the wasp factory synopsis
Star Ratings. Synopsis There are also the Sacrifice Poles, upon which hang the … Ultimately, Frank’s—or Frances’s—wasp factory was for nothing. Behind each numeral is a trap, which leads to a different ritual death (for example burning, crushing, or drowning in Frank's urine) for the wasp that Frank puts into the hole at the centre. The Question and Answer section for The Wasp Factory is a great He sits with him and considers his life up to this point and whether he should leave the island. Character Development: 4 stars. Frank's father explains that it was Frank who was born a female; the hormones had been fed to him by his father since the dog attack in an experiment to see whether Frank would transition from female to male. Just when I thought I’d read it all, along comes The Wasp Factory. The Wasp Factory is written from a first person perspective, told by 16-year-old Francis Cauldhame ("Frank"), describing his childhood and all that remains of it. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Overall: 4 stars. The reason it can answer questions is because every question is a start looking for an end, and the Factory is about the End – death, no less. For my final project on my Foundation Art Course I made an animation based on one of my favourite books 'The Wasp Factory' written by Iain Banks (1984). Frank is not registered, he does not study anywhere; however, he reads books at home from his father's library. Book review: The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. GradeSaver, 12 January 2017 Web. Banks decided to try a more mainstream novel in the hopes that it would be more readily accepted, and wrote about a psychopathic teenager living on a remote Scottish island. Frank catches a wasp to use in the Factory. Forget about scanning and printing out forms. The story is told from the perspective of 16-year-old Frank Cauldhame. He has no birth certificate and no national insurance card. Iain Banks. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Full of dark humour and sadistic brilliance, this book will live long in the memory. The Wasp Factory is part of the pattern because it is a part of life and – even more so – part of death. 1. 2. Read the Study Guide for The Wasp Factory…, The Question of Outsiders as Victims: Analyzing The Wasp Factory and We Need to Talk About Kevin. A Bunch of Flowers Summary. Angus had taught hatred to his child without the need for mutilation and murder. Believing himself/herself castrated as a child because of a vicious dog attack he ostracizes himself from other boys. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Frank longs to know what is inside. The Wasp Factory is his first book, and due to its popularity, is the reason Banks was able to become a full-time writer. He assumes that his findings mean that his father is actually female. This is in part due to the mauling coinciding with the last time he saw his mother, who had come back to give birth to his younger brother, leaving immediately after. This section contains 595 words (approx. Frank has no official status. Frank's older brother, Eric, escapes from a psychiatric institution, having been arrested some years prior for arson and terrorizing the local children by force-feeding them live maggots. Overall: 4 stars. Frank’s brother Erick went mad when was engaged in medicine practice at the University. SignNow's web-based service is specially designed to simplify the organization of workflow and optimize the entire process of qualified document management. Behind each numeral is a trap, which leads to a different ritual death (for example burning, crushing, or drowning in Frank's urine) for the wasp that Frank puts into the hole at the centre. His mother, father's second wife - Agnes, came only once: to give birth to Paul. He died in June 2013, aged 59, of inoperable cancer. Behind each numeral is a trap, which leads to a different ritual death (for example burning, crushing, or drowning in Frank's urine) for the wasp that Frank puts into the hole at the centre. In this book, the balance of masculinity and femininity is in crisis. Francis Coldheim built the Aspen Factory in the attic of his house - a device consisting of a dial and traps, he launches a wasp there, and it depends on where it crawls, what death she will die. ISBN 0349102145. Sites like SparkNotes with a The Wasp Factory study guide or cliff notes. (A good tax lawyer has to be OCD to some extent.) Frank – no ordinary sixteen-year-old – lives with his father outside a remote Scottish village. The Wasp Factory itself, we eventually find out, is an elaborately constructed mechanism. This knowledge incites Frank's father to get drunk before forgetting to conceal the keys to his study, where Frank discovers male hormone drugs, tampons, and what appears to be the remains of his own genitals in a jar. Also includes sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of Iain Banks’s The Wasp Factory. However, it's clear Frank loves his brother. Like life it is complicated, so all the components are there. When he was bitten, his father saw an excellent opportunity to experiment, as well as a way to reduce the female factor in his life. Synopsis The dog was killed, of course, but the boy got angry at the whole world, and starts to take revenge. He uses the death 'chosen' by the wasp to divine the future. [4], In 2013, the Australian producer and composer Ben Frost directed an opera adaptation of the Iain Banks novel, in which all characters are represented by three female singers.