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Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson
A portrait of gifted author Shirley Jackson reveals her less-public life, including her horrifying descent into madness, and describes her work with the doctor who helped her back to sanity
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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November 11, 2014
Advice to women, 1933:
Keep young and beautiful
It's your duty to be beautiful
Keep young and beautiful
If you want to be loved, dah-dah-dah-dah
Don't fail to do your stuff
With a little powder and a puff
Keep young and beautiful
If you want to be loved
If you're wise, exercise all the fat off
Take it off, off of here, off of there
When you're seen anywhere with your hat off
Have a permanent wave in your hair
Take care of all those charms
And you'll always be in someone's arms
Keep young and beautiful
If you want to be loved
Advice to women 1963 :
Hey, little girl, comb your hair, fix your make-up.
Soon he will open the door.
Don't think because there's a ring on your finger,
You needn't try any more
For wives should always be lovers, too.
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you.
I'm warning you.
Day after day, there are girls at the office,
And men will always be men.
Don't send him off with your hair still in curlers.
You may not see him again.
***
Shirley Jackson was born in 1916 and died at the age of 48 from a heart attack brought on by obesity. She didn’t keep young and beautiful and she didn’t fix her make-up or comb her hair a great deal, and our author is keen that you know about these transgressions – never have I read a biography which has such a fascinated horror in its subject’s outward appearance :
A woman who wore no make-up, rarely combed her hair, and gave a clear impression she had put all personal physical vanity behind her
Or
At the time, Shirley was overweight, as usual, but far from enormous. She had not yet begun – as she would later – to let herself go.
Or
She was fat, she wore no make-up, and her hair was held straight back from her face with a rubber band. The face itself, with its square jaw and heavy jowls, was severe, almost masculine in its lines. It was an arresting face, a face that radiated intelligence, but it was not a pretty one
Shirley got married to the one and only love of her life and this excellent no-nonsense biography is almost as much about him as it is about her.
SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN FAT BUT HE WAS A NIGHTMARE
Stanley Hyman was a total nightmare in every way except one – he was her biggest fan, thought she was a genius, never stopped being in awe of her, praised her to the skies everywhere he went. That sounds pretty supportive, right? What female writer wouldn’t want to be married to a guy like that? He was one of those Saul Bellow types – loud, boorish, militantly atheistic Jewish (which freaked her wasp parents right out) intellectuals who read everything, eat everything, drink everything, know everything, party every night, and of course want to sleep with everyone. He was a college lecturer. He had advanced views. He was homely but exciting.
LIFE WITH STANLEY
His advanced views did not extend to the marital sphere. He had very exacting views on the duties of a wife.
Her department : all cooking, shopping, chauffeuring, cleaning, child and pet care. (Shirley had many many cats).
His department : making sure she kept up her departments; thinking great thoughts; chasing young women; playing poker with the boys.
We used to think What kind of dope is she? She’s the one making money, and so brilliant, and she’s saying “Yes, Stanley” and shivering over everything he said.
For anybody other than Shirley, Stanley would have been absolutely impossible to live with. I remember sort of resenting the fact that she would comply with outrageous demands he made.
Oh, what could be so bad? I hear he was never violent. True, but what about a life like this:
A neighbour was out on his porch and saw Shirley, hugely pregnant, struggling up Prospect Street, carrying mail, newspapers and two bags of groceries. He was about to go down and offer a hand when Stanley burst out of the house and ran down the street to meet her. But to Fred Welling’s horror, instead of relieving her, Stanley carefully removed the mail from her hand and trotted back up the street. Shirley, still clutching her bags, continued to trudge up the street.
A friend commented:
I’m not sure she minded. She was so used to Stanley doing things like that.
Shirley : Whenever I am very mad at Stanley, I go into his study and move one of his ashtrays a quarter of an inch to one side.
Note : there was always a room in each house they lived in called Stanley’s study. Not one called Shirley’s study, even though she was the best selling author.
Both she and Stanley were able to stay up later than anyone, drink more, play more games [poker, bridge and Monopoly were the big ones], yet still get more work done. And Shirley was also running a house, cooking, cleaning, entertaining, handling the kids, scurrying around to serve Stanley. “Shirley!” he would bellow from his study. “I have no ink in my pen!”
Not to mention the perpetual hanky panky.
Stanley was a steamroller. He’d try something with every woman, every which way. He wasn’t seducing women so much as knocking them down with heavy blows.
Judy Oppenheimer gives us to understand that most of these liaisons happened in Stanley’s imagination, but still.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND AMERICA
When Stanley got a job at Bennington College in Vermont they moved from an apartment in NYC to a FOURTEEN ROOM HOUSE in Bennington which they rented for $50 a month which the internet tells me is the equivalent of $730 now, i.e. amazingly cheap. I have never been in a house with fourteen rooms! Unless you count the stately homes of England. America – it’s a crazy place!
SHIRLEY WASN’T SO PERFECT EITHER
No, quite so! Apart from neglecting her appearance, she was a poor 14-room-mansion-keeper.
Her own house was the filthiest place I have ever seen, rolls of dust. I remember once at a party getting tired and trying to fall asleep on Shirley’s couch – the smell of cat pee would wake you up, it was incredible. And in the refrigerator, nasty little jars of stuff that had been there for three months, mould on top.
