New York City/Bonfire of the Vanities

Abstract: A 9 page research paper/essay that discusses how the city of New York, the setting for Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, provides a thorough examination of the sociological, political and economics aspects of life in New York City in the 1980s. The city itself plays such an integral part in this narrative that it is practically character in and of itself. The novel concerns the downfall of Wall Street mover-and-shaker Sherman McCoy, however, his story plays out against a realistic and cynical assessment of the New York culture in the 1980s, a decade noted for its self-centered greed and avarice. The writer discusses this aspect of the novel and compares it to a non-fictional source for accuracy. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

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Catagory: American Literature

Subcatagory: Literature

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