Middlesex discussion

Can you please explain is there any reason to name a person 'chapter eleven'? Is that a joke? I couldn't complete the book, but I liked the writing here and there. I thought the book wandered too much, but the writing here and there, as I said, is high class. I'm very impressed by a few descriptions. That is why I rated this book 4 stars. Just for that brilliancy the writer occasionally showed. But I just couldn't complete the book. The Story just didn't get hold of me.

But can somebody please explain if there is any significance in naming a person 'Chapter Eleven'. Is that a joke on the Readers?

I think this is a reference to Bankruptcy and the hot dog stand.

A chapter eleven is a kind of bankruptcy. I think after what he did to their father's business Cal called him that the way you might call somebody who dropped something important 'Butter fingers'

@ Tiffmoney and Jess - Thanks a lot for your replies. Really helpful. I was really confused about that naming. Now, I'll read that novel again with fresh mind. I'll try to finish it. Thank you for giving me clarity regarding this.

No problem :)

I had the same problem. I kept thinking it had to do with the eleventh chapter and kept trying to analyze it. Oh that's embarrassing xb

It bothered me too, though generally I liked the book very much. I had forgotten about Chapter 11. You always think you will learn the real name, but you don't.

Jaye wrote: "Della wrote: "It bothered me too, though generally I liked the book very much. I had forgotten about Chapter 11. You always think you will learn the real name, but you don't."

It bothered me too..."

Well the child wasn't really named that... just like the Object wasn't really named that either. I believe it was a device used to express the distance and mood/feeling between those characters and cal.

Yes, like the narrator called his first love, "The Object of My Desire." I thought it was a very good book and it held my interest.

Thanks for clearing that up! I too expected the meaning of his name would be revealed.
After a while I became accustomed to his mysterious name.

Raquel wrote: "I had the same problem. I kept thinking it had to do with the eleventh chapter and kept trying to analyze it. Oh that's embarrassing xb"

Me too lol. I skipped to that chapter and skimmed it but couldnt find an answer. Never thought about the bankruptcy angle. Man do I feel stupid....

Really didn't think so many people have been troubled with this Chapter Eleven name. :)

That answer provided above should have had "spoiler alert" written into it as I don't think it is resolved until near the end, is it? I feel sorry that the author probably had to answer that question at every author's event.

A.H. wrote: "That answer provided above should have had "spoiler alert" written into it as I don't think it is resolved until near the end, is it? I feel sorry that the author probably had to answer that questi..."

I don't really think noting it as a spoiler alert is necessary because why would you be browsing through this thread if you hadn't read the book yet?

The name Chapter 11 was a bit odd. Parts of this book were wonderful & other parts just dragged. I read some of it via audio, just to get thru it. The (male) narrator in the audio did a fantastic job. In more parts then one, the story makes the reader think about their own sexuality, which perhaps c/b difficult.

you cannot read something 'via audio'. some of it you read, some of it you listened to. and why should it be difficult for someone to 'think about their own sexuality.' why read a book called MIDDLESEX, for one thing, if you aren't interested in the obvious subject matter.

Jess wrote: "A chapter eleven is a kind of bankruptcy. I think after what he did to their father's business Cal called him that the way you might call somebody who dropped something important 'Butter fingers'"

Thanks for this explanation. I read the book some time ago and liked it, but I could not find the reasoning behind this name. :)

A.H. wrote: "That answer provided above should have had "spoiler alert" written into it as I don't think it is resolved until near the end, is it? I feel sorry that the author probably had to answer that questi..."

I don't think it's a spoiler since the answer is apparently never divulged by the narrator (as so many people were confused by it). This is the height of arrogance on the part of the author, who is not interested in anyone getting the joke because he's so pleased with his own cleverness. I read the book a long time ago, but this thread reminds me how I wasted a good deal of time pondering this issue. I liked a lot about the book, but Jeffrey Eugenides is too in love with himself and needs to learn to EDIT.

Aditya wrote: "Can you please explain is there any reason to name a person 'chapter eleven'? Is that a joke? I couldn't complete the book, but I liked the writing here and there. I thought the book wandered too m..."

It isn't a joke. He refers to him as chapter 11 because that is what he does to the business, ruins it, therefore, claiming bankruptcy = chapter 11.

I had wondered about the strange character name. Not knowing the bankruptcy link, I just took it to be that he was featured in the textbook Cal was in as a case study source... Maybe time for a re-read :)

I'm afraid I'm going to take us off in a completely different direction, but I understood that Chapter 11 was a reference back to the immigration requirements - something his grandparents may have had to memorize... Am I completely on another planet in thinking this?