[5]. I'm mildly OCD. It's revealed that when Frank was much younger, he killed three of his relatives: two cousins and his younger brother. The story is told from the perspective of 16-year-old Frank Cauldhame. Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Wasp Factory; Frank Cauldhame is the Laird of his domain, surrounded by his Sacrifice Poles, which he ritualistically adorns with small-animal body parts, and his ultimate contrivance - The Factory. Plot summary The 'Wasp Factory' of the title is a clock face salvaged from the local dump. Written by Aleksei Marchyn. Plot summary The 'Wasp Factory' of the title is a clock face salvaged from the local dump. The factory is a large layout, based on the face of a clock. He has attached twelve death traps to the twelve numerals. F. consults with the Factory, brings her sacrifices - rats, gulls, dragonflies. Synopsis. Frank has no official status. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. Eric is extremely erratic; their conversations end badly, with Eric exploding in fits of rage. SYNOPSIS. The Wasp Factory Summary. After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. The corpses of animals, such as mice that he has killed, are placed onto the poles for the purpose of attracting birds which will fly away and alert Frank of anybody approaching the island. Just when I thought I’d read it all, along comes The Wasp Factory. This is a film trailer I have made for Media Studies which is very loosely based on the novel 'The Wasp Factory' by Iain Banks. There are also the Sacrifice Poles, upon which hang the bodies and heads of … 3. Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Wasp Factory; Frank Cauldhame is the Laird of his domain, surrounded by his Sacrifice Poles, which he ritualistically adorns with small-animal body parts, and his ultimate contrivance - The Factory. THE WASP FACTORY Iain Banks Abacus, 1987. Frank – no ordinary sixteen-year-old – lives with his father outside a remote Scottish village. Full of dark humour and sadistic brilliance, this book will live long in the memory. Frank believes the death "chosen" by the wasp predicts something about the future. Quote: '"It's a sick, sick world when the confidence and investment of an astute firm of publishers is justified by a work of unparalleled depravity," wrote this newspaper's reviewer. Frank and Angus both keep secrets from one another, damaging … Frank is the child of Angus and Agnes, the brother of Paul and the half-brother of Eric. He died in June 2013, aged 59, of inoperable cancer. He lives on an island (unnamed) off the cost of Scotland with his father, Angus. British literature summaries - Short summary - The Wasp Factory Iain Menzies Banks. This section contains 878 words (approx. Behind each numeral is a trap, which leads to a different ritual death (for example burning, crushing, or drowning in Frank's urine) for the wasp that Frank puts into the hole at the centre. Over time this sense of “otherness” worsens when his/her brother, Eric is committed to a mental institution. It is huge and complicated, with the potential to devastate two tiny villages. [1] Following the success of The Wasp Factory, Banks began to write full-time. "[2] Banks' response to this criticism is that readers understood the humour of these scenes in a way that many critics did not in their reviews. The Wasp Factory is part of the pattern because it is a part of life and – even more so – part of death. 2 pages at 400 words per page) View a FREE sample. When he has a question, he will release a wasp into the Factory, and depending on how it dies, he draws a different conclusion. DLS Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Frank Cauldhame enjoys a secluded existence spent sacrificing and killing the local wildlife upon the small island where he lives with his father. He uses the death 'chosen' by the wasp to divine the future. At each of the clock's numerals is a corridor and a door that closes behind it. Frank has killed three people: his cousin Blyth,because he had killed his rabbits (Frank stuffed a viper in his prosthetic leg when Blythe was sleeping), his younger brother, Paul, because he was born at a moment when the Old Sol disfigured him. Frank occupies his time with rituals, building dams, and maintaining an array of weapons (a small catapult, pipe bombs, and a crude flamethrower) for killing small animals around the island. As a child, a terrible incident occurred with him, he knows about it only from the stories of his father: a bulldog named Old Sol bit off his genitals and he is disfigured forever. The child featured in the book comes from a very challenging home life. Iain Banks is once again inside my head, but this time it disturbs me rather deeply. The Irish Times called it "a work of unparalleled depravity."