Annotated bibliography on Esthetician

Student

Professor

Class

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Thesis: John Cheever’s short story, “The Swimmer,” depicts the middle class struggle to discover

an identity in a world which values illusion over reality.

Annotated Bibliography

Allen, William Rodney. “Allusions to The Great Gatsby in John Cheever’s ‘The Swimmer.’”

Studies in Short Fiction 26 (1989): 289-93. William Rodney Allen is a professor of

English at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts and has published

articles and books on several American writers. Several studies throughout the 1990s cite

Allen’s work. Allen suggests Cheever uses The Great Gatsby to model Neddy Merrill’s

journey in “The Swimmer.” His main point pivots on the idea that both characters have

an idealized sense of their identities and are ultimately destroyed by the flaws in

American culture. While he stresses this importance, most of the article illustrates the

parallels between the texts. The lack of depth leaves room for the expansion of this idea

and could be a central point for a discussion on the projection of idealized social values.

Some research, such as the articles by Clinton Burhans and Michael Byrne, will serve to

complement this work.

Bell, Loren C. “‘The Swimmer:’ A Midsummer’s Nightmare.” Studies in Short Fiction 24

(1987): 433-36. Several works of the most current published criticism cite and

incorporate Loren Bell’s article. Even though it is brief, the article deals convincingly

with the elements of magic realism in the story. It explains the distorted reality by

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applying a dream motif to the story, similar to Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet’s suggestion

of the alcoholic stupor. Most important is Bell’s assertions and references to empty

dreams in the conclusion of her article. This suggestion works well with the empty house

and Neddy’s empty identity. Overall, it is a useful and interesting examination which will

be important when explaining Neddy’s relationship to the values he has accepted.

Blythe, Hal, and Charlie Sweet. “Alcoholism and ‘The Swimmer.’” Notes on Contemporary

Literature 22.4 (1992): 9-10. Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet are professors at Eastern

Kentucky University and have published numerous essays and notes on John Cheever

and “The Swimmer.” This brief essay suggests alcoholism is the blame for the elements

of fantasy and the discrepancies through the story rather than the explanations,

nightmares, collages, etc, offered by other scholars. Like the other articles written by

these authors, it stems from a close examination of the text and ultimately draws

conclusions about society’s values and use of alcohol. Since this is a popular topic with

Cheever critics, it could prove useful in dealing with possible reasons for the

discrepancies if discussing the story as a work of realism rather than magic realism.

---. “Cheever’s Dark Knight of the Soul: The Failed Quest of Neddy Merrill.” Studies in Short

Fiction 29 (1992): 347-52. Similar to their other articles which draw parallels between

“The Swimmer” and mythology, Blythe and Sweet intertwine the grail quest with

Neddy’s quest. However, Neddy, surrounded by a wasteland which lacks any semblance

of spirituality, comprises both the fisher king and the grail hero. Blythe and Sweet

suggest Neddy fails, even though the authors fail to provide sufficient evidence for this

suggestion, because of the selfishness he shares with his fellow suburbanites. This article

works well to establish an image of the suburban world Cheever has created. It also

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establishes Neddy’s desire to adhere to certain values advanced by his suburban world,

such as that of youth. While brief, a substantial works cited page, which includes several

noteworthy scholars from the late 1980s and early 1990s, supports the argument.

---. “An Historical Allusion in Cheever’s ‘The Swimmer.’” Studies in Short Fiction 26 (1989):

557-59. Blythe and Sweet continue to draw parallels between Neddy Merrill and other

figures, both literary and historical. This article focuses on Juan Ponce de Leon and his

search for the fountain of youth. Blythe and Sweet use a discussion of exploration and

discovery as well as a comparison between the two figure’s self-image. This article

leaves several gaps and once again asserts that Neddy fails in his quest, and like the other

articles, the authors fail to provide substantial support for their claims. However, an

important aspect to the story and the research is raised, the irony of the swimming pool’s

effects on Neddy. This is relevant to a discussion of the self-knowledge Neddy’s journey

provides.

---. “Man-Made vs. Natural Cycles: What Really Happens in ‘The Swimmer.’” Studies in Short

Fiction 27 (1990): 415-19. Blythe and Sweet attempt to make sense of the elements of

fantasy in “The Swimmer.” The authors suggest considering the story as a montage rather

than reading it as a linear episode. They support their claim through textual evidence and

employ a discussion of the natural cycles involved in the story. Blythe and Sweet make

important suggestions concerning Neddy’s refusal to accept the natural order of life. The

article is a brief, yet valuable piece which will aid a discussion concerning Neddy’s self

image.