THEY ENTERTAINED ALL THE TIME
In the midst of producing four kids, six novels, umpteen short stories, memoirs, a book on witchcraft, etc etc, and the cooking cleaning, etc, they threw house parties night after night. Even reading about this stuff makes me feel tired.
A WAY OF LIFE
They smoked and they ate and they drank – they both said “We want to live this way.” The doctor implored them to lose weight. They just said “We know we’re going to die at the age of 50 – and we’re going to live this way.”
ANOTHER CREEPY ANECDOTE
She would come to New York with him and we’d go to lunch, maybe four or five times a year And he would encourage her to eat, urge food on her. Thick cream pies. She was very fat, maybe 250 pounds. I had to watch him stuffing her like a goose.
THE LOTTERY
“The Lottery”, published in The New Yorker in June 1948, was the literary equivalent of “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis.
Nothing in the magazine before or since would provoke such an unprecedented outpouring of fury, horror, rage, disgust and intense fascination.
SJ : The number of people who expected Mrs Hutchinson to win a Bendix washer at the end would amaze you.
ONE ORDINARY DAY WITH PEANUTS
Here's one of my favourites by Shirley:
http://locustforkhs.blount.k12.al.us/...
HEALTH WARNING :
This book is not recommended for feminists with high blood pressure.
Keep young and beautiful
It's your duty to be beautiful
Keep young and beautiful
If you want to be loved, dah-dah-dah-dah
Don't fail to do your stuff
With a little powder and a puff
Keep young and beautiful
If you want to be loved
If you're wise, exercise all the fat off
Take it off, off of here, off of there
When you're seen anywhere with your hat off
Have a permanent wave in your hair
Take care of all those charms
And you'll always be in someone's arms
Keep young and beautiful
If you want to be loved
Advice to women 1963 :
Hey, little girl, comb your hair, fix your make-up.
Soon he will open the door.
Don't think because there's a ring on your finger,
You needn't try any more
For wives should always be lovers, too.
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you.
I'm warning you.
Day after day, there are girls at the office,
And men will always be men.
Don't send him off with your hair still in curlers.
You may not see him again.
***
Shirley Jackson was born in 1916 and died at the age of 48 from a heart attack brought on by obesity. She didn’t keep young and beautiful and she didn’t fix her make-up or comb her hair a great deal, and our author is keen that you know about these transgressions – never have I read a biography which has such a fascinated horror in its subject’s outward appearance :
A woman who wore no make-up, rarely combed her hair, and gave a clear impression she had put all personal physical vanity behind her
Or
At the time, Shirley was overweight, as usual, but far from enormous. She had not yet begun – as she would later – to let herself go.
Or
She was fat, she wore no make-up, and her hair was held straight back from her face with a rubber band. The face itself, with its square jaw and heavy jowls, was severe, almost masculine in its lines. It was an arresting face, a face that radiated intelligence, but it was not a pretty one
Shirley got married to the one and only love of her life and this excellent no-nonsense biography is almost as much about him as it is about her.
SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN FAT BUT HE WAS A NIGHTMARE
Stanley Hyman was a total nightmare in every way except one – he was her biggest fan, thought she was a genius, never stopped being in awe of her, praised her to the skies everywhere he went. That sounds pretty supportive, right? What female writer wouldn’t want to be married to a guy like that? He was one of those Saul Bellow types – loud, boorish, militantly atheistic Jewish (which freaked her wasp parents right out) intellectuals who read everything, eat everything, drink everything, know everything, party every night, and of course want to sleep with everyone. He was a college lecturer. He had advanced views. He was homely but exciting.
LIFE WITH STANLEY
His advanced views did not extend to the marital sphere. He had very exacting views on the duties of a wife.
Her department : all cooking, shopping, chauffeuring, cleaning, child and pet care. (Shirley had many many cats).
His department : making sure she kept up her departments; thinking great thoughts; chasing young women; playing poker with the boys.
We used to think What kind of dope is she? She’s the one making money, and so brilliant, and she’s saying “Yes, Stanley” and shivering over everything he said.
For anybody other than Shirley, Stanley would have been absolutely impossible to live with. I remember sort of resenting the fact that she would comply with outrageous demands he made.
Oh, what could be so bad? I hear he was never violent. True, but what about a life like this:
A neighbour was out on his porch and saw Shirley, hugely pregnant, struggling up Prospect Street, carrying mail, newspapers and two bags of groceries. He was about to go down and offer a hand when Stanley burst out of the house and ran down the street to meet her. But to Fred Welling’s horror, instead of relieving her, Stanley carefully removed the mail from her hand and trotted back up the street. Shirley, still clutching her bags, continued to trudge up the street.
A friend commented:
I’m not sure she minded. She was so used to Stanley doing things like that.
Shirley : Whenever I am very mad at Stanley, I go into his study and move one of his ashtrays a quarter of an inch to one side.
Note : there was always a room in each house they lived in called Stanley’s study. Not one called Shirley’s study, even though she was the best selling author.
Both she and Stanley were able to stay up later than anyone, drink more, play more games [poker, bridge and Monopoly were the big ones], yet still get more work done. And Shirley was also running a house, cooking, cleaning, entertaining, handling the kids, scurrying around to serve Stanley. “Shirley!” he would bellow from his study. “I have no ink in my pen!”
