420:
1942 to 1983, a biology professor from 1951 to 1983 and a former head of the
Biology Department.) In the context of the book, questions of free will are posed by the characters' various dramas as Charlotte decides whether or not she will adopt the sexual norms of campus life and Johanssen attempts to become a better student and more disciplined person generally. Despite the main characters seemingly confirming the science of inevitability, two side characters (Adam Gellin and Hoyt) are both altered considerably by a chance encounter with a presidential candidate.
327:
cultivate his mind. Charlotte ascends to the envied position of girlfriend of a star athlete. One scene at the end has
Charlotte in Jojo's large SUV when 2 of the sorority girls that previously mocked her pull up to say hi to Jojo and see Charlotte in the car and say hi like they are old friends. Later one of them invites Charlotte to join their sorority—when Charlotte says she doesn't have money for that, she hints that something can be worked out.
307:(partly as a result of Charlotte's influence). Jerome Quat, Jojo's professor, confronts Adam about the plagiarized paper and shows sympathy toward him in a college dominated by students obsessed with sports and sex. However, when Adam confesses to having written the paper for Jojo, the professor double-crosses him. He will sacrifice Adam in order to bring down the basketball program, which has
330:
Charlotte now reflects upon her first semester with a different view, looking down at her former friends, who gleefully gossiped about her humiliation, and at Hoyt, who casually threw her away. She no longer feels intellectualism is what is most important to her—rather it is being a person recognized
322:
Hoyt now faces a post-graduation judgment day, with his family's life savings exhausted in order to pay for his college education, and a college transcript with such bad grades that will effectively keep him from getting a job as an investment banker. Jojo's and Adam's necks are saved, as the liberal
274:
Charlotte finds herself dealing with the sexual temptations of college life, culminating in her hooking up with Hoyt, who tells
Charlotte of catching California's governor receiving oral sex from a college student. He also tells Charlotte he knows that Adam Gellin has begun investigating the incident
438:
wrote "Wolfe is always showing us something we haven't quite noticed. But after three thick novels and a novella (surely he will never write a short story), the issue remains: Why does a writer whose ambitions are so fundamentally journalistic insist on processing his reportage into fiction? You may
292:
This drives
Charlotte into a depression and eventually into the arms of Adam, who has wanted Charlotte for her beauty, innocence, and intellect since they first met. Charlotte finally emerges from her depression but finds that she has received terrible grades (B, B−, C−, D) for her first semester at
314:
This devastates Adam, who breaks down and needs
Charlotte to take care of him as he waits to be formally charged with cheating. In the meantime, Adam's article on "The Night of the Skullfuck" is published. The sordid details of sex, violence, bribery, and a high-profile political figure cause it to
419:
is Tom Wolfe's interest in neuroscience, specifically the relationship between brain chemistry and free will. Simmons is exposed to questions about inevitability and genetics by her professor Dr. Victor
Ransome Starling. (At Washington & Lee James Holt Starling, Ph.D. was a faculty member from
326:
Adam's self-esteem restored, he begins to bask in the glow as the student who brought down a governor. Adam and
Charlotte drift apart and she begins to date Jojo, who keeps his position as a starter on the team, in fact becoming a far better player due to Charlotte's influence and his decision to
288:
Hoyt and
Charlotte attend an important fraternity formal together, after which Hoyt takes full advantage of a drunken Charlotte, seducing her into giving up her virginity to him. The following morning, Charlotte is dumped by Hoyt. She is further humiliated when she returns to campus and discovers
262:
Jojo enjoys the spoils of being a college athlete, such as using a tutor program to force other students to complete his school assignments. Jojo's "tutor" Adam Gellin is, like
Charlotte, from a working-class background. Adam writes for the college's independent newspaper and is a member of the
27:
201:
is the story of college student
Charlotte Simmons's first semester-and-a-half at the prestigious Dupont University. A high school graduate from a poverty-stricken rural town, her intelligence and hard work at school have been rewarded with a full scholarship to Dupont.
353:
status, in the minds of its students, sex, alcohol, and social status rule the day. The student culture is focused upon gaining material wealth, physical pleasure, and a well-placed social status; academics are only important insofar as they help achieve these goals.
231:
from a female college student. When the governor's bodyguard spots the two fraternity members, a fight ensues with Hoyt and Vance beating up the bodyguard and fleeing. The story of the night soon spreads across campus, increasing Hoyt's popularity.
289:
that Hoyt's seduction and rejection has been made public via two girls Charlotte had previously befriended. The two cruelly mock Charlotte, both over her poverty-stricken background, and for how she drunkenly lost her virginity.
270:
Charlotte and Adam first meet at the university's computer lab, where Adam is to write a paper for Jojo. Charlotte does not back down when Adam insists that he needs the computer more than she does. Adam is instantly smitten.
235:
Charlotte arrives at Dupont in the fall. Her roommate is wealthy Beverly, the daughter of the CEO of a huge multinational insurance company. She is obsessed with sex, in particular with members of the school's
378:. The school discussed in the book appears to be an amalgamation of several elite universities. Wolfe denies that the book is fully based on Duke, from which his daughter Alexandra graduated in 2002.
