Admittedly, I am still behind on my reading for The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates this week as well. I hope to finish reading The Accursed soon. I wanted to stick to the posting schedule I'd created at the beginning of this read-along. So, with this in mind, I enlisted the aid of Google AI to help me flush out the major themes and discussion questions for Part Four of The Accursed. I will be writing a full review of The Accursed in November. In the meantime, read the following!
In Part Four, the narrative descends completely into the surreal horror of the Bog Kingdom—a grotesque underworld ruled by Count Axente Tsarvesko that mirrors the hypocrisy and decadence of high-society Princeton.
- Cold Spring & May 21, 1906: The narrative advances into spring as the community attempts to deal with the lingering terror of the disappearances, possessions, and psychological decay.
- Lieutenant Bayard by Night & Postscripts: Follows characters like Lieutenant Dabney Bayard (who was connected to Annabel Slade) navigating the dark, eerie atmosphere of the town and examining the "unspeakable" history of Princeton's elite.
- The Temptation of Woodrow Wilson & Political Figures: Figures like Princeton University President Woodrow Wilson face their own internal corruptions, ambitions, and psychological trials under the shadow of the curse.
- Dr. De Sweinitz's Prescription & The Game: The novel features surreal and fabulist interludes—notably a symbolic game of checkers played against a cheating demon or dark force—as the hidden truths and repressed sins of the privileged class are forced out into the open. [
- Exorcism and Unpacking the Curse: The curse is finally lifted not through simple religious ritual, but by forcing the town's respectable society to confront and articulate the buried shames, racial violence, and moral hypocrisies of its past
Part Four Discussion Question
Institutional Hypocrisy and Authority
- Princeton’s Complicity: How does the university administration—embodied or influenced by figures like Woodrow Wilson—function as a shield or a co-conspirator against the truth of the "Curse"? Where do you draw the line between institutional self-preservation and active malevolence?
- The Role of the Church: As religious authority fractures under the pressure of the strange afflictions and disappearances, how do the clergy and devout characters rationalize the horror? Is the curse a divine punishment or a human creation?
Class, Race, and Exploitation
- The Invisible Underclass: Oates frequently juxtaposes the hyper-refined, claustrophobic anxieties of Princeton’s elite families (the Slades, Dodges, and Patersons) with the marginalized working class. How does Part 4 make visible the labor, exploitation, and suffering that quietly support the town's ivory tower?
- Public Outrage vs. Private Guilt: How do the upper-class characters react when the "curse" threatens to spill out of the drawing rooms and into public view? Do they show genuine remorse, or merely fear of a damaged reputation?
Historical Figures as Satire or Symbol
- The Writer-Observers: How does the presence or perspective of figures like Upton Sinclair, Jack London, or Mark Twain shape your understanding of Part 4? Are they useful external lenses on the madness, or are they caught in their own blind spots and vanities?
- The Line Between Fact and Fiction: Oates blends real historical public figures with grotesque gothic mythology. By Part 4, do you view the "Curse" as a supernatural contagion, or as a metaphor for turn-of-the-century American sins (racism, misogyny, industrial greed)?
Psychological vs. Supernatural Dread
- Hysteria or Reality: Characters in the novel frequently debate whether the curse is an actual demonic/vampiric plague or an outbreak of mass psychological hysteria and patent-medicine poisoning. What evidence in Part 4 sways you more toward one explanation over the other?
- Personal vs. Collective Demons: Who bears the heaviest psychological weight in this section? Are the characters suffering from inner demons, or are they paying a generational debt for the sins of American history?
Marianne, from Let's Read, has posted her Week Four thoughts regarding Part Four of The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates. Please click on the link provided to read and comment on Marianne's post. Marianne has once again provided food for thought in her post this week.
Drop Your Thoughts Below!
Feel free to answer any of the questions above, share your favorite line or footnote from Part One, or link your preliminary blog post/review draft in the comments!
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