Not to mention the perpetual hanky panky.
Stanley was a steamroller. He’d try something with every woman, every which way. He wasn’t seducing women so much as knocking them down with heavy blows.
Judy Oppenheimer gives us to understand that most of these liaisons happened in Stanley’s imagination, but still.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND AMERICA
When Stanley got a job at Bennington College in Vermont they moved from an apartment in NYC to a FOURTEEN ROOM HOUSE in Bennington which they rented for $50 a month which the internet tells me is the equivalent of $730 now, i.e. amazingly cheap. I have never been in a house with fourteen rooms! Unless you count the stately homes of England. America – it’s a crazy place!
SHIRLEY WASN’T SO PERFECT EITHER
No, quite so! Apart from neglecting her appearance, she was a poor 14-room-mansion-keeper.
Her own house was the filthiest place I have ever seen, rolls of dust. I remember once at a party getting tired and trying to fall asleep on Shirley’s couch – the smell of cat pee would wake you up, it was incredible. And in the refrigerator, nasty little jars of stuff that had been there for three months, mould on top.
THEY ENTERTAINED ALL THE TIME
In the midst of producing four kids, six novels, umpteen short stories, memoirs, a book on witchcraft, etc etc, and the cooking cleaning, etc, they threw house parties night after night. Even reading about this stuff makes me feel tired.
A WAY OF LIFE
They smoked and they ate and they drank – they both said “We want to live this way.” The doctor implored them to lose weight. They just said “We know we’re going to die at the age of 50 – and we’re going to live this way.”
ANOTHER CREEPY ANECDOTE
She would come to New York with him and we’d go to lunch, maybe four or five times a year And he would encourage her to eat, urge food on her. Thick cream pies. She was very fat, maybe 250 pounds. I had to watch him stuffing her like a goose.
THE LOTTERY
“The Lottery”, published in The New Yorker in June 1948, was the literary equivalent of “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis.
Nothing in the magazine before or since would provoke such an unprecedented outpouring of fury, horror, rage, disgust and intense fascination.
SJ : The number of people who expected Mrs Hutchinson to win a Bendix washer at the end would amaze you.
ONE ORDINARY DAY WITH PEANUTS
Here's one of my favourites by Shirley:
http://locustforkhs.blount.k12.al.us/...
HEALTH WARNING :
This book is not recommended for feminists with high blood pressure.
August 5, 2013
An amazing and tragic woman who led an amazing and tragic life.
I have become a huge fan of Shirley Jackson, so much so, that I decided to read this, her only biography, and I am happy to say I was so not disappointed.
A philandering husband with a complacent if not accepting wife, witchcraft, voodoo, frequent and lively drunken parties, prescribed amphetamine and tranquilizer abuse, an overbearing and disapproving mother, weekend front-yard ballgames with J.D. Salinger and Ralph Ellison, a haunted old farmhouse, a brilliant and prolific writer and her brilliant albeit acerbic husband who share a deep and profound connection and mutual admiration, mental illness, a house filled with cats, dogs, and children, culminating in the all-too-soon death of a gifted mind, all this and more, for the most part, set in a small Vermont town abound with anti-Semitism.
Though it's not always easy to tell where fact ends and speculation begins in this very sensationalized recount of Shirley Jackson's life, I think anyone familiar with her work will connect with Judy Oppenheimer's portrayal of Shirley Jackson.
While there is some analysis of Jackson's writing and discussion of her writing habits, this isn't a book simply about Shirley the writer, but also about Shirley the woman, mother, and wife.
The bottom line: Shirley Jackson was a fascinating and complex person who lived a conventional life unconventionally, and left a wonderful legacy in the form of her writing, which likely served as a means to exorcise her many private demons. If even a fraction of this biography comes close to the reality of her life, I am even more wowed and impressed by her than I was before.
Would definitely recommend this to Shirley Jackson fans who are interested in the woman behind the writer and are willing to read it with a grain of salt, although, I'm not sure you have to be a fan to be drawn into this intensely captivating story of a life that ended way too soon.
I have become a huge fan of Shirley Jackson, so much so, that I decided to read this, her only biography, and I am happy to say I was so not disappointed.
A philandering husband with a complacent if not accepting wife, witchcraft, voodoo, frequent and lively drunken parties, prescribed amphetamine and tranquilizer abuse, an overbearing and disapproving mother, weekend front-yard ballgames with J.D. Salinger and Ralph Ellison, a haunted old farmhouse, a brilliant and prolific writer and her brilliant albeit acerbic husband who share a deep and profound connection and mutual admiration, mental illness, a house filled with cats, dogs, and children, culminating in the all-too-soon death of a gifted mind, all this and more, for the most part, set in a small Vermont town abound with anti-Semitism.
Though it's not always easy to tell where fact ends and speculation begins in this very sensationalized recount of Shirley Jackson's life, I think anyone familiar with her work will connect with Judy Oppenheimer's portrayal of Shirley Jackson.
While there is some analysis of Jackson's writing and discussion of her writing habits, this isn't a book simply about Shirley the writer, but also about Shirley the woman, mother, and wife.