---. “Neddy Merrill: Cheever’s Failed Adam.” Notes on Contemporary Literature 22.4 (1992):

10-11. The article draws a couple of useful conclusions about Cheever’s indictment of

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society’s values and Neddy’s misplaced values while comparing Neddy’s fall to that of

Adam’s fall from Eden. Even though brief, the article is useful for establishing Neddy’s

relationship with his society. Another possible use could be a comparison to other biblical

references of suburbia, such as in Stanley Kozikowski’s article which compares suburbia

to hell.

---. “The Odyssey of Ned Merrill.” Notes on Contemporary Literature 31.4 (2001): 3-4. This

brief essay compares Neddy’s journey and, in this case, Homer’s Odyssey. Useful only

because it makes an interesting point about Neddy’s need for his mistress—sex is an

elixir which enables Neddy to retain his youth. Also, the article raises the notion of

Neddy sacrificing everything for this eternal life. This alludes to Neddy’s desire to belong

to a larger group and maintain a social cohesion which affords him this lifestyle—a point

mentioned previously by Clinton Burhans.

Burhans, Clinton S. “John Cheever and the Grave of Social Coherence.” Twentieth Century

Literature 14 (1969): 187-98. Clinton Burhans was a professor of English at Michigan

State University. Joe Weixlmann’s American Short-Fiction Criticism and Scholarship,

1959-1977 includes this article as one of the important works from the time period

covered by the bibliography. Burhans’ article suggests Cheever believes man is trapped

by his past, yet he is also part of a contemporary world which changes at a rate in which

man can not adapt. Furthermore, this failure causes significant discontent to the social

fabric and ultimately harms the individual. While the article never applies these

suggestions directly to “The Swimmer,” it does refer to the collection in which the story

first appeared. The article’s inclusion in several important studies and the status awarded

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to it in several important bibliographies suggests the importance of this early study of

“The Swimmer.”

Byrne, Michael D. “The River of Names in ‘The Swimmer.’” Studies in Short Fiction 23 (1986):

326-27. Michael Byrne is a professor at Neumann College whose work has appeared in

other scholarly journals such as the CEA Critic. The article deals with the litany of names

in the important opening scene of “The Swimmer.” The most notable suggestion is that

the names foreshadow a social dilemma, notably similar to the Horst Kruse study of

patterns and meaning. The article’s brevity does not hinder the impact of this assertion

and the support and direction it evokes for this particular study. Another assertion

concerning the list of names is the ethnic dimension. Here lies the notion that ethnic

backgrounds affect the attitudes revolving around social customs. Yet, the article’s

limited discussion on this topic would require significant research to support the claim.

Castronova, David. The American Gentleman: Social Prestige and the Modern Literary Mind.

New York: Continuum, 1991. David Castronova’s book explores the social esteem in

American life and literature. He establishes the conventions and discusses how writers

have used the ideals of social prestige. While Cheever is discussed throughout the book,

a discussion of “The Swimmer” emerges on only a couple of pages. The most interesting

aspect of Castronova’s discussion is the idea that individuals are employees of the social

organization. He asserts that “The Swimmer” is a tale about a man being evaluated by his

society, or employers, and in turn evaluating them. Neddy’s journey allows him to realize

what his world has been comprised of. While interesting, the brevity of the discussion

leaves much room for expansion.

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Cheever, John. “The Swimmer.” The Stories of John Cheever. 1978. New York: Vintage, 2000.

603-12. John Cheever produced a large body of work, both novels and short-fiction,

which has been studied and acclaimed. Critics accept “The Swimmer,” which was

initially published in the collection The Brigadier and the Golf Widow (1964) and later in

The Stories of John Cheever (1978), as one of his finest works. The story is the tale of

Neddy Merrill who decides to swim home along a chain of swimming pools in his

neighborhood, Bullet Park. The story chronicles his encounters with his society and

uncovers the values they allow. Along the way, suppressed memories of his failure

become evident and his self image is destroyed by reality. Ultimately, the story, which

has a fantastical time element, ends with Neddy realizing his true social and financial

status. Even though Cheever had been publishing stories since the 1930s, his short-fiction

did not receive much critical attention until the late 1970s with the publication of The

Stories of John Cheever. Since then, a fairly significant amount of published critical work

exists for “The Swimmer.” Excellent studies concerning the relationship of the individual

and society are prevalent along with a wide range of theories concerning the story’s

elements of magic realism. Cheever’s “The Swimmer” remains important because of the

timeless themes of isolation, identity and human frailty.

