903) and the commercial rebranding of Longacre Square as Times Square (1904) signaled a centralized show business. McCutcheon’s novel mirrors this consolidation by tracing how a provincial household is disrupted by the lure and power structures of the metropolitan stage, where managers, impresarios, and patrons can eclipse private loyalties and small-town reputations.
Progressive-era moral reformers policed popular entertainment under the banner of social purity. The Comstock laws (1873) targeted obscenity in the mails, while theatrical censorship flared in cases like Olga Nethersole’s arrest for Sapho in New York (1900). Mayor George B. McClellan Jr.’s late-1906 revocations of amusement licenses dramatized municipal leverage over “immoral” plays. The White-Slave Traffic (Mann) Act of 1910, intended to curb coerced prostitution, cast suspicion on women’s interstate travel and nightlife. What’s-His-Name engages these currents by depicting an actress’s career as socially fraught: the heroine’s mobility, publicity, and work on a modern stage collide with older codes of domestic respectability, intensifying the husband’s marginal status and the community’s judgment.
Women’s expanding public roles shaped the decade. The National American Woman Suffrage Association staged high-profile New York City parades in 1910 and 1912, while reformers such as Jane Addams (Hull-House, 1889) and Lillian Wald (Henry Street Settlement, 1893) linked women’s civic engagement to labor and health. In New York, the 1909 garment strike—the Uprising of the 20,000—spotlighted young immigrant women asserting industrial rights. These changes normalized paid work, urban autonomy, and visibility for women. McCutcheon’s plot resonates with this shift: a wife pursuing a stage career embodies the “New Woman,” and the narrative tests how marriage, reputation, and motherhood fare when female ambition confronts patriarchal expectations in both provincial circles and the cosmopolitan press.
Financial turbulence and conspicuous wealth formed the era’s backdrop. The Panic of 1907 saw a near-50% stock market decline from 1906 highs, runs on trusts like the Knickerbocker Trust (October 1907), and a private rescue orchestrated by J. P. Morgan. The crisis led to the Aldrich-Vreeland Act (1908) and ultimately the Federal Reserve Act (1913), but in the short term it widened awareness of class fragility and plutocratic influence. McCutcheon’s story reflects this divide through contrasts between ordinary earners and patrons whose fortunes can make or unmake careers. The hero’s very nickname—anonymity in a world of celebrated names—echoes how concentrated capital and celebrity overshadow small-town competence, loyalty, and craft.
Urban industrial hazards came into sharp relief with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911, in Manhattan’s Asch Building, where 146 workers—123 women and girls, 23 men—died behind locked doors and inadequate fire escapes. The tragedy galvanized the New York State Factory Investigating Commission (1911–1915) and led to landmark safety and labor laws (1912–1913). While not a theater event, Triangle crystallized the precarious conditions facing working women in New York and the moral urgency of reform. What’s-His-Name channels this milieu: the metropolis promises wages and acclaim but also exposes women to risk, exploitation, and public scrutiny, amplifying the novel’s tension between aspiration, protection, and social accountability.
Marriage, divorce, and custody law in the 1900s framed intimate conflict. New York maintained the nation’s strictest divorce regime—adultery as the sole ground until 1966—pushing unhappy couples to migratory venues such as Sioux Falls, South Dakota (late 19th century, six-month residency) and Reno, Nevada (six-month residency by 1906). The tender years doctrine increasingly favored maternal custody, yet social judgment often targeted actresses as “unfit.” Simultaneously, the Mann Act (1910) blurred lines between protection and surveillance by policing interstate movement of women. McCutcheon’s plot leverages these legalities: separation, custody fears, and reputational harm gain urgency when a wife’s touring career collides with rigid divorce norms and the heightened suspicion aimed at women in public entertainments.
As social and political critique, the novel exposes early twentieth-century America’s inequities in gendered reputation, economic power, and cultural gatekeeping. It indicts the theatrical marketplace—dominated by syndicates and wealthy patrons—for commodifying talent and disrupting family bonds, while also evoking reform-era scrutiny that policed women’s autonomy more harshly than men’s. The husband’s erasure contrasts with the star system’s canonization of names, revealing how capital, publicity, and urban institutions assign worth. By staging conflict between provincial morality and metropolitan opportunity, What’s-His-Name underscores the double standards governing marriage, labor, and ambition, urging readers to reckon with a society that prizes spectacle and wealth at the expense of care, fairness, and civic ethics.
