The Plastic Age
by Percy Marks
'The Plastic Age' Summary
Marks was an English instructor at Brown University at the time of publication. Previously he taught at Dartmouth College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Brown's administration took offense at the book, which they perceived to be a barely disguised version of Brown, and Marks's teaching contract was not renewed. The Plastic Age provides a composite image of 1920s campus life with many references to campus traditions at Dartmouth and Brown including bonfires, beanies, and fraternity rushing. The novel is notable for its depiction of students attending a film, a lightly fictionalized representation of the Nugget Theater in Hanover, NH which had opened in 1916. Marks and his book remained popular on college campuses for several years after the book's publication. Students—including humorist S. J. Perelman—protested his release and a satire of the book, titled, "The Plastered Age," by E.Z. Mark, was produced on campus; but to no avail. Marks left academia for many years and devoted his time to writing books.
In 1928, under the title Red Lips, the novel was again adapted into a film. This remake starred Charles "Buddy" Rogers, who had just co-starred with Clara Bow in a different film, Wings, the previous year.
The Plastic Age was reprinted in 1980, in a series subtitled "Lost American Fiction," from Southern Illinois University Press and continues to be available in book form from other sources.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1924Author
Percy Marks
United States
Percy Marks was an American author and college English instructor best known for his best selling 1924 novel, The Plastic Age. Marks was born in Covelo, California in 1891 to Henry and Sarah Lando Ma...
More on Percy MarksDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Against the Grain, or Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans
À rebours (French pronunciation: [a ʁ(ə).buʁ]; translated Against Nature or Against the Grain) is an 1884 novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysma...
The Duel by Anton Chekhov
The Duel is a novella by Anton Chekhov originally published in 1891; it was adapted for the screen by Iosif Kheifits in 1973 (as The Bad Good Man, sta...
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
A young man from a poor, working-class background, passionate about education, who aspires to become a professor. His teacher, a respected role model...
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book II by Francois Rabelais
The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais,a telling the adventures of two gian...
The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells
The Rise of Silas Lapham is a realist novel by William Dean Howells published in 1885. The story follows the materialistic rise of Silas Lapham from r...
The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope
The Prime Minister is the fifth in Trollope's series of six Palliser novels. With Phineas' difficulties resolved, Trollope introduces new characters....
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
One of the most controversial novels written by Austen, Mansfield Park follows the life of the young heroine Fanny Price as she searches for her place...
The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Do...
Ships That Pass in the Night by Beatrice Harraden
This short novel by Beatrice Harraden, who was known for her work as a suffragist, was a bestseller in its time. In it, teacher and activist Bernardin...
Chance by Joseph Conrad
Chance is a novel by Joseph Conrad, following serial publication the previous year. Although the novel was not one upon which Conrad's later critical...
Reviews for The Plastic Age
No reviews posted or approved, yet...