Tomcat in Love
First edition | |
| Author | Tim O'Brien |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Campus novel, Comic novel |
| Publisher | Broadway Books |
Publication date | Oct 1998 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback) |
| Pages | 238 |
| ISBN | 0-7679-0202-5 |
| OCLC | 60161995 |
| Preceded by | In the Lake of the Woods (1994) |
| Followed by | July, July (2002) |
Tomcat in Love is a novel by Tim O'Brien, about the misadventures of a womanizing linguistics Professor, Thomas H. Chippering, originally published in hardcover by Broadway Books, in 1998. Chippering is obsessive about proper use of the English language, and employs many examples of wordplay. Written in the first person, the tale unfolds with extensive use of flashback (what Chippering would insist be called "analepsis") and foreshadowing. However, he is an incorrigible liar, an indefatigable flirt, and completely self-centered. Tomcat in Love is more picaresque than Bildungsroman.