[2]. Iain M. Banks Booklist Iain M. Banks Message Board. Use our detailed instructions to fill out and e-sign your documents online. He uses the death 'chosen' by the wasp to divine the future. The Wasp Factory is a book originally published in 1984, and it is considered controversial because it was one of the first books to show how homelife can impact the mental health of children. "No Sartre, no Lessing, no Mailer: Frodo the hobbit beats them all", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Wasp_Factory&oldid=1019305953, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 April 2021, at 16:08. While attempting to feed a brain-damaged newborn with acalvaria, Eric notes how the child is unresponsive and smiling, despite usually appearing expressionless. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567678.The_Wasp_Factory The remains of his genitals were fake and it is suggested that his father's reasoning for doing this was to distance himself from the women he felt had ruined his life. 4049 votes. Otherwise, Frank has almost no contact with the outside world. Everything has a reason, a purpose. At the end of the book he comes home and sets fire to a barn, where his father keeps the powder. He is used to being lied to by his father, who seemingly does it purely for his own amusement. There is no official record of his birth, meaning his existence is largely unknown. "The Wasp Factory Summary". He has no birth certificate and no national insurance card. Plot: 3 stars. The Wasp Factory ends with Frances reconnecting with Eric. eNotes - The Wasp Factory Detailed study guides typically feature a comprehensive analysis of the work, including an introduction, plot summary, character analysis, discussion of themes, excerpts of published … Quick guide on how to complete the wasp factory synopsis. The Factory is an old town clock that Frank has placed on the floor of his loft. Iain Banks. The book sold well, but was greeted with a mixture of acclaim and criticism, due to its gruesome depiction of violence. He lives on an island (unnamed) off the cost of Scotland with his father, Angus. Frank Cauldhame has built in the attic of his house a Wasp Factory - a device consisted of the dial and traps where he launches a wasp, and from where she goes depends how she will die. Plot summary The 'Wasp Factory' of the title is a clock face salvaged from the local dump. Frank talks with the factory, asks its advice and even makes sacrifices for it - rats, gulls, dragonflies. The novel by Iain Banks, "The Wasp Factory" tells the story of 16-year-old Frank Cauldhame. Iain M. Banks Booklist Iain M. Banks Message Board. The Wasp Factory Book Summary and Study Guide. It took me two nights to read The Wasp Factory, not because it was particularly long – it’s actually quite a short novel – but because it’s one extremely tense and disturbing little story.I’m still reeling from the news of Iain Banks’s death, it’s a tragedy for … Along with this ‘Wasp Factory’, Frank also maintains a number of sacrifice poles that are scattered around their island. F. consults with the Factory, brings her sacrifices - rats, gulls, dragonflies. Use this step-by-step guideline to complete the Download pdf the … First published back in February of 1984 by Macmillian, ‘The Wasp Factory’ introduced Scottish author Iain Banks to the world, with this shockingly controversial debut novel. Frank talks with the factory, asks its advice and even makes sacrifices for it - rats, gulls, dragonflies. The Factory is made up of a scrapped clock-tower clock face laid … Francis Coldheim built the Aspen Factory in the attic of his house - a device consisting of a dial and traps, he launches a wasp there, and it depends on where it crawls, what death she will die. The Factory is in the house's loft, which Frank's father cannot access because of a leg injury. There is no official record of his birth, meaning his existence is largely unknown. