Brain Pain discussion

This discussion covers The First Month, p. 1 – 106

Günter Grass cooks up a heady fish stew as he travels from the Neolithic past to the mid-1970’s, imagining the endless battle of the matriarchy versus patriarchy. Narrating in the present time as a soon-to-be father with his current Ilsebill, Grass uses the fairy tale of The Fisherman and his Wife to frame his story of the nine (or eleven) cooks inside of him. Historically caught by men and then released in exchange for the granting of wishes, in this first section the Flounder is caught by three women who decide not to release him but to put him on trial for malignantly influencing the males of the species and facilitating the downfall of the ancient matriarchy. Held in an abandoned theater, the trial becomes a performance/spectacle and a chance for Grass to poke fun at the “battle of the sexes” as it played out mid-decade.



To avoid spoilers, please restrict your comments to page 1 - 106