Collins, Robert G. “From Subject to Object and Back Again: Individual Identity in John

Cheever’s Fiction.” Twentieth Century Literature 28 (1982): 1-13. At the time of

publication, Robert G. Collins was a professor of English at the University of Ottawa. He

has both written articles and edited books about John Cheever. Several studies cite

Collins’ work and he is one of the leading Cheever scholars. This article traces Cheever’s

treatment of identity through his work. Collins mainly focuses on Cheever’s novels, yet

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he sets the stage with a discussion of his short fiction. He draws some important

generalizations about the role identity plays in Cheever’s work and also offers testament

to Cheever’s influence. Collins’ article is an excellent source for initiating a discussion on

Neddy Merrill’s identity and the role it plays in the society described in “The Swimmer.”

Donaldson, Scott. “The Machines in Cheever’s Garden.” Critical Essays on John Cheever. Ed.

R.G. Collins. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1982. 139-52. Scott Donaldson has been a professor at

William and Mary College, published numerous articles on American literature and

culture, and has been an avid scholar on the topic of suburbia in America. Works

throughout the last couple of decades, refer to Donaldson’s studies. Donaldson’s article,

which first appeared in the book The Changing Face of the Suburbs, discusses how

Cheever sketches the suburbs and focuses on the role of the “machine” in his work.

Donaldson’s work draws important conclusions about the notion of movement in the

suburbs and the effect it has on the individual. Due to the constant motion, Cheever’s

characters, or more directly Neddy Merrill, have no concrete sense of the self. Another

important point deals with the measure of success, which Donaldson claims is based on

transit—the commute in to New York is a mark of importance. Due to Donaldson’s

reputation and his assertions, this article is a significant piece to the puzzle of “The

Swimmer” and will aid in answering many questions concerning Neddy’s motivation.

Overall, it is an important and useful piece of scholarship.

---. The Suburban Myth. New York: Columbia UP, 1969. Donaldson’s expertise on this field

stems from his work as an editor of a suburban newspaper. A scan of this book, which is

fairly dated, reveals an examination of American attitudes concerning the suburbs. He

takes a slightly defensive slant and attempts to deconstruct some of the negative opinions.

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The book makes a few key points about the parallels between the suburbs and the

pastoral which could be important in laying some key ground work. Most important for

this study is the brief discussion of John Cheever and his work’s influence on the

suburban myth. Donaldson claims that Cheever provides an accurate description of the

ordinary world yet the interpretations of his work are misguided because readers assign

the negative connotations to the place rather than the individuals. A few important

quotations and key points exist; overall, most of the information is background.

Hoffman, Daniel, ed. Harvard Guide to Contemporary American Writing. Cambridge: Belknap-

Harvard UP, 1979. 143-48. This historical survey on the major works in American

literature serves as background information on John Cheever. While brief, the selection

does provide a backdrop of themes and categories for Cheever’s work and places him in a

historical context with other writers. While most content is not directly useful to the

research, it does help to clarify references to Cheever in other works and provides some

general literary and period vocabulary which may need to be defined.

Hunt, George W. John Cheever: The Hobgoblin Company of Love. Grand Rapids: William B.

Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983. Many current studies on Cheever cite George Hunt’s

book, and according to R.G. Collins in his review, it is an important piece of scholarship

because of its “full-scale evaluation of Cheever’s fiction.” A large portion of the study

concerns itself with Cheever’s novels, yet The Stories of John Cheever, in which “The

Swimmer” is reprinted,” receives its own chapter. Hunt’s book touches on each story in

the collection with a couple of pages devoted to “The Swimmer.” He provides a general

synopsis of the story and makes mention of the foreshadowing in the story. He also deals,

briefly, with the story’s suggestion of the subjective nature of “human-time” in contrast

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with the objective nature of “natural-time.” Hunt’s conclusions typically deal with the

nature of love and may prove difficult to apply to this study, yet the foreshadowing and

the elements of time are important pieces of information.

