I like Houdini
For my first blog post I wanted to analyze how Doctorow shows his skillful writing through Houdini as a character. Houdini adds a lot to the novel and has been really interesting for me to read. One of the first instances of Doctorow showing his power as a postmodernist author happens early in the novel, when the boy is basically daydreaming about how much he loves Houdini, and Houdini comes driving down his street and crashes in front of his house. I think it's a pleasant surprise for the reader, too. He may have been a slightly more recent memory for people who had read it closer to 1975 when it was published, but in my eyes Houdini is probably one of the only names from the early 1900's I would recognize and have literally any interest in as a character. I speak for myself here, but I'm sure someone else would agree. Houdini exemplifies how Doctorow often uses real and fictional elements in tandem to build his characters and narratives. He creates a narrative about Houdi...
