1. Plot

2. Reception

3. Awards and honors

4. Adaptations

5. References

= Bad Girl (novel) =

Bad Girl is the first novel by the American author Viña Delmar. It was a bestseller upon its publication by Harcourt Brace and Co. in 1928 and its popularity initiated Delmar's career as an author and screenwriter.

Plot

The novel focuses on the themes of promiscuity and childbirth in the context of a young working class couple - Dot and Eddie - who get married and experience a series of misunderstandings about each other's desires^[1]. Although each thinks that the other wants an abortion, they end up having the baby, but each still thinks that the other resents their child. The novel as a discussion of family, motherhood, fatherhood, and affection aligns with the new image of the affectionate family and voluntary reproduction in the 1920s^[2]. It focused on more complicated sexual issues (rather than virginity and fear of premarital sex) and criticized literature for not exploring these issues and giving people the language to process their experiences.

Reception

Bad Girl was very controversial in regards to its content and style when it was first published. The novel was extremely realistic and included a high level of detail in terms of childbirth, leading some critics to complain that "A novel is not the place for obstetrics" and "Miss Delmar must learn to leave something to the reader's imagination^[3]." Because of this, the novel was initially banned in Boston. However, it was also highly praised for this very detail and style and heralded as an example of literary freedom. One reviewer wrote that "Bad Girl seems as fresh as a dill pickle on a hot summer day" and another described it as "one of the miracles of American life"^[4]. The book was immensely popular and a huge commercial success, making Delmar a huge name.

Awards and honors

The Literary Guild chose the novel as its April 1928 selection, making Delmar the youngest author ever to be selected for book of the month. The novel was also on the Publishers Weekly fiction bestseller list as 5th for the year 1928.

Adaptations

In 1930, the novel was adapted into a Broadway play co-written by both Delmar herself and Brian Marlow. In 1931, the novel was adapted into a film that won Oscars for Best Director and Best Adaptation^[5].

References

• Huckle, Richard
• Hucklesby (surname)
• Huckleybuck
• Hucknall Byron railway station
• Hucknall Byron station
• Hucknall Sixth Form Centre
• Huck Out West
• Huck, Paul
• Huck, Richard
• Huck (Scandal)
• Huck's Food & Fuel
• Huck's Raft
• Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood
• Huclack
• Hu County
• Hu cun pao
• HUCWI
• HUD
• HUDA
• Huda al-Namani
• Huda Beauty
• Huda Boss
• HUDA City Centre
• Hudadhalli
• Huda (given name)