Nightwood

Djuna Barnes

By Sophia Goetz

Paris, the 1920s. The story begins with Felix Volkbein’s birth in 1880. Felix, the sole child of an Italian Jewish father and a Viennese mother who both passed away around the time of his birth, is embarrassed by his Jewish roots and claims Christian lineage. In Paris, Felix joins a group of circus performers, where he befriends an American,Nora Flood, and Dr. Matthew O’Connor, an Irish physician from San Francisco. One day, Dr. O’Connor is summoned to treat a sleeping woman named Robin Vote. Felix and Robin quickly get married and have a son, although Robin lacks maternal interest and eventually leaves for New York, abandoning Felix.

In the United States, Robin and Nora meet at a circus and start a relationship, later moving back to Paris together. Robin, however, grows restless and frequently wanders the streets at night while intoxicated, causing Nora much concern. Robin then starts an affair with Jenny Petherbridge, a widow four times over, and moves with her to New York. Distressed over losing Robin, Nora seeks out Dr. O’Connor during the night. Dr. O’Connor, oddly dressed in women’s nightwear and makeup, extensively discusses love, the nature of the night, and Jenny’s detrimental influence;he foresees that Nora and Robin’s connection will persist beyond their lifetimes.

Djuna Barnes penned “Nightwood” in the early 1930s after spending over a decade in Paris, which was then the burgeoning hub of the Modernist movement and a major cultural and artistic epicenter. Her initial novel, “Ryder,” which draws from her experiences growing up in a polygamous family, enjoyed a brief stint as a New York Times bestseller. The success of “Ryder”