Flowers for Algernon Background Info. English B60 Flowers for Algernon Background Info.

The Author Daniel Keyes (August 9, 1927-June 15, 2014) was an American author from New York City.

The Novel His best know work, Flowers for Algernon, was first published as a short story in the April 1959 Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It was later expanded into the novel we know today (1966). The novel has won several awards including the Hugo award (1960) and the Nebula award (1966).

Film adaptations Flowers for Algernon has been adapted to film several times, including the 1968 version called Charly, starring Cliff Robertson, who won an Oscar for best actor for his performance.

Film adaptations There was also a 2000 adaptation starring Matthew Modine as Charlie

Plot The novel is about a young man named Charlie Gordon who has an IQ of 68 and is considered mentally retarted.

Plot Charlie is selected to participate in an experimental treatment that will drastically raise his IQ. The novel follows him throughout his experiences. It is told in the first person by way of progress reports Charlie is asked to write daily chronicling his growth in intelligence.

Themes Some of the themes we’ll be looking for in the novel include questions about intelligence What is intelligence? How should we define it? How can it be measured? How important is intelligence? Is it possible to live a fulfilling life without being what we would define as “intelligent”? To what extent should we use science to “better” people? Are there times when our scientific abilities exceed our ethics? (“Playing God”)

Homework As you read, fill out the assigned reading guides. You will turn these in for homework credit, but you will also be able to use them on notes for unannounced reading quizzes and the exam we will be taking on the novel. They will help you better understand the novel and move from the literal to the interpretive and the analytical. They will also serve as pre-writing for the essay you will be writing on the novel.