40 pages 1 hour read

Lauren Groff

Arcadia

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2012

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Prologue-Part 1

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue Summary

Content Warning: Arcadia mentions sexual abuse and harassment, implied miscarriage, infant death, and death by suicide, and depicts child endangerment, depression, drug abuse, unclear sexual consent, and assisted suicide.

Bit’s first memory is of women singing in 1968, even though he was an embryo at the time. His father, Abe, and mother, Hannah, arrived at New York commune Arcadia in a caravan, to the sight of men doing sun salutations, building bonfires, and tuning guitars, and women washing clothes in the river as they sing. He has been told of his parents’ arrival so many times that it’s become his first memory.

Part 1 Summary: “City of the Sun”

The narrative flashes forward to Bit at age five. The unofficial leader of Arcadia, Handy, is preparing for a musical tour he’ll use to spread the word of Arcadia. Bit is frightened of fellow Arcadian Dartful Codger, an elderly man who shouts. The Dartful Codger dies in his sleep, with Bit having watched him die and “wake up” with a look of peace. When Hannah cries over the death, Bit is confused. Abe explains Hannah is dealing with her own father’s poor health. Bit remembers meeting his grandparents, who visited Arcadia and remarked on his small size.

Related Titles

By Lauren Groff

Study Guide

logo

Fates and Furies

Lauren Groff

Fates and Furies

Lauren Groff

Plot Summary

logo

The Monsters of Templeton

Lauren Groff

The Monsters of Templeton

Lauren Groff

Study Guide

logo

The Vaster Wilds

Lauren Groff

The Vaster Wilds

Lauren Groff