The bottom line: Shirley Jackson was a fascinating and complex person who lived a conventional life unconventionally, and left a wonderful legacy in the form of her writing, which likely served as a means to exorcise her many private demons. If even a fraction of this biography comes close to the reality of her life, I am even more wowed and impressed by her than I was before.
Would definitely recommend this to Shirley Jackson fans who are interested in the woman behind the writer and are willing to read it with a grain of salt, although, I'm not sure you have to be a fan to be drawn into this intensely captivating story of a life that ended way too soon.
November 13, 2016
Interesting for fans of Jackson, but I'll look forward to the new biography this fall and hope that it's more insightful. Oppenheimer's style is oddly gossipy and judgmental, hammering on the fact that Shirley was unattractive, and the text meticulously tracks her weight gains and losses through different parts of her life. We're left in no doubt that she was "dumpy," "ugly," and a poor housekeeper, and that these things are major flaws. It takes a conscious effort when reading to at least partially set aside one's feminist horror (truly, Stanley sounds an insufferable boor) and look at their life together for what it was. There are loads of interviews with friends and family, credible in some ways, but many events are presented as vaguely remembered years later by whoever was around, drinking with the Hymans till the alcohol ran out. Shirley, though, was still at a distance. Something felt missing - perhaps a more critical look at her writing and some of the influences that are described here with an almost condescending wink to the reader.
August 3, 2013
I found this a moving, fluent account of writer Shirley Jackson's life. I've always been interested to understand the intersection of her life and her fiction. What I got was a sense of her feeling like an outsider in small town, 1950s Bennington and as an "academic wife." I loved the description of her walking back up to her house from a day shopping with one of her small children, composing "The Lottery." I also found moving her struggles with mental illness which she eventually combatted with writing. I would have liked more of a critical analysis of the novels and I'm surprised there hasn't been a more recent biography. This is a good one, though, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves Jackson's work or who's just interested in the creative process.
October 10, 2012
i don't read a lot of biographies because i don't give a shit about most people, but shirley jackson is unequivocally my favorite author and i want to know everything there is to know about her. this is a fairly well-rounded picture of her life, from her birth until death, her family, and her major and minor works. i wish there was more in depth information about some of her books & stories but unfortunately i guess that doesn't quite exist.
August 7, 2016
I find this book fascinating, and Shirley Jackson's life is fascinating.
However, there is fat-shaming on nearly every page. There should be a balance between describing Shirley's own reactions to her weight, when it is relevant, and the reactions of everyone else in the world. The book even describes that strangers were horrified at her appearance, because it isn't what they imagined an author should look like!
However, there is fat-shaming on nearly every page. There should be a balance between describing Shirley's own reactions to her weight, when it is relevant, and the reactions of everyone else in the world. The book even describes that strangers were horrified at her appearance, because it isn't what they imagined an author should look like!
October 7, 2019
oof. Because this is anecdotal, it ends up feeling gossipy and often relies on blatant speculation to make what then become skewed points about Jackson. Oppenheimer often contradicts herself, and she often claims that Jackson "must have" felt one way or "certainly" this or that is true with no evidence to back these statements up. Her speculation that because Jackson's childhood friend felt creeped out by Jackson's uncle he must have molested his niece is deeply problematic, especially since so many critics quote this "fact" when discussing certain Jackson stories. I believe Dorothy was creeped out (believe women and girls!) but Oppenheimer doesn't prove the wild speculations she bases on Dorothy's experience. Her own fat-shaming bias often makes it difficult to get through some of her discussions of Jackson's physicality, but Oppenheimer is not alone in pointing that bias at Jackson; there's a long tradition of (usually male) critics who do just that.
This gets an extra star for taking the view (that I happen to somewhat agree with) that madness in Jackson's work is often coded as liberating, though there have been some critical responses to this idea that I also agree with (the point is I'm working it out).
For a long time, this was the only biography of Shirley Jackson. That is no longer the case. Read the superior Ruth Franklin biography instead.
This gets an extra star for taking the view (that I happen to somewhat agree with) that madness in Jackson's work is often coded as liberating, though there have been some critical responses to this idea that I also agree with (the point is I'm working it out).
For a long time, this was the only biography of Shirley Jackson. That is no longer the case. Read the superior Ruth Franklin biography instead.
May 7, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. Even if one hasn't read her work, I think anyone interested in reading about writers or anyone who is empathetic with those that are struggling with demons, feel like an outsider, or are trying to get out from under a highly critical mother will find this interesting. I highly recommend it for those who have read her work as it explains a lot. Reading the description of the San Franciso suburb where Jackson was an adolescent you know before you are told that this is the setting for "The Road Through The Wall". Oppenheimer had access to Jackson's papers in the Library of Congress and, in this case, it was a good thing that she was a hoarder. It seems like family and friends were very open during interviews, especially her children with their thoughts and feelings about both their parents as well as their own lives.
August 12, 2013
Brilliant. The author completely brings you into the mind, life, and works of Shirley Jackson, possessor of one if the most amazing minds the world has ever known, if anyone can be said to have truly known it.
October 11, 2019
Not as many publishing industry information as Ruth Franklin's A Rather Haunted Life but it does a better job with some of the family drama.
