The Great Man by Kate Christensen
Published 2008 · 313 pages · 84,274 words · about 7 hours at an average pace · Literary Fiction
How hard is The Great Man to read?
The Great Man scores 69 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 60 out of 100
- The novel employs a rich and precise vocabulary, including literary terms like 'hypotaxis' and 'visceral,' alongside specialized art world jargon such as 'figurative vein' and 'Abstract Expressionism.' It also incorporates Yiddish and Italian expressions like 'haimish,' 'echt,' and 'agida,' which are often clarified by context. While consistently elevated, the language remains accessible to attentive readers.
- Sentence structure: 68 out of 100
- The text features moderately long sentences with frequent subordinate clauses, parenthetical asides, and descriptive phrases that extend sentence length. Sentences often weave together dialogue, internal thoughts, and observations, demanding sustained attention, though the prose avoids the extreme hypotaxis of high modernism.
- Abstraction: 62 out of 100
- The narrative primarily focuses on concrete human relationships and events but frequently delves into philosophical and psychological explorations of art, love, aging, and identity. Characters engage in extended discussions about artistic merit and the meaning of life, moving beyond simple plot progression into deeper thematic territory.
- Information density: 65 out of 100
- The novel is dense with character backstories, intricate relationship dynamics, and detailed descriptions of settings and internal monologues. Conversations are layered with subtext, unspoken histories, and multiple perspectives, demanding close attention to discern the full meaning.
- Narrative indirection: 70 out of 100
- The novel requires significant inference as readers navigate conflicting perspectives on Oscar Feldman from multiple characters. Characters frequently express internal thoughts that contradict their spoken words, and the central mystery of a painting's true artist is revealed through confession rather than direct exposition.
- Symbolic density: 78 out of 100
- The text is rich with recurring motifs and objects imbued with deeper meaning. Oscar's female nudes represent truth and beauty, tefillin are interpreted both cynically and reverently by different characters, and Maxine's paintings carry significant symbolic weight reflecting themes of mortality and identity.
- Ironic distance: 72 out of 100
- A notable gap exists between characters' outward presentations and their true feelings. The biographers' earnest attempts to understand Oscar are frequently undercut by the women's cynical, often contradictory accounts, creating constant ironic tension throughout the narrative.
- Resolution withholding: 68 out of 100
- While some secrets are revealed, the novel leaves many character arcs and relationships unresolved, focusing on ongoing emotional complexities rather than definitive closure. The biographers' quest for a definitive truth about Oscar is shown to be inherently elusive.
- Structural complexity: 65 out of 100
- The narrative employs a shifting third-person limited perspective, moving between six viewpoints to create a mosaic of experiences. The story relies heavily on embedded flashbacks and retrospective accounts, with the meta-narrative of two biographers constructing a life from fragmented, biased accounts adding another structural layer.
How The Great Man is regarded
The Great Man holds a literary regard score of 37 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.