205:
As Charlotte prepares to say goodbye to her family and leave for college, an event happens at Dupont that will play an important role in her future. Hoyt Thorpe, member of the exclusive and powerful
470:
was a fan of the novel, and enthusiastically recommended it to his close friends. However, it was omitted from his official presidential reading list, likely due to the novel's sexual content.
279:
firm has offered Hoyt a high-paying entry-level job in exchange for his silence. (The firm, Pierce & Pierce, is the name of the one that Sherman McCoy works for in Wolfe's earlier novel,
412:
was a prominent white basketball player at Duke University. There is also a reference in the book to a freshman dormitory "Giles", which is an actual freshman dorm at Duke University.
389:, or "St. A's," where Wolfe attended several events researching for the book, "St. A's" being on Penn's Locust Walk, with fictional "St. Ray's" residing on Wolfe's "Ladding Walk."
300:. Jojo, who treats Adam as beneath him socially, denies the plagiarism charge and protects the athletic department's perversion of the athlete/tutor program from being exposed.
452:, an "honor" established "to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel", for his writing in
643:
323:
college professor decides to drop the entire plagiarism complaint so as to avoid undercutting Adam's credibility in destroying the conservative governor's political career.
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303:
Jojo has begun to transform himself academically from a stereotypical "dumb jock" into a student who takes his academics seriously and even develops an interest in
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972:
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As Adam prepares to publish his article, his world collides with Jojo Johanssen's when a paper that Adam wrote for the athlete is accused of being
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freshman player, and the coach wants to bench Jojo in his senior year. This would severely hurt Jojo's chances of playing in "the league" (the
988:
523:
393:
155:
154:, concerning sexual and status relationships at the fictional Dupont University. Wolfe researched the novel by talking to students at
345:. The novel centers on Charlotte, a naive new student at Dupont University, a school boasting a top-ranked basketball program and an
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began looking at developing the book for television. In 2021, Veritas Entertainment acquired the television rights for
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ambitions are potentially ruined, and the job offer/bribe made to Hoyt is revoked, effectively shattering Hoyt's life.
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Wolfe took the name "Dupont University" from Dupont Hall, one of the halls where classes are held at his
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408:, where, in Wolfe's perception, student athletes are treated as superior. At the time of publication,
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747:"Veritas Entertainment Shops 'I Am Charlotte Simmons,' 'Hotel New Hampshire' Adaptations (EXCLUSIVE)"
70:
251:
team. He is struggling to keep his position because the school recently recruited an up-and-coming
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The basketball star, Jojo Johanssen, is a jock/celebrity character, derived from colleges like the
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814:
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Besides college life, athletics, and youth sex culture, another major theme that also began in
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178:. Wolfe suggested it depicts the American university today at a fictional college that is "
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The book develops themes Wolfe introduces in the title essay from his book
263:"Millennial Mutants," a group of like-minded intellectuals who oppose the
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996:
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never put down a Tom Wolfe novel. But you never reread one, either."
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The fictional "St. Ray's" fraternity is most certainly based upon
209:
Saint Ray, and fellow frat brother Vance, stumble upon an unnamed
350:
60:
626:
Tom Wolfe, Pyrotechnic 'New Journalist' and Novelist, Dies at 88
190:, Stanford, Duke, and a few other places all rolled into one."
790:> Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: 'Moral Suicide,' à la Wolfe
491:
486:
producing and writing the screenplay. Three years later,
482:
were purchased by Trilogy Entertainment, with co-founder
256:
605:"Entertainment | Author Wolfe wins 'bad sex' prize"
267:
and class snobbery they see in their fellow students.
644:"Bush's Official Reading List, and a Racy Omission"
315:be picked up by the national media. The governor's
973:The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby
1124:
898:Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
498:. The series was reportedly being developed at
275:and how, at the behest of the governor a large
1023:The 'Me' Decade and the Third Great Awakening
989:Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine
815:
247:athlete on the college's predominantly black
618:
394:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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808:
666:
25:
744:
641:
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719:Fleming, Michael (September 24, 2008).
718:
667:McClintock, Pamela (October 10, 2005).
642:Bullimer, Elisabeth (7 February 2005).
585:"'I Am Charlotte Simmons': Peeping Tom"
463:referenced mixed reviews for the book.
349:academic reputation. Despite Dupont's
1125:
829:
692:
669:"Pic pair dot the 'I' with Wolfe tome"
632:, May 15, 2018, accessed May 15, 2018.
526:. Yale Alumni Magazine. Archived from
473:
331:as special, regardless of the reason.
803:
721:"HBO eyes 'Charlotte Simmons' series"
745:Littleton, Cynthia (June 29, 2021).
695:"Wolfe's 'Simmons' deemed Essential"
624:Deirdre Carmody and William Grimes,
13:
14:
1174:
1030:Stalking the Billion-Footed Beast
768:
560:"Love in the Age of Neuroscience"
490:was attached as director, while
1153:Farrar, Straus and Giroux books
890:The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
738:
712:
693:McNary, Dave (April 28, 2008).