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a superhero and a father. Frank has no official status. On the surface Frank seems like a traditional Scottish boy but just underneath the surface hides a truly evil character. On the surface Frank seems like a traditional Scottish boy but just underneath the surface hides a truly evil character. Writing: 4 stars. He resents others for his impotence, particularly women. Early the next morning, Frank takes the wasp up to the Wasp Factory. The novel by Iain Banks, "The Wasp Factory" tells the story of 16-year-old Frank Cauldhame. Frank Cauldhaume is a serial killer. Star Ratings. "Iain Banks: 'In the end we'll be smiling'. The novel by Iain Banks, "The Wasp Factory" tells the story of 16-year-old Frank Cauldhame. He furiously rushes to his father and demands that him to explain what it means. The Wasp Factory is a mechanism invented by Frank, consisting of a huge clock face, salvaged from the local dump, encased in a glass box. The Wasp Factory essays are academic essays for citation. Their life is, to say the least, unconventional. Antiheroes and Their Identities: Comparing Jerusalem and The Wasp Factory. There are also the Sacrifice Poles, upon which hang the … The child's skull is held together by a metal plate over his head. As an androgynous person, Frank suffers a sense of imbalance, because there is no clear avenue for him. Once a wasp enters the Factory, he cannot escape. The Irish Times called it "a work of unparalleled depravity. Character Development: 4 stars. Writing: 4 stars. For everyone else, thanks for sticking around. This Study Guide consists of approximately 32 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Wasp Factory. For a previously unknown author, Banks created quite a stir with this first publication; receiving a … The effect of secrets on both the secret-keeper and the ones secrets are kept from is a major theme that runs throughout The Wasp Factory. Behind each of the 12 numerals is a trap that leads to a different ritual death (such as burning, crushing, or drowning in Frank's urine) for the wasp that Frank puts into it via the hole at the centre. Not affiliated with Harvard College. I reached over for a large tin on my right, prised the tight lid off with my knife and used a small teaspoon inside to place some of the white mixture from the tin on to a round metal plate in front of the old dog's skull. Behind each numeral is a trap, which leads to a different ritual death (for example burning, crushing, or drowning in Frank's urine) for the wasp that Frank puts into the hole at the centre. This Study Guide consists of approximately 32 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Wasp Factory. The reason it can answer questions is because every question is a start looking for an end, and the Factory is about the End – death, no less. Enter - if you can bear it - the extraordinary private world of Frank, just sixteen, and unconventional, to say the least. Eric began to set dogs to the fire, and feed children with worms. He has no birth certificate and no national insurance card. Age recommendation: 16 and up. He's haunted by the memory of a dog attack during his youth, which resulted in the loss of his genitalia. Throughout the story, he hides, calls home to talk with Frank and makes hysterics. Marchyn, Aleksei. The book is full of physical and emotional violence, but it's decidedly not gratuitous. At that time Frank gets into his father's study and finds tiny male genitals, which are made of wax, male hormones and tampons. Frank dreams to get in there. Frank’s mother abandoned them years ago: his elder brother Eric is confined to a psychiatric hospital; and his father measures out his eccentricities on an imperial scale. Frank decided that the spirit of the dog moved into Paul, and cousin Esmeralda just for balance - 2 masculine children, therefore, it was necessary to kill someone feminine (he had constructed a huge kite and put into the fly together with Esmeralda). [3], A 1997 poll of over 25,000 readers of The Independent listed The Wasp Factory as one of the top 100 books of the 20th century. Frank Cauldhame The narrator of the book, Frank is a 16 year old with an incredibly vivid imagination. Frank lives with his father on a small island in rural Scotland, and he has not seen his mother in many years. Characters: 5 stars. He takes long walks to patrol the island and occasionally gets drunk with his only friend, a dwarf. Then he builds a dam in a nearby river. While this is mostly against animals, Frank also recollects killing three younger children. Summary: "The Wasp Factory" follows Frank Cauldhame from a first-person perspective. Plot: 3 stars. An editor The Wasp Factory is his first book, and due to its popularity, is the reason Banks was able to become a full-time writer. Print Word PDF. Plot summary The 'Wasp Factory' of the title is a clock face salvaged from the local dump. If you know The Wasp Factory, the book that launched Iain's serious writing career 27 years ago, you will know why the question arose. He slipped male hormones in the food, so Frank has bristles, and there were monthly periods. Frank lives with his father on a small island in