Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
The novel is a social
satire about three members of Generation X - Dag, Andy, and Claire - who have moved to small
bungalows in
Palm Springs, California to get away from an overly
commercialized world and rediscover themselves. In the process, they tell each other (and the guests who drop by)
stories, some about their lives and some made up to represent aspects of their lives.
Through the main story as well as the stories the characters tell, we see examples of how life is for members of Generation X. Stuck with their only career choices being in the
service industry, being forced to live with the commercialism that is all around them, and being unable to afford housing, their
generation lives a bleak life that is only getting bleaker. The characters leave behind their ways of life to find new ones without the trappings of modern
society.
Andy : The book's narrator and main character. Andy works in a bar (a McJob, as he describes it). He's close friends with Dag and Claire, who are also trying to live without the trappings of modern society.Dagmar : Dag for short. He works with Andy at the bar and lives next door to him. After his frustration burst, Dag quit his office job and wandered around for a better lifestyle. He has an obsession with the possibility of a nuclear apocalypse and is prone to occasional erratic behavior. Unlike the other characters, he is Canadian, hailing from the author's home city of Vancouver.; Claire : A friend of Andy and Dag (though not in a romantic relationship with either) who lives in a neighboring bungalow. She is from a large family connected together by multiple
divorces. She wants to live life as Andy and Dag are trying to, but finds it hard especially because of her boyfriend Tobias.
Tobias : A superficial yuppie who is Claire's boyfriend. He finds the lifestyle of Andy, Dag, and Claire interesting, but is unable to commit to it. Neither Andy nor Dag likes him.; Elvissa : Claire's best friend. She joins the group at one point in the story to tell her own short story.
Tyler : Andy's younger brother. Tyler is a young Generation Xer who doesn't seem to take his life seriously. As the youngest child in a large family, he is somewhat spoiled, but deep down he wishes he could live as Andy does.
The novel became widely popular after its first publication, partly due to the assortment of neologisms. Some of these terms, most prominently
McJob, fell into common usage. More notably, however, was the media's widespread use of the term "Generation X" as a name for the age sect portrayed in the novel. Most critics praised the novel, although some criticized it for a lack of character development, a critique made of much of Coupland's early work.
Many critics have linked
Generation X with the popularity of
grunge and
alternative rock, an important aspect of the generation's culture. However, the novel makes no reference to grunge at all (there is little talk of any music) and
Seattle-based
Nirvana released "
Smells Like Teen Spirit", the song that is widely credited for boosting grunge into mainstream popularity, after the novel's publication. While it is unlikely that Coupland had taken grunge music into account when writing the novel, it should be pointed out that he is a native of
Vancouver,
British Columbia, a city not far from Seattle. The characters' attitudes and dress styles were seen by some critics and readers as being reminiscent of grunge fans and musicians.
* ISBN 031205436X (
paperback,
1991)
* ISBN 0349103313 (softcover, 1992)
* ISBN 0312118147 (
hardcover,
1994)
* ISBN 0349108390 (paperback, 1996)
* ISBN 0060392509 (hardcover, 2000)
# Similarly, some critics have also claimed that Coupland predicted the rise of
Microsoft with his novel
Microserfs.
*
Baby Busters*
Generation X*
McJob*
Neologism*
Douglas Coupland's official web site*
A Douglas Coupland fan page*
Google Print entry for Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
