Bright Lights, Big City (novel)
Encyclopedia
Bright Lights, Big City is an American novel
by Jay McInerney
, published by Vintage Books
on August 12, 1984.
New York City
fast lane. It is one of the few well-known English-language novels written in the second person
, and its main character is unnamed. He is a writer who, by day, works as a fact checker for a high-brow magazine—likely based on Harpers
or The New Yorker
, where McInerney himself once worked as a fact checker—for which he had once hoped to write. By night, he is a party-goer, a cocaine
user, seeking to lose himself in the hedonism of the 1980s yuppie
party scene, often going to the nightclub
Heartbreak. His wife, Amanda, recently left him and he copes with this by pretending nothing happened and telling no one that she's gone. Initially hopeful that she will return someday, he eventually resorts to searching for her at a fashion event. He obsesses over every item she owned in his apartment, every modeling photo and every club she visited, even repeatedly visiting a mannequin based on her. Also, his partying is affecting his work and he appears to be on the verge of getting fired by his temperamental boss.
The novel would go on to be the source material for the 1988 film Bright Lights, Big City
, which was also written by McInerney. In 1999, an off Broadway stage musical was produced by the New York Theater Workshop, written by Paul Scott Goodman and directed by Michael Grief, with orchestrations and musical direction by Richard Barone
.
by R&B musician Jimmy Reed
. His song was later covered by a number of artists, including The Rolling Stones
, The Animals
, Neil Young
, Donald Fagen
and Jason Mraz
. The first verse of Reed's song ("Bright lights, big city...gone to my baby's head....I tried to tell the woman but she...don't believe a word I said") is a gloss on McInerney's novel. The protagonist's wife Amanda is drawn to New York's bright lights, eases into a modeling career that neither she nor her husband take seriously, and is ultimately seduced by that brightly-lit and vapid world in a way that leads her to abandon him.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Jay McInerney
Jay McInerney
John Barrett McInerney Jr. is an American writer. His novels include Bright Lights, Big City; Ransom; Story of My Life; Brightness Falls; and The Last of the Savages...
, published by Vintage Books
Vintage Books
Vintage Books is a publishing imprint founded in 1954 by Alfred A. Knopf. Its publishing list includes world literature, fiction, and non-fiction...
on August 12, 1984.
Plot
It is written about a character's time spent caught up in, and notably escaping from, the mid-1980s1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
fast lane. It is one of the few well-known English-language novels written in the second person
Second-person narrative
The second-person narrative is a narrative mode in which the protagonist or another main character is referred to by employment of second-person personal pronouns and other kinds of addressing forms, for example the English second-person pronoun "you"....
, and its main character is unnamed. He is a writer who, by day, works as a fact checker for a high-brow magazine—likely based on Harpers
Harpers
The Harpers are a fictional and semi-secret organization in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the role playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
or The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, where McInerney himself once worked as a fact checker—for which he had once hoped to write. By night, he is a party-goer, a cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
user, seeking to lose himself in the hedonism of the 1980s yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
party scene, often going to the nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
Heartbreak. His wife, Amanda, recently left him and he copes with this by pretending nothing happened and telling no one that she's gone. Initially hopeful that she will return someday, he eventually resorts to searching for her at a fashion event. He obsesses over every item she owned in his apartment, every modeling photo and every club she visited, even repeatedly visiting a mannequin based on her. Also, his partying is affecting his work and he appears to be on the verge of getting fired by his temperamental boss.
The novel would go on to be the source material for the 1988 film Bright Lights, Big City
Bright Lights, Big City (film)
Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 drama film starring Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland and Phoebe Cates, based on the novel of the same name by Jay McInerney. It was the last film directed by James Bridges before his death in 1993.-Plot:...
, which was also written by McInerney. In 1999, an off Broadway stage musical was produced by the New York Theater Workshop, written by Paul Scott Goodman and directed by Michael Grief, with orchestrations and musical direction by Richard Barone
Richard Barone
Richard Barone is a rock musician born in Tampa, Florida who gained attention as frontman for The Bongos. He works as a songwriter, arranger, author, director, and producer, releases albums as a solo artist, tours, and has created major concert events at Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl and New York's...
.
Putative source
The title of the book matches that of a 1961 blues songBright Lights, Big City (1961 song)
"Bright Lights, Big City" is a blues song written and recorded by Jimmy Reed in 1961. It became one of Reed's most popular songs, reaching number three in the R&B chart and number fifty-eight in the Hot 100. The song was included on the album Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall...
by R&B musician Jimmy Reed
Jimmy Reed
Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed was an American blues musician and songwriter, notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries...
. His song was later covered by a number of artists, including The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, Donald Fagen
Donald Fagen
Donald Jay Fagen is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan ....
and Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
. The first verse of Reed's song ("Bright lights, big city...gone to my baby's head....I tried to tell the woman but she...don't believe a word I said") is a gloss on McInerney's novel. The protagonist's wife Amanda is drawn to New York's bright lights, eases into a modeling career that neither she nor her husband take seriously, and is ultimately seduced by that brightly-lit and vapid world in a way that leads her to abandon him.
In Popular Culture
- CSI: NYCSI: NYCSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
episode "American Dreamers"- A heavily read copy of Bright Lights, Big City is found at the scene of a murder. The plot and main themes of the novel are mentioned throughout the episode. - In the 2005 episode of Six Feet Under entitled "The Silence", Bright Lights, Big City is mentioned several times and Ruth Fisher, one of the main characters of the show tries to visit a reading of Jay McInerney.