rural Scotland, and he has not seen his mother in many years. According to Banks, this allowed him to treat the story as something resembling science fiction – the island could be envisaged as a planet, and Frank, the protagonist, almost as an alien. He also exhumed the skull of the dog that castrated him, and uses it as part of his rituals. Created using mysimpleshow - Sign up at http://www.mysimpleshow.com and create your own simpleshow video for free These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. The Wasp Factory - The Sacrifice Poles Summary & Analysis. Yes, it's worth it. The Wasp Factory The Wasp Factory is Frank/Francine’s means of making sense of his dark, confusing, twisted world. The Wasp Factory Summary. It has plywood sides and is covered in glass. Age recommendation: 16 and up. The Wasp Factory Book Summary and Study Guide. The book was initially greeted with a mixture of acclaim and criticism, due to its gruesome depiction of violence. Their life is, to say the least, unconventional. Eric often calls him from a pay-phone to inform Frank of his progress back to the island. This miniature torture chamber has been appropriately named ‘The Wasp Factory’. Eric checks underneath the plate to find the child's exposed brain tissue infested and being consumed by day-old maggots. British literature summaries - Short summary - The Wasp Factory Iain Menzies Banks. Then she ran away again, crushing his father with a motorcycle, and he remained crippled for the end of his life. There are also “Sacrifice Poles” constructed by Frank. The Wasp Factory is the first novel by Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1984. Each drawer, not much larger than a small matchbox, held the body of a wasp which had been through the Factory. The Wasp Factory - A Bunch of Flowers Summary & Analysis. Like life it is complicated, so all the components are there. At the end of the novel, Frank is alerted of Eric's return when he sees a dog that has been burned alive and discovers Eric's campsite. Frank's father is distant and spends most of his time in his study, which he keeps locked at all times. He takes us through the novel from his perspective, gives us a tour of the island on which both his father and he reside. Before the publication of The Wasp Factory, Banks had written several science fiction novels that had not been accepted for publication. The Wasp Factory Characters Francis “Frank” Leslie Cauldhame / Frances Lesley Cauldhame The protagonist and narrator. Characters: 5 stars. DON'T WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU HAVE NEVER READ THE WASP FACTORY BY IAN BANKS, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! this section. The The Wasp Factory Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. He saw the child's brains being devoured by worms, and he had an attack of nerves. The Wasp Factory study guide contains a biography of Iain Banks, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Eric is described as having been extremely sensitive before the incident that drove him mad: a tragic case of neglect at the hospital where Eric was a volunteer when studying to become a doctor. The book was written in first person, which in 1984 was an unusual writing style. Plot summary The 'Wasp Factory' of the title is a clock face salvaged from the local dump. It turns out that Frank is not Frank but Frances, a girl. These cruel symbolic … He lives on an island (unnamed) off the cost of Scotland with his father, Angus. Print Word PDF. He was taken to the hospital, but he managed to escape. Frank Cauldhame has built in the attic of his house a Wasp Factory - a device consisted of the dial and traps where he launches a wasp, and from where she goes depends how she will die. 3 pages at 400 words per page) View a FREE sample. However, the explosion did not cause much damage. During the ensuing confrontation, Eric attempts to destroy the island with explosives and fire but is not successful. Summary: "The Wasp Factory" follows Frank Cauldhame from a first-person perspective. Yes, The Wasp Factory has a lot of disturbing images of a psychotic youth committing violence on people and animals. It now appears that there is nothing to take revenge for. Synopsis. In the end, Frank finds Eric, half asleep. Fashioned from a giant clock face that Frank has discovered on the … Then he builds a dam in a nearby river. The murders are described in an honest and matter-of-fact way, often with grotesque humour. His father is a liar and paranoid, he constantly puts some experiments in his study, which he keeps locked all the time. The Wasp Factory Summary. Frank Cauldhaume is a serial killer. will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. Frank observes many shamanistic rituals of his own invention, and it is soon revealed that Frank killed three children before he reached the age of ten himself.