Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions
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| Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions | |
 First edition cover |
|
| Author | Daniel Wallace |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Algonquin Books |
| Publication date | October 1, 1998 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 180 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 1565122178 |
Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions is a 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace. It was adapted into a film, Big Fish, in 2003 by Tim Burton.
[edit] Plot summary
A young man (William Bloom) at his father's (Edward Bloom) deathbed tries to reconcile his memories of his dad with who he really is. Whereas he always saw his father as an irresponsible liar, he comes to understand his dad's exaggerations and their roots in reality.
The book is written in chronological (although they may not appear so at first) series of tall tales. Despite the novel's first-person narration, there is no present tense part of the book. The various stories are a retelling of tales that Ed has told about his life. The 'My Father's Death Take' chapters are William planning out his final conversation with his father in his head and how it will go, so that when the actual conversation takes place, he will be able to get to the truth.
The book draws a few elements from the epic poem The Odyssey, James Joyce's Ulysses, and American tall tales.[citation needed]
[edit] Interpretation
The idea behind Big Fish is to get readers to interpret the stories' truths & exaggerations. A few 'facts' are known about Edward Bloom:
- He was born in Ashland.
- He attended college at Auburn.
- He married Sandra Kay Templeton.
- He was a sailor in the military aboard a vessel called the Nereid and helped many of his comrades to get to safety after the boat was hit by a torpedo.