334:
686:
660:
635:
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552:
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1:
509:
368:Washington and Lee University
500:Paramount Television Studios
478:In 2005, the film rights to
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1064:The Bonfire of the Vanities
847:The Bonfire of the Vanities
357:
282:The Bonfire of the Vanities
219:(who was at the college to
10:
1179:
1163:Novels set in Pennsylvania
524:"Tom Wolfe (Mar/Apr 2005)"
383:University of Pennsylvania
82:December 9, 2004
1138:American satirical novels
1101:
1074:
1039:
1007:
964:
938:From Bauhaus to Our House
881:
838:
459:Wolfe's 2018 obituary in
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71:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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56:
46:
36:
24:
450:Bad Sex in Fiction Award
1148:English-language novels
193:
20:I am Charlotte Simmons
1075:Television adaptations
1048:The Last American Hero
863:I Am Charlotte Simmons
775:Slate Book Club review
607:. BBC News. 2004-12-13
496:I Am Charlotte Simmons
480:I Am Charlotte Simmons
454:I Am Charlotte Simmons
398:University of Kentucky
199:I Am Charlotte Simmons
143:I Am Charlotte Simmons
954:The Kingdom of Speech
583:(November 28, 2004).
406:University of Florida
225:commencement ceremony
1133:2004 American novels
656:on 8 September 2017.
448:gave Wolfe its 2004
265:anti-intellectualism
243:Jojo Johanssen is a
1158:Novels by Tom Wolfe
981:The Pump House Gang
794:The New York Times,
548:Daily Pennsylvanian
474:Proposed adaptation
31:First edition cover
21:
946:The Purple Decades
906:The New Journalism
788:The New York Times
780:2006-12-15 at the
630:The New York Times
590:The New York Times
562:. The New Atlantis
461:The New York Times
435:The New York Times
402:Indiana University
400:, Duke, Stanford,
309:circled the wagons
19:
16:Novel by Tom Wolfe
1120:
1119:
965:Essay collections
796:November 16, 2004
311:to protect Jojo.
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94:Publication place
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1040:Film adaptations
914:The Painted Word
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1110:The Right Stuff
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649:New York Times
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468:George W. Bush
430:Jacob Weisberg
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1091:A Man in Full
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530:on 2012-11-14
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754:. Retrieved
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728:. Retrieved
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702:. Retrieved
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676:. Retrieved
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654:the original
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609:. Retrieved
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564:. Retrieved
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532:. Retrieved
528:the original
518:
504:Brian Yorkey
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335:Major themes
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317:Presidential
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269:
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242:
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227:) receiving
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142:
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140:
1112:(franchise)
930:In Our Time
882:Non-fiction
484:John Watson
298:plagiarized
277:Wall Street
1127:Categories
997:Hooking Up
611:2012-08-01
566:2012-08-01
534:2012-08-01
510:References
417:Hooking Up
364:alma mater
347:Ivy League
342:Hooking Up
305:philosophy
249:basketball
214:Republican
211:California
207:fraternity
86:2004-12-09
832:Tom Wolfe
830:Works by
756:March 28,
730:March 28,
704:March 28,
678:March 28,
428:Reviewer
424:Reception
410:JJ Redick
372:Lexington
188:Princeton
152:Tom Wolfe
150:novel by
113:Paperback
67:Publisher
41:Tom Wolfe
1102:See also
1032:" (1989)
1025:" (1976)
1018:" (1967)
778:Archived
404:and the
376:Virginia
358:Research
293:Dupont.
238:lacrosse
229:oral sex
217:governor
176:Michigan
172:Stanford
109:Hardback
47:Language
751:Variety
725:Variety
699:Variety
673:Variety
502:, with
180:Harvard
160:Florida
107:Print (
84: (
61:Fiction
51:English
1094:(2024)
1086:(2020)
1067:(1990)
1059:(1983)
1051:(1973)
1008:Essays
1000:(2000)
992:(1976)
984:(1968)
976:(1965)
957:(2016)
949:(1982)
941:(1981)
933:(1980)
925:(1979)
917:(1975)
909:(1975)
901:(1970)
893:(1968)
874:(2012)
866:(2004)
858:(1998)
850:(1987)
839:Novels
240:team.
174:, and
111:&
37:Author
351:elite
253:black
245:white
221:speak
146:is a
120:Pages
57:Genre
758:2022
732:2022
706:2022
680:2022
194:Plot
184:Yale
168:Duke
164:Penn
148:2004
129:ISBN
492:HBO
432:of
385:'s
370:in
285:.)
259:).
257:NBA
123:752
1129::
792:,
749:.
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697:.
671:.
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628:,
587:.
456:.
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374:,
366:,
186:,
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170:,
166:,
162:,
158:,
1028:"
1021:"
1014:"
823:e
816:t
809:v
760:.
734:.
708:.
682:.
614:.
593:.
569:.
537:.
115:)
88:)
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