October 26, 2020
Shirley Jackson is one of my very favorite writers. She was a fascinating woman aside from being a skillful author of some of the best fiction ever written. Along with her fiction, she wrote pieces on her family; her four children and husband which I found to be highly amusing. Therefore, you could say I am interested in the entire family and this was another peak into her private life which is appreciated.
March 24, 2025
I've read Ruth Franklin's biography twice, Shirley's letters, and absolutely all of her books, but I learned a few new things from this book, including my favourite story of all time - the prank she played on Stanley about a film that 'didn't exist'.
I'm going to tell everybody I know about this!
It's a shame the book's no longer in print, because although it's not the definitive Shirley biography, it's an honest and rather lovely account of such a mesmerising woman.
I'm going to tell everybody I know about this!
It's a shame the book's no longer in print, because although it's not the definitive Shirley biography, it's an honest and rather lovely account of such a mesmerising woman.
Read
May 2, 2020I bought this soon after it came out in paperback, and have now read it two or three times. When I read it this time, I recalled that my father, picking it up from my shelf years ago, found it disappointing, so I wondered if I'd feel the same now that I'm much older and am less easily enthusiastic about books than I once was. Well, interestingly enough, I had not come to agree with my father; I still think it's a very good biography, better written than most books by journalists, well researched via Jackson's papers and friends and family, and reasonably insightful. That's not to say that there couldn't be a better biography, or one that focuses more on Jackson's oeuvre itself. And, looking over some of the other reviews here, I saw at least one that I suspect my father would have agreed with--that finds the book gossipy and not sufficiently focused on Jackson's literary influences and creative process. But while I'd be happy to read a more literary biography of Jackson, I don't decry the "gossipy" aspect. Instead, I'm grateful that family, friends, and neighbors were alive, willing, and able to provide their memories and perspectives. I didn't feel that they had it in for Jackson; it seemed to me that they were doing their best to give an honest sense of what she was like and the way she lived. That doesn't mean they (or we) approve of everything about her. But I did think most of the interviewees liked and respected her. The result is that we get a vivid picture of many aspects of Jackson's life and personality, even if not a view directly into her soul. Now, also, I see that some readers feel the book does a lot of "fat shaming" and is too revelatory about Jackon's sometimes peculiar (let's call it non-normative) housekeeping. I have to take issue with this. The concept (as opposed to the practice) of fat shaming is pretty recent. Americans during Jackson's lifetime, and indeed also when this book was written, generally believed that it was a problem to be overweight, especially if a woman also did not make an effort to look good whatever her weight. Jackson went from being a young woman who struggled with often weighing more than was considered ideal to one whose weight was medically problematic. She also went from being a woman who had some interest in her hair and clothes to one who largely gave up trying to look well groomed. These are things that, whatever our views about fat, were important in her life, and any biography of Jackson that ignores them is not paying attention to an important part of what we now like to call her lived experience. Jackson internalized social attitudes about appearance and femininity and rebelled against some, often at considerable cost. This may not explain why she wrote as she did, but it is not unrelated to her work, either. Anyhow, while it would be great to have a recent biography that examines Jackson in some different ways, this is a valuable one for what it does do.
April 15, 2016
A biography of Shirley Jackson (1916-65), the author of "The Lottery" and The Haunting of Hill House.
The lives of authors aren't always that interesting, but Private Demons was definitely interesting, and Shirley Jackson's life was definitely not what I expected. Shirley Jackson is best known for writing "The Lottery," one of the most mystifying and anthologized American short stories, and The Haunting of Hill House, as well as other novels. Private Demons is a well written and quick reading biography that gives a complete history of Jackson's short life, as well as numerous key insights into her writing. Not that her writing was literally autobiographical, but reading the facts of her life opens up the reader's understanding of her fiction. As Judy Oppenheimer notes about Jackson: "No longer was she simply transcribing from reality ... now she was becoming adept at taking the bare bones of reality and giving them a twist, infusing them with some of the fears and horrors and distortions swirling around in her own mind." Jackson's family took an immense amount of her time: she was not a solitary recluse pounding away at a typewriter in a garret. It's a wonder she wrote at all. She was surrounded by her four children, who both informed and influenced her writing. She had a lifelong difficult relationship with her mother. Most challenging, however, was her husband, who Jackson credited with enabling her to publish, but readers will make their own conclusions about his complex effect on her writing. Jackson and her family lived in North Bennington, Vermont, and her husband taught at Bennington College. The town was a major element in some of her writing, including the novel Hangsaman, which was set at the College (as was Donna Tartt's novel The Secret History; Tartt attended Bennington College). Private Demons is an excellent and informative biography, which I strongly recommend to any Shirley Jackson fans -- there are many clues to her writing within, tho I'd caution anyone from taking it all too literally. One caveat: although the book seems open and uncensored, it was written with the assistance of Jackson's four children, and I can't speak to whether that had any limiting influences on the author. [5 Stars]
