Tousand Acres VS King Lear
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Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres is a modern day King Lear. Smiley changed the great tragedy of Lear's character into an innovative story with similar plots. Both works of literature carefully examine the role of father figures, King Lear and Larry Cook, which makes them one of the most tragic and dramatic books in the history of literature. King Lear is told from a patriarchal perspective, while A Thousand Acres is narrated by one of the daughters making it matriarchal in nature, thus sees the inner conflicts that tear apart the Cook family. The novel is set in Iowa where the Cook family owns a farm of a thousand acres. Just like Lear, Larry Cook is the head of the family and a father to three daughters. Thus the character of Lear in King Lear and Larry in A Thousand Acres has major conflicts and similarities between betrayal, seduction and madness.
Both works of literature have a major conflict that begins with betrayal. A family has a strong bond together, as long as there are no lies between them. However, Lear and Larry are ready to divide their kingdom/land to their daughters without even realizing their obligations as fathers...