The Mezzanine
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Nicholson Baker |
The Mezzanine (1988) marks the first novel by American writer Nicholson Baker. It delves into the inner reflections of a man during a contemporary lunch break.
Concept
The story revolves around a man's ascent on an escalator located in the mezzanine level of his workplace, inspired by Rochester's Midtown Plaza. Its primary emphasis lies in the intricate analysis of transient thoughts and how prolonged contemplation can expand upon them. The Mezzanine prominently features extensive footnotes—often occupying significant portions of the page—that trace the narrator’s mental processes and recollections. These annotations frequently explore various layers of abstraction, culminating in a lengthy multi-page commentary on the nature of footnotes themselves near the conclusion.
Plot
Lacking a conventional storyline, The Mezzanine presents a stream-of-consciousness account centered on Howie, a young office employee, during his midday break. His modest lunch—comprising popcorn, a hot dog, a cookie, and milk—is contrasted with his perusal of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. The narrative’s meandering approach includes detailed footnotes that investigate commonplace subjects such as the shift from glass milk bottles to paper cartons, the engineering behind perforations, and the buoyancy characteristics of plastic straws, as well as everyday items like vending machines and popcorn makers.
Critical reception
Critics lauded the novel for its inventive style and linguistic prowess. Reviews emphasized Baker’s distinctive richly descriptive language, his "intense focus on minutiae," and his dedication to capturing moments within ordinary life. The Mezzanine helped define the genre of digressive, annotation-heavy metafiction, establishing Baker as a prominent figure in this field. According to eNotes.com, "Similar to Proust, [Baker] elevates personal experience to significance." Laura Miller of New Yorker praised Baker’s "remarkable descriptive talent combined with an ardent appreciation for the overlooked fragments of daily existence."
External links
- Plunket, Robert, "Howie and the Human Mind", New York Times Book Review, February 5, 1989. Review of The Mezzanine.
Further reading
- Chambers, Ross, '"Meditation and the Escalator Principle – on Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine", Modern Fiction Studies, 40, 4, Winter 1994, pp. 765–806.