The lives of authors aren't always that interesting, but Private Demons was definitely interesting, and Shirley Jackson's life was definitely not what I expected. Shirley Jackson is best known for writing "The Lottery," one of the most mystifying and anthologized American short stories, and The Haunting of Hill House, as well as other novels. Private Demons is a well written and quick reading biography that gives a complete history of Jackson's short life, as well as numerous key insights into her writing. Not that her writing was literally autobiographical, but reading the facts of her life opens up the reader's understanding of her fiction. As Judy Oppenheimer notes about Jackson: "No longer was she simply transcribing from reality ... now she was becoming adept at taking the bare bones of reality and giving them a twist, infusing them with some of the fears and horrors and distortions swirling around in her own mind." Jackson's family took an immense amount of her time: she was not a solitary recluse pounding away at a typewriter in a garret. It's a wonder she wrote at all. She was surrounded by her four children, who both informed and influenced her writing. She had a lifelong difficult relationship with her mother. Most challenging, however, was her husband, who Jackson credited with enabling her to publish, but readers will make their own conclusions about his complex effect on her writing. Jackson and her family lived in North Bennington, Vermont, and her husband taught at Bennington College. The town was a major element in some of her writing, including the novel Hangsaman, which was set at the College (as was Donna Tartt's novel The Secret History; Tartt attended Bennington College). Private Demons is an excellent and informative biography, which I strongly recommend to any Shirley Jackson fans -- there are many clues to her writing within, tho I'd caution anyone from taking it all too literally. One caveat: although the book seems open and uncensored, it was written with the assistance of Jackson's four children, and I can't speak to whether that had any limiting influences on the author. [5 Stars]
December 16, 2016
Another reviewer mentioned that this book has a "brash, gossipy style I associate with the 1970s and 1980s," and I have to agree with that. A few others mentioned that the author says some pretty harsh things about Shirley's weight, throughout the book, and I also found that startling, unprofessional (the author was a journalist, according to the information in the book), and only marginally related to the topic at hand--it seems that Shirley didn't love being overweight but that people outside her inner circle made a much bigger deal out of than she did--or perhaps that is just the author's take.
In addition, Oppenheimer mentions Jackson's looks quite a bit, and those comments aren't favorable either. All of the focus on Jackson's outward appearance made me uncomfortable, especially when she was such a brilliant writer who accomplished quite a bit in her short life (even more incredible when you consider the facts that she struggled with mental illness, raised her children and cooked and entertained while her husband rarely contributed, and still managed to be the breadwinner for the family through her writing). I haven't read many biographies of male writers but I would bet an enormous sum of money that their looks are not mentioned nearly as often. Oppenheimer even admits a few times that Stanley wasn't great looking and gained a lot of weight in his later years, but somehow this doesn't come up nearly as much as Shirley's appearance.
There also seemed to be a bit of speculation on various topics throughout the book that seemed unsuited to a biography, especially one as thoroughly researched as this, and unlikely to appear today.
My actual rating is 3.5. I'm a big fan of Shirley Jackson and I enjoyed learning more about her life and writing, and overall the book was well-researched. I'm looking forward to reading the new biography by Ruth Franklin as well.
In addition, Oppenheimer mentions Jackson's looks quite a bit, and those comments aren't favorable either. All of the focus on Jackson's outward appearance made me uncomfortable, especially when she was such a brilliant writer who accomplished quite a bit in her short life (even more incredible when you consider the facts that she struggled with mental illness, raised her children and cooked and entertained while her husband rarely contributed, and still managed to be the breadwinner for the family through her writing). I haven't read many biographies of male writers but I would bet an enormous sum of money that their looks are not mentioned nearly as often. Oppenheimer even admits a few times that Stanley wasn't great looking and gained a lot of weight in his later years, but somehow this doesn't come up nearly as much as Shirley's appearance.
There also seemed to be a bit of speculation on various topics throughout the book that seemed unsuited to a biography, especially one as thoroughly researched as this, and unlikely to appear today.
My actual rating is 3.5. I'm a big fan of Shirley Jackson and I enjoyed learning more about her life and writing, and overall the book was well-researched. I'm looking forward to reading the new biography by Ruth Franklin as well.
June 22, 2014
Shirley Jackson is one of my favorite authors, and since I've read just about everything that she had ever published, this biography was the next thing I had to read. Having just finished Raising Demons before this, it was really interesting to juxtapose that (somewhat) fictional portrait of family life with what her actual family and friends said. In both, Stanley doesn't come off as a particularly involved father and in Private Demons he comes off even worse. Then again, he wasn't alive to give his version of events. If you're a Jackson fan, it's definitely a must-read, as there is a lot of insight into her mindset and what was going on in her life at the time she wrote each of her books.
I had already finished the book when I flipped to the publication page, and I was amused to see the name of the person who designed the cover-- James Harris. I think Shirley would have gotten a good kick out of that as well.
I had already finished the book when I flipped to the publication page, and I was amused to see the name of the person who designed the cover-- James Harris. I think Shirley would have gotten a good kick out of that as well.
February 14, 2013
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, has been my favourite book since I read it about two years ago, and knowing very little of its author, Shirley Jackson, I picked up this biography knowing that I was already interested in finding out more about her.
That still doesn't mean that I would like Private Demons, but I did. Comprehensive and well written, I was hooked from beginning to end. Although everyone raves about The Lottery, or at least they did when it was released, I think this is in part because of the date it was published; whereas, I think Jackson was just getting into her stride with Castle, and so it is such a tragedy that she died at only 48, especially when it seems there is much she could have done physically to prevent her own death.
Private Demons was a fascinating insight into her life, family and writing.
