The Corrections
First edition cover
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| Author | Jonathan Franzen |
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| Cover artist | Jacket design by Lynn Buckley. Photograph: Willinger / FPG |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
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Publication date
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September 1, 2001 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 568 pp (first edition, hc) |
| ISBN | (first) |
| OCLC | 46858728 |
| 813/.54 21 | |
| LC Class | PS3556.R352 C67 2001 |
| Preceded by | Strong Motion |
| Followed by | Freedom |
The Corrections is a 2001 novel by American author Jonathan Franzen. It revolves around the troubles of an elderly Midwestern couple and their three adult children, tracing their lives from the mid-20th century to "one last Christmas" together near the turn of the millennium. The novel was awarded the National Book Award in 2001 and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2002.
The Corrections was published to widespread acclaim from literary critics. The sense of anxiety and apprehension found in its characters has been compared with those of Americans following the September 11 terrorist attacks, despite the novel's release having preceded that event by ten days. As a result, many have interpreted the novel as having prescient insight into the mood of post-9/11 American life, and numerous publications have ranked it with the best works of contemporary fiction.
The Corrections explores the lives of the Lamberts, a traditional and somewhat repressed Midwestern family whose children have fled to the East Coast to start new lives free from the influence of their parents. Chronologically, the novel shifts back and forth throughout the late 20th century, depicting in detail the personal growth and mistakes of each family member.
Alfred Lambert is a railroad engineer and the stern patriarch of the Lambert family, based in the fictional Midwestern suburb of St. Jude. After his children grow up and move to the East Coast, Alfred retires, but soon begins to suffer from Parkinson's disease, causing his ordered, strict personality to fracture. Alfred's loyal wife Enid has long suffered from his authoritarian behavior, and her life is made more difficult by Alfred's worsening dementia. She is also concerned by their three children's questionable life choices, as well as their abandonment of traditional Protestant values.
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