"Blonde"
Blonde is a biographical fiction novel written by Joyce Carol Oates and published in 1999. This story portrays the life of Marylin Monroe according to Oates' fictional view of the superstars life.
Summary
Blonde was created by Joyce Carol Oates and depicts a fiction version of the life of Marilyn Monroe. In this novel you see the fictional story of Monroe's life play out from Oates' own view. The story follows the trials and tribulations she faces as a career driven woman in a world of exploitations men trying to make a dollar on the back of a beautiful and talented woman.
Analyzing the Impact
The impact of Oates' rendition of Marilyn Monroe's life was significant as she drew attention to the struggles Monroe must have faced in a time where the industry she was a part of was dominated by men who saw women as inferior. It shined a spotlight on the misogyny, exploitation, and the tragic outcome of her declining mental health struggles (Showalter).
Why it matters?
Oates' book Blonde matters because at a time when mental health, stardom, and abuse were ignored she paid tribute to the struggles a rising star had to endure to become the nation figure Marilyn Monroe became (Sheree).
Joyce Carol: Writing Blonde
In this short clip taken from an interview between Eric Anderson and Joyce Carol Oates, she explains what it was like to write Blonde and how taxing it was at times. She wanted to portray Norma Jean and what it took from her to become the iconic actress we all know as Marilyn Monroe. Although this video is long the link will skip ahead, listen up to 9:17 for Oates' recollection on what it was like as the writer of Blonde.
https://youtu.be/DhEmuVPHCMs?si=q6Ukb2DPU7Ipeoit&t=381
