Great Books in Wine Country 2011 

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson

 Due to a scheduling problem, this year’s Great Books in Wine Country will be on Sunday, October 2, 2011, not Saturday as in the past.

In a television skit in the 1950’s Art Carney climbed out of a sewer in dirty overalls and said to Jackie Gleason, “What did you expect, the man in the gray flannel suit?”  The title of the book had become a sort of national joke in the United States.  The novel had risen up on bestseller lists and was translated into some twenty-six foreign languages.  Europeans apparently considered it an accurate reflection of American life; it was banned in Russia.  I was told I had a good story to tell about the problems which my generation faced when we came home from World War II.  To my surprise, my novel, which I had regarded as largely autobiographical, was taken by some serious thinkers as a protest against conformity and the rigors of suburban life. --- Sloan Wilson

Michael Sandel’s  book, Justice, is a bestseller in the United States today and reportedly has sold more than a million copies in East Asia.  It’s subtitle is What’s the right thing to do?  The novel we will discuss, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson, is about doing the right thing. 

Here is the story of Tom and Betsy Rath, a young couple with everything going for them:  three healthy children, a nice home, a steady income.  They have every reason to be happy, but for some reason they are not.  Like so many young men of the day Tom finds himself caught up in the corporate rat race---what he encounters there propels him on a voyage of self-discovery that will turn his world inside out.  At once a searing indictment of corporate culture, a story of a young man confronting his past and future with honesty, and a testament to the enduring power of family.  The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit is a deeply rewarding novel about the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own life.

The movie stars Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones, Frederic March, Marisa Pavan, Lee J. Cobb, and Keenan Wynn.  This is a complex movie with several sub-plots:  flashbacks to World War II, a wartime love affair, pressure and support from a loving wife, children lost to TV westerns, a conniving old man after unearned compensation, whether to climb the corporate ladder and how to do so, the strength of family, and more.  Gregory Peck does an excellent, understated acting job, one of his best.  Jennifer Jones is powerfully emotional reacting to a long hidden secret.  Frederic March is the quintessential big business man with his blind spots and personal failings.  Lee J. Cobb does not get to yell a lot and wave his arms around, but is the perfect small town pragmatic, cynical lawyer.  All in all, this is an excellent movie with far more depth than is found in most of the films from the fifties.

Purchase only this edition from your bookseller: ISBN-10: 1568582463.  This year, we offer the option of sending you the book (2 day service) for an additional $10.00.  Just indicate when registering if you wish us to send the book to you.

Plan to arrive around 9am.  We will have coffee, tea, and pastries available if you need something to start the day.  We will discuss The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit  beginning at 10am for two hours and break for lunch.  In the afternoon we will watch the movie and have a short discussion after that.  We will close the day with some cheese and a sip of wine and be finished by around 5pm. 

To register online, click on the "Register Now!" button below.  For a printable registration form to send via postal mail click here or go to our website at http://www.greatbooks-sf.com/  If you have any questions, contact Jim Hall at jimsrhall@earthlink.net or 415-387-2125.  Please join us in Calistoga.  We always have fun at this event.