The World According to Garp Introduction

In a Nutshell

In the world according to Shmoop, The World According to Garp is a pretty big deal.

The novel follows the life of T.S. Garp, a small fellow with a big dream: to become the greatest writer in the world. And guess what? His path is not without obstacles (it'd be a much shorter book otherwise), including the runaway literary success of his feminist mother, the slow disintegration of his marriage, and countless personal traumas. But despite these setbacks—and maybe because of them—Garp becomes, as he likes to say, the "real thing."

But that's just scratching the surface. Along the way, you'll meet an endearing cast of characters like John Wolf, the fast-talking publishing executive, and Roberta Muldoon, the former Philadelphia Eagle and now transgender icon. You'll encounter bizarre political movements like the Ellen Jamesians, loveable old coots like Dean Bodger, and less loveable young weirdoes like Pooh Percy.

That's not bad for one book, right? It's no wonder the novel—author John Irving's fourth—was a huge hit when it was published in 1978. It was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1979, going on to win the award the following year. And then, of course, there's the 1982 film adaptation starring Glenn Close and Robin Williams. You know you've made it when Patch Adams himself is starring in the movie adaptation of your book.

So set aside your own perspective for a while, and get ready for The World According to Garp.

 

Why Should I Care?

If you thought the Red Wedding from A Game of Thrones was rough, then just wait until you read The World According to Garp.

In the novel, John Irving makes you fall in love with his characters… only to throw them into harrowing situations with huge consequences. A parent's paranoia grows into something totally malevolent; an innocent affair ends in tragedy; and a desire to improve the rights of women ends in political assassination. Good times, right?

Thing is, this is how life works sometimes. Although The World According to Garp is about many things—from sexuality to gender roles to political extremism—the novel is fundamentally about the sometimes amusing, sometimes horrifying, absurdity of life.

The reality is that no matter how much we plan, no matter how many Google calendars we fill out, we're never going to be able to control this thing called life. The good news, though, is that by spending some quality time with our good friend T.S. Garp, you just might just learn a thing or two about how to survive this wild ride—or at least how to enjoy it while it lasts.