That still doesn't mean that I would like Private Demons, but I did. Comprehensive and well written, I was hooked from beginning to end. Although everyone raves about The Lottery, or at least they did when it was released, I think this is in part because of the date it was published; whereas, I think Jackson was just getting into her stride with Castle, and so it is such a tragedy that she died at only 48, especially when it seems there is much she could have done physically to prevent her own death.
Private Demons was a fascinating insight into her life, family and writing.
November 25, 2012
This was a wonderful biography, satisfying in all ways. I've been reading lots of Shirley Jackson in the last year or so and have enjoyed all of it, if "enjoyed" is the right word. She writes about disturbing and disturbed people in such ordinary settings that I am always a bit off center for weeks after I finish a novel. This biography helps explain her dark mind, and it gives a very intimate look into her marriage and childhood. It felt almost voyeuristic, which I guess is the point of a biography. My only qualification is that the author seems to attribute almost mystical powers to Miss Jackson, powers that I'm not totally sure I believe are likely or possible. But I suspect Miss Jackson would approve of all of it.
August 5, 2011
Shirley Jackson has always been a favorite author, so I thought I'd check out her autobiography. I'm pretty sure this is the only one out there, so definitely worth the read for Jackson fans. While a very good read, with photos of Jackson and her family, there's something about Oppenheimer's writing style I didn't like. And I can't even explain what it was. As far as biographies go, this is a good one, just not one of the best. It does give a great peak into the life and mind of Jackson, drawing comparison between what she was experiencing in real life and what she was writing about at the time.
September 10, 2015
A well-researched biography, from the 1980s, about one of my favorite authors. I learned a great deal, and it led me to buy a few Jackson short stories I didn't yet have. I'd love to know more about what her children are doing now, though, as when they're left here, they still seem to be figuring things out.
Anyway, this book is the perfect antidote to the horrible fictionalized suspense novel that was written about Shirley Jackson a year or so ago. I was going to mention it by name, but it doesn't deserve it.
Anyway, this book is the perfect antidote to the horrible fictionalized suspense novel that was written about Shirley Jackson a year or so ago. I was going to mention it by name, but it doesn't deserve it.
November 30, 2017
Not too bad, but definitely not in my top list of biographies. Why should we care if Shirley Jackson bakes casseroles ? And why oh why does the author feel the need to remind us every two pages that Jackson was ugly ? I don't give a shit if you thought she was ugly Judy. She was one of the most brilliant author of the 20th century. Pull yourself together.
However not too bad if you want to learn more about Jackson, and if you're willing to skip a few pages.
However not too bad if you want to learn more about Jackson, and if you're willing to skip a few pages.
April 3, 2010
I enjoy reading an author's work, a memoir or autobiography (I read and discussed a bunch of Shirley Jackson's short stories recently and 'Life Among the Savages'), then a biography to help me understand it all better and I found Oppenheimer's biography illuminating. I'm looking forward to reading a book of criticism and essays on Jackson's work next, then more of her stories.
October 25, 2010
Who knew that a biography could be a page turner? Shirley Jackson led an interesting life, which is helpful to any biographer, but the author still did a great job at making her life interesting. It is amazing that Jackson was able to publish so much good work considering her tough circumstances.
March 23, 2016
This book focuses so much on Shirley's horror of a husband and how poor a housekeeper she was that I find I have no better sense of Shirley either as a person or a writer than I did before I started it. Can't wait for Ruth Franklin's biography in September.
January 12, 2018
Excellent explanation if you are a fan, but always wondered how the person who wrote "Life among the savages" could be the exact same person who wrote "The Lottery". Her life was splintered, and she existed in several silos at the same time.
October 16, 2013
Definitely not uplifting but interesting.
September 1, 2017
In many ways Shirley Jackson’s life was blessed, in many ways cursed. Her extraordinary talent untouched by academe, encouraged by a smitten husband, Shirley had the support most women lack. There is a symmetry to it, a childhood of not fitting in, an adulthood of finding her place among the literati. True, her husband, Stanley, expected her to be the charwoman around the house and raise the children with only an occasional nod from his chair where great thoughts were being nourished. A critic and scholar in his own right, Stanley had his faults but he recognized the genius of his wife and celebrated it.
Actually, he did more than celebrate, in the style of Colette’s enforcer-husband, Willy, Stanley insisted upon it, demanding that she write each day. He may have imposed the structure she needed, but I think of the heady license of it, for she confessed that she would rather be writing than anything else. It did not hurt that she contributed mightily to the family finances.
Private Demons is a book about Shirley’s children and husband as much as it is about her. She was a natural mother, buoyed by the imagination of children, indeed, needing it, to keep dreary conformity away. She and Stanley launched their relationship in a social whirl that never died down; the loneliness of the writer was not a factor in their household. Theirs was a match made between heaven and hell, with Stanley’s womanizing established at the onset, as if he expected her to support him in his talent of seduction, as he supported her passion.
Unlike Colette, Shirley had no subjects assigned by Stanley. It is writing that was her savior, the activity that helped her cope, and in her stories we can see it work its magic.
