A Man In Full

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1998

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 6

Chapters 7-13

Chapters 14-19

Chapters 20-26

Chapter 27-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Tom Wolfe, New Journalism, and Social Realism

Like Tom Wolfe’s other novels, A Man in Full showcases a literary style influenced by both Wolfe’s New Journalism techniques and social realism. Wolfe is considered one of the most important voices of the New Journalism movement, which gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s. New Journalism called for a long-form journalistic style that told facts with the narrative techniques of fiction, including literary devices, suspense, and drama. New Journalists like Wolfe immersed themselves in their reportage to observe the minutest details of a milieu and convey these details in a unique, subjective voice. Proponents of the school believed that this style of journalism could capture the complex truth in a way traditional journalism left out. Though New Journalism has been criticized for promoting subjectivity in journalism, it has had a lasting influence on reportage. New Journalism has given rise to the lauded contemporary writing style of creative nonfiction.

Wolfe uses many of the techniques of New Journalism in A Man in Full, including the meticulous observation of people’s attire, mannerisms, possessions, and surroundings. Though the novel is a work of fiction, it draws from real life, such as the world of Atlanta society in the 1990s. Along with New Journalism, Wolfe was also a believer in the social realistic novel, a style perfected by the novelists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In an essay about his literary style, Wolfe notes that he wants his novels to capture the rich complexity of contemporary American society, much as Leo Tolstoy chronicled Russian life (Wolfe, Tom. “Stalking the billion-footed beast.” Harper’s Magazine, November 1989). In the same essay, he notes that reality offers absurdities that even fabulist novels cannot; thus, he wishes to chronicle reality with the eye of a reporter. In A Man in Full, Wolfe also uses techniques that are the hallmark of the works of Dickens, Thackeray, and Tolstoy: satire and irony. Through this amalgamation of styles and techniques, Wolfe captures the many foibles and follies of human nature.

Critical Context: The Depiction of Modern American Life in A Man in Full

A Man in Full is one of Wolfe’s most critically acclaimed novels, with many critics considering it to be an improvement on The Bonfire of the Vanities, Wolfe’s first—and best known—work of fiction. One review states, “[T]here aren’t more than a handful of novelists who even try to cover this much of the American canvas, and fewer still whose brush strokes are so sweeping and so precise” (Harris, Mark. “A Man in Full review: Tom Wolfe’s novel is ambitious and ruthlessly funny.” Entertainment Weekly, 13 November 1998). Another writer calls the book “a monumental comic novel” (Lewis, Michael. “A Man in Full.” The New York Times, 10 November 1998). The novel has been praised for its insight into the energy and chaos of contemporary America, with critics suggesting that its particular strength is exploring how masculinity, wealth, and status drive the American Dream.

Wolfe dissects contemporary American life through his complex, morally ambiguous characters. Apart from the idealistic and principled Conrad, the novel’s characters are portrayed as far from perfect. Petty ambitions like looking good, mindless lust, and an unquenchable thirst for approval drive most of the characters in the novel. Through presenting the characters in unflinching, three-dimensional detail, the novel explores what it means to be human in the contemporary world.

Further, Wolfe examines the racism and class inequalities that are part of the social fabric of America. The novel contains depictions of the stark difference between wealth and poverty as well as the complexity of race relations in a fragmented society. The narrative also explores the link between capital, power, and media that drives American life. For instance, the Fareek-Elizabeth case becomes an opportunity for politicians and bankers to serve their own ends. The truth of the case is irrelevant; instead, what matters is how it plays out in public and who profits the most from its presentation. The portrayal of American life in A Man in Full continues to have a cultural impact: In 2024, the book was adapted into a Netflix limited TV series.