Fiction - Science Fiction & Fantasy

Joyce Carol Oates’s prize-winning story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” takes up troubling subjects that continue to occupy her in her fiction: the romantic longings and limited options of adolescent women; the tensions between mothers and daughters; the sexual victimization of women; and the American obsession with violence. Inspired by a magazine story about a serial killer, its remarkable portrait of the dreamy teenager Connie has made it a feminist classic. Connie’s life anticipates the emergence of American society from the social innocence of the fifties into the harsher contemporary realities of war, random violence, and crime. The story was the basis for the movie Smooth Talk, which became the subject of much feminist debate. This casebook includes an introduction by the editor, a chronology of Oates’s life, an authoritative text of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” an essay by Oates on Smooth Talk, the original Life article about the serial killer, ten critical essays (including two about the film), and a bibliography.

Admission & Signed Copy grants you admission for one, plus one signed copy of the book. Admission & Gift Card grants you admission for one, plus one $15 gift card to our store. Admission and the signed copy and/or gift card will only be available for pick-up at the event, so please select “in store pick-up” as your shipping method. Payment is required at the time the order is placed. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Please note that if you order a book but do not attend the event, your book will be held at the Strand’s basement holds desk for one week after the event. Please note that some of our events are recorded and posted online. By purchasing a ticket you are agreeing to your image and likeness being used.

Ten billion days – that is how long it will take the philosopher Plato to determine the true systems of the world. One hundred billion nights – that is how far into the future Jesus of Nazareth, Siddhartha, and the demigod Asura will travel to witness the end of all worlds. Originally published in 1967, the novel was revised by the author and republished in 1973p.