Karl, Frederick R. American Fictions, 1940-1980: A Comprehensive History and Critical

Evaluation. New York: Harper, 1983. Frederick Karl is the author of several significant

biographies, reference works, and scholarly works on various aspects of American

literature. Karl provides a useful reference work which offers a survey, historical in

nature, on American literature between the years 1940 and 1980. For the research on John

Cheever, it proves useful and important because it encompasses the time in which

Cheever was working. While most of the discussion on Cheever relates to his novels, it

does provide references to his short stories in general. The most useful sections are the

sections on spatiality and the pastoral, where it mentions Cheever’s recurring themes of

the loss of Eden, fear, and the paradox of isolation.

---. “John Cheever and the Promise of Pastoral.” Critical Essays on John Cheever. Ed. R.G.

Collins. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1982. 209-19. Karl’s article explores Cheever’s theme of the

American pastoral. The article, which reads like a piece in a reference work, delves into

the characters’ need for this dream and the possible historical origin of the pastoral;

included is a discussion about the influence of the pastoral idea on the group and the

individual. The article is well-written and works in accord with American Fictions, 1940-

1980—while not as expansive, this article is important because it deals with Cheever’s

short fiction rather than the novels which are covered in American Fictions, 1940-1980.

The information offered will provide essential background as well as providing

conclusions concerning Neddy’s motivations in “The Swimmer.”

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Kendle, Burton. “The Passion of Nostalgia in the Short Stories of John Cheever.” Critical Essays

on John Cheever. Ed. R.G. Collins. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1982. 219-30. Burton Kendle is a

professor emeritus at Roosevelt University and is the author of several published articles

on the work of John Cheever. Kendle examines the notion that Cheever’s characters are

chasing a nostalgic dream. The article makes important connections between man’s

reality and the subjective past, and similar to Clinton Burhans article, the article deals

with the effects of the past on Cheever’s character. Portions of the piece consider the

isolating effects of man’s past and the dissatisfaction created by nostalgia. Kendle offers

an interesting theory on the relationship Cheever’s characters have with their past and

provides significant information which connects with several key studies.

Kozikowski, Stanley J. “Damned in a Fair Life: Cheever’s ‘The Swimmer.’” Studies in Short

Fiction 30 (1993): 367-75. Stanley Kozikowski is an English professor at Bryant College

and is credited with approximately sixty published articles on various literary topics. This

article focuses on the parallels between “The Swimmer” and Dante’s Inferno and relies

on the scholarly works published during the 1980s and early 1990s. The idea that Neddy

Merrill is a pilgrim descending throughout suburbia, as a form of hell, is examined. It

could be a good source for a discussion on the state of suburbia in Cheever’s work; yet, it

probably will not stand on its own and will require support to elaborate the idea since the

article chiefly deals with comparison.

Kruse, Horst. “Parsing a Complex Structure; Literary Allusion and Mythic Evocation in John

Cheever’s Short Story ‘The Swimmer.’” Literatur in Wissenschaft und Unterrict 20

(1987): 217-31. Horst Kruse has published a multitude of articles in various scholarly

journals, many of which are on the topic of American literature. Several studies cite and

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refer to the article. Kruse carefully analyzes the structure of the story in an effort to

derive meaning from this multifaceted story which he envisions as a history of morals.

He considers the importance of the patterns in nature and the families as a key to

understanding Neddy Merrill’s condition and the condition of society. Also important to

the article is Kruse’s discussion of the connections to other works in American literature

and the relation “The Swimmer” has with mythology. However, Kruse’s most important

contribution is the section on failure and the role of failure in American society. This

article is important for discussions on individual identity, society’s identity, and the role

imagery and the family names play on each of those elements. Overall it is a complex and

useful piece worthy of consideration for any discussion on Cheever.

Mathews, James W. “Peter Rugg and Cheever’s Swimmer: Archetypal Missing Men.” Studies in

Short Fiction 29 (1992): 95-101. James Mathews has published several articles in various

scholarly journals and his article on Cheever’s “The Swimmer” is cited in several works

dealing with comparisons. The article suggests a relationship between William Austin’s

“Peter Rugg, The Missing Man” and Cheever’s “The Swimmer.” The comparison

between Neddy Merrill and Peter Rugg centers on the implication that the two fail to

recognize any semblance of reality. The article raises some important points about

Neddy’s attitude toward nature that could be useful when establishing Neddy’s view of

himself. The works cited page suggests a relationship with Horst Kruse’s article “Parsing

a Complex Structure; Literary Allusion and Mythic Evocation in John Cheever’s Short

Story ‘The Swimmer’” and Robert Slabey’s article “John Cheever: The ‘Swimming’ of

America” which is included in Robert Collins’ book Critical Essays on John Cheever.