OK - I was completely off base (see message 23). Here's the "real" answer, from Eugenides himself:

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/M...

All you readers who suspected Chapter 11 bankruptcy were spot on.

Wikipedia.

This is such a common term in American business, I'm a little bit amazed that some people haven't heard of it. Googling "Chapter 11" returns 374,000,000 hits. Just apropos nothing in particular, that's twenty times as many as Oprah gets.

I recognized the term as relating to bankruptcy...I just couldn't believe the connection was so obvious. Shame on me.

I read it when i was 14 and had know idea about the bankruptcy term, I still didn't understand it until now. Thank you.

Wow, I am ashamed at how stupid I feel right now. Also extremely relieved being that I reread chapter 11 looking for the answer. Thanks guys! There's an ego check for me.

I thought the name was quite clever, although I only understood the joke after finishing the book and realizing the name stood for the way that "Chapter 11" ran the family business into the ground.

This book contains many, many instances of foreshadowing as explained by the "gun on the mantel" reference. Through this reference, the author promises that anything not immediately explained will be revealed by the end of the story, and I feel as though that promise was delivered on in a excellent and clever way.

Not for the faint of heart, Middlesex is a book written for "people who read books" and I loved the subtlety which which the story is told. Definitely a re-read for me as I feel as though the second reading will uncover many gems skimmed over in my first read.

As soon as Cal/liope introduces his/her brother calling him Ch. 11 at the beginning of the story I knew what it meant... however the Q mark was dragged on til the very end [as if it was somehow placed at the heart of the story] with no apparent closure on the reason him being called that way (other than dissolving the hot dog business) which I thought was a bit odd especially for those readers outside the US as the name was left as Chapter Eleven and they have no way of knowing what the hell that stands for unless they closely followed the events of financial crisis of 2009 in the US. Other than that I enjoyed it immensely and I'm definitely looking forward to reading GE's other books. Last but not the least big congrats to Solmaz Kâmuran (an author in her own right as well as being an excellent literary translator) who translated the Middlesex into Turkish flawlessly.

I listened to this on CD. I found it difficult to get in to it at first, but if you take the time to get the rhythm of the author's writing style, it is worth it.

I started it over again a few weeks later. There is so much that a second read is worth it.

just read this and didn't make the connection to chapter eleven bankruptcy...clever

Starting it now. I find the “Chapter 11” moniker annoying and distracting to the story, and I’m only on chapter one! I had to STOP reading to go find an answer.
I agree with reviewer Cary, who said JE is too clever and arrogantly pleased w/ himself to think/edit this bit. It seems rude to the reader. But still reading the book, expecting it to be a great read, nonetheless.
I dislike the high toned judgement of reviewer Darrell, who so patronizingly clarifies for Sally the difference between “read” vs. “listen”. How absurd and pedantic. Many MANY intelligent and successful people say they “read a book” to which they merely listened. Get over it. It’s colloquial. Furthermore, Sally never said she wasn’t *interested* in the topic of Middlesex. Clearly she was; she chose it to read. She merely said parts of the book could make you question your own sexuality, which could be hard for some people. These are true words. What’s the problem with that statement?
People read self help books containing difficult possible truths to read, but they soldier on. Interest does not equate to ease of reading. In fact, in many cases, “difficult” books are the ones we should be reading!
Sally saying parts of the writing dragged, but the narrator did a fantastic job, is not the same as saying she is not interested in the topic. Others have said the same about the writing style.
Judging from “Chapter 11”, I will agree.

Although Eugenides cited Chapter 11's name as a bankruptcy reference, I always thought it was because Chapter 11's birth happened over the course of chapter 11...maybe it's both?

Ashley wrote: "I thought the name was quite clever, although I only understood the joke after finishing the book and realizing the name stood for the way that "Chapter 11" ran the family business into the ground...."

I agree with your comments on the use of foreshadowing in the book and that the book is 'for people who read books'. There is the feel of an intellectual exercise at times. I do think this can somewhat take away from the telling of the story.
I liked the descriptions and the language use but I felt overall the main theme of interest to me prior to reading was the sexuality of the main character and I think this could have been dealt with a bit more.
The background stories are well observed but I felt a little let down at the end that I didn't gain any huge insight into the main character's identity issues and how they were resolved.

Sam wrote: "Wow, I am ashamed at how stupid I feel right now. Also extremely relieved being that I reread chapter 11 looking for the answer. Thanks guys! There's an ego check for me." Me too. I should have caught the bankruptcy reference.