Reading Private Demons whetted my appetite and I was motivated to explore more of Jackson’s works. The Lottery established her in the literary cannon and changed their lives but my favorite, Mrs. Spencer and the Oberons, is a gem of a tale, perfectly crafted. Both may have been inspired by her life in Bennington, Vermont, but I think the stories, like her demons, were already there, waiting to come out and reveal disquieting truths.
Actually, he did more than celebrate, in the style of Colette’s enforcer-husband, Willy, Stanley insisted upon it, demanding that she write each day. He may have imposed the structure she needed, but I think of the heady license of it, for she confessed that she would rather be writing than anything else. It did not hurt that she contributed mightily to the family finances.
Private Demons is a book about Shirley’s children and husband as much as it is about her. She was a natural mother, buoyed by the imagination of children, indeed, needing it, to keep dreary conformity away. She and Stanley launched their relationship in a social whirl that never died down; the loneliness of the writer was not a factor in their household. Theirs was a match made between heaven and hell, with Stanley’s womanizing established at the onset, as if he expected her to support him in his talent of seduction, as he supported her passion.
Unlike Colette, Shirley had no subjects assigned by Stanley. It is writing that was her savior, the activity that helped her cope, and in her stories we can see it work its magic.
Reading Private Demons whetted my appetite and I was motivated to explore more of Jackson’s works. The Lottery established her in the literary cannon and changed their lives but my favorite, Mrs. Spencer and the Oberons, is a gem of a tale, perfectly crafted. Both may have been inspired by her life in Bennington, Vermont, but I think the stories, like her demons, were already there, waiting to come out and reveal disquieting truths.
August 27, 2018
This biography is vastly superior to the 1975 Friedman edition; it actually utilizes Jackson's papers and manuscripts from the Library of Congress. Oppenheimer quotes extensively from Jackson's letters, journals, unpublished manuscripts, and manuscript notes. She paints a much more complete picture of Jackson's life, including the ways in which her relationship with her husband were very fraught at times, and isn't afraid to speculate about the salacious--did Shirley Jackson or did Shirley Jackson not fool around with Dylan Thomas one night when he attended a party at her house? I can't fault Oppenheimer's thoroughness one whit.
However, she's far too quick to jump to conclusions, to decide that she knows what Jackson was feeling or thinking; she's far too quick to attribute motivations to her that are essentially unprovable. She also conflates the characters in Jackson's short stories and novels with Jackson herself to a degree that is untenable for me. I mean, she's a biographer, so a biographical reading of Jackson's works is definitely par for the course. Maybe more than any other author I've studied in depth, Jackson's works lend themselves to a biographical reading because in her extensive notes, she'll say something like, "Going to write a story about X. It means X, and I feel this way about it." And then she writes the story. She also uses so many events and conversations and other details from her personal life in her fiction that viewing them through the autobiographical lens is inevitable. I just think Oppenheimer carries it too far (especially with her insistence that Jackson was psychic and 100% believed in witchcraft and the supernatural).
However, she's far too quick to jump to conclusions, to decide that she knows what Jackson was feeling or thinking; she's far too quick to attribute motivations to her that are essentially unprovable. She also conflates the characters in Jackson's short stories and novels with Jackson herself to a degree that is untenable for me. I mean, she's a biographer, so a biographical reading of Jackson's works is definitely par for the course. Maybe more than any other author I've studied in depth, Jackson's works lend themselves to a biographical reading because in her extensive notes, she'll say something like, "Going to write a story about X. It means X, and I feel this way about it." And then she writes the story. She also uses so many events and conversations and other details from her personal life in her fiction that viewing them through the autobiographical lens is inevitable. I just think Oppenheimer carries it too far (especially with her insistence that Jackson was psychic and 100% believed in witchcraft and the supernatural).
January 23, 2019
Ok. This book has a lot of good reviews and a lot of bad reviews. Personally, I understand both sides, but for myself, I thought it was well written, and gave what I suspect is a very real and accurate account of Shirley and her life.
That being said, if I had to read about how fat and lumpy she was one more time, I was gonna scream! WE GET IT! Her weight should not have been such a repetitive factor in the author's narrative. Now I realize this was written in the 80's, and our obesity problem hadn't reached the heights that it has now--much less how much more uncommon it was in the 40's and 50's, but I found that to be an irritating commentary because of how often it was mentioned.
Aside from that, I enjoyed this book a lot, and am immediately going into the 2nd biography written about Shirley; A Rather Haunted Life.
That being said, if I had to read about how fat and lumpy she was one more time, I was gonna scream! WE GET IT! Her weight should not have been such a repetitive factor in the author's narrative. Now I realize this was written in the 80's, and our obesity problem hadn't reached the heights that it has now--much less how much more uncommon it was in the 40's and 50's, but I found that to be an irritating commentary because of how often it was mentioned.
Aside from that, I enjoyed this book a lot, and am immediately going into the 2nd biography written about Shirley; A Rather Haunted Life.
June 5, 2022
Interesting for the number of interviews the author conducted with Jackson’s children and friends, but there’s a gossipy tone to the book, and particularly at the beginning a (to me unnecessary) focus on Jackson’s appearance, commenting numerous times on her weight and how unattractive she was. Also the author has a tendency to conflate Jackson’s fiction with her real life, or writing little vignettes to bring to life certain episodes, with dialogue, that seems a little outside the realm of a biographer.
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