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Moore, Stephen C. “The Hero on the 5:42: John Cheever’s Short Fiction.” Critical Essays on

John Cheever. Ed. R.G. Collins. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1982. 32-37. Stephen Moore’s

review originally appeared in The Western Humanities Review in the spring of 1976 and

is one of several reviews reprinted in R.G. Collins’ critical collection. The article deals

with the reaction of Cheever’s characters, Neddy Merrill included, to fading youth and

failure. Moore claims that Neddy’s swim through American values is an attempt to

reestablish his identity. The piece fails to draw any stark conclusions based on this

assertion, but it does provide an interesting discussion on the nature of action in Neddy

Merrill’s world. The suggestion applied is that acting, swimming in this case, is the only

means Neddy possess to establish an identity in an abyss of values. The review lacks

documentation or a works cited and is simply a short analytical piece, but it aids a major

portion of this research and provides corroboration for an explanation concerning

Neddy’s desire to swim.

O’Hara, Daniel T. “John Cheever’s Contingent Imagination.” South Atlantic Quarterly 91

(1992): 675-94. Daniel T. O’Hara is the author of several books and a professor of

English at Temple University. O’Hara discusses Cheever’s work and contingency theory,

actually relating it to “The Lowboy.” However, O’Hara deals with identity and the idea

of Cheever creating a “compensatory identity” for both himself and his characters. This

discussion works well with an assessment of Neddy’s self vision. The article also deals

with the roles and the search for prescribed roles which is a vital portion of the argument

being presented for this research. Other important aspects of the article deal with the folly

of an illusionary life and the futility of man’s desire for a utopian world. Even though the

article does not deal directly with “The Swimmer”, the article is an important source

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which provides substantial support for identity roles which can be related to a study of

“The Swimmer.”

Rupp, Richard. “Of That Time, of Those Places: The Short Stories of John Cheever.” Critical

Essays on John Cheever. Ed. R.G. Collins. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1982. 231-51. Richard

Rupp presents a survey of the major divisions in Cheever’s body of work. He makes

connections between Cheever’s own life and the lives of his character as well as giving

good, general descriptions of Cheever’s settings, such as Bullet Park where “The

Swimmer” is set. Possibly valuable is the accurate synopsis of the story provided by

Rupp. The most important piece of information is the brief mention of Neddy’s

realization. While Rupp only touches on this subject, he supplies an interesting comment

about the positive feature of Neddy’s discovery of an individual identity. This slight

proposition is a departure from most readings and could prove useful.

Slabey, Robert M. “John Cheever: The ‘Swimming’ of America.” Critical Essays on John

Cheever. Ed. R.G. Collins. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1982. 180-93. Robert M. Slabey was a

professor of English at Notre Dame University and has been noted for his study of

American literature. Slabey’s article claims Neddy Merrill’s swim is a journey through

the American experience. It provides an interesting aspect of the pastoral, which

according to Slabey, is the swimming pool. Here it does provide a notable link to Scott

Donaldson’s notion of the pool filter being the machine in the garden. This will have

important implications during a discussion of false, or cloaked, values. Slabey also makes

important suggestions concerning Neddy’s motivation for the journey; he states that

Neddy possess feelings of emptiness because of the abyss of values in which he has built

his world. This will play an important role when used in conjunction with Donaldson and

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Moore’s studies. As well as motivation, the article makes important suggestions as to the

reality of the idea of the pastoral—which is portrayed by an overgrown, weed infested

home at the end of the story. Slabey attaches this image to the image of the inner void

and the human quest for perfection.

Stengel, Wayne. “John Cheever’s Surreal Vision and the Bridge of Language.” Twentieth

Century Literature 33 (1987): 223-33. Wayne Stengel is a professor of English at the

University of Central Arkansas and has produced many critical works concerning

postmodernism. This article deals with the concept of chains and arcs in Cheever’s

stories—it focuses on “A Vision of the World,” however it makes generalizations

concerning all the stories in the 1964 collection The Brigadier and the Golf Window in

which “The Swimmer” also appears. Stengel suggests that modern man is attempting to

complete the chain, or link, between his dream world and reality. The link is completed,

according to Stengel, through the “bridge of language,” which provides a relation

between the fragments of man’s world. It is a useful article which also makes assertions

about Cheever’s life. The suggestions, which share similarities to Byrne’s article, and

links to Cheever’s life provide an interesting aspect to the chain of swimming pools and

Neddy’s journey.