Literature Study GuidesGirl Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted | Study Guide

Susanna Kaysen

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MLA

Bibliography

Course Hero. "Girl, Interrupted Study Guide." Course Hero. 14 June 2017. Web. 25 May 2022. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Girl-Interrupted/>.

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(Course Hero)

APA

Bibliography

Course Hero. (2017, June 14). Girl, Interrupted Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Girl-Interrupted/

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(Course Hero, 2017)

Chicago

Bibliography

Course Hero. "Girl, Interrupted Study Guide." June 14, 2017. Accessed May 25, 2022. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Girl-Interrupted/.

Footnote

Course Hero, "Girl, Interrupted Study Guide," June 14, 2017, accessed May 25, 2022, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Girl-Interrupted/.

Overview

Girl, Interrupted infographic thumbnail

Author

Susanna Kaysen

Year Published

1993

Type

Nonfiction

Genre

Memoir

Perspective and Narrator

Susanna Kaysen is the author, first-person narrator, and main character of the memoir Girl, Interrupted. As is typical for a memoir, this story is written from a retrospective point of view. The older, presumably wiser, narrating self looks back upon her younger self.

Tense

Girl, Interrupted is narrated in the past tense but sometimes switches to the present tense.

About the Title

Girl, Interrupted refers to a painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer called Girl Interrupted at Her Music, a painting the main character and narrator of the memoir sees and admires in the Frick Collection in New York City.

Diagrams

Roommates Fellow patients Fellow patients Fellow patients Fellow patients Fellow patients Nurse Susanna Depressed 18-year-old; chronicles life in a psychiatric facility Georgina Depressed adolescent; has a domestic streak Lisa Rowe Strong-willed, rebellious sociopath Polly Adolescent trapped in her disfigured skin Daisy Temporary patient; addicted to laxatives and chicken Valerie Young, caring woman; understands the girls in her care Alice Unsophisticated adolescent; suffers a mental breakdown Cynthia Severely depressed adolescent; undergoes electroshock treatment
Character Map
timeline
Timeline
plot-diagram
Plot Diagram

Summary

This study guide and infographic for Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.

Characters

Susanna Lisa Rowe Georgina Polly Daisy

Symbols

Documents Windows and Doors Time Clothing

Themes

Nonconformity Versus Insanity Deciphering the Truth Isolation Women's Liberation
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