What are some quick review facts about the author?

• Paul Zindel was born May 15, 1936

• his mom, Betty, raised Zindel and his older sister (also Betty) by herself after their father (who was also named Paul) left the family for his mistress/girlfriend (when Zindel was 2 years old)

• Zindel graduated from Wagner College in Staten Island as a chemist; while he attended, he took a creative writing course with playwright Edward Albee (famous for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), who became a valued mentor

• he was a high school chemistry teacher for 6 years

• he only became a full time writer in the 1970s

What is the autobiographical context of Beatrice?

• Beatrice was designed after Paul's mother (the aforementioned Betty)

• Betty lived with various mental health issues and raised her kids in a bit of a crazy home

  • example struggles include narcissism and paranoia to a degree

• she frequently attempted 'get rich quick' job opportunities and struggled in general to get money,
  especially as a single mother

  • financial issues also led to the small family moving from place to place quite often

• the following was quoted in Zindel's obituary by James Barron and is available on the official 'Paul Zindel' website
  "'Our home was a house of fear,' Mr. Zindel once said. 'Mother never trusted anybody, and ours wasn't the kind of house someone could get into by knocking on the front door. A knock at the door would send mother, sister and me running to a window to peek out.' He said his mother conditioned him to believe that the world was out to get him, and he retreated into a secret world of puppet shows in cardboard boxes.'
  '... in "The Effects of Gamma Rays," the character Beatrice 'really conveys my mother and the house I lived in.' ... 'Like my mother, Beatrice was a scorned woman whose husband had left her, and who was left to raise two kids who were like a stone around her neck. She felt that the world was lurking out there to ridicule her clothes and to attack her with unkindness.
  'She seemed to think he had done the same thing when he read the play to her. 'At the end of it she said, 'How could you? How could you expose me to the world as a kleptomaniac and a manic-depressive nurse?' he recalled in an interview last year with School Library Journal. 'I felt so badly the way she had been hurt. But then she asked, 'Who is going to play me on television?' When I told her Eileen Heckart -- who won a Golden Globe award and was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1956 thriller ''The Bad Seed'' -- she said, 'Oh! Well, that's wonderful, then.' My mother only cared which actress was going to play her.'"

• in the same obituary, we can read,
  "Mr. Zindel's mother, a nurse who also worked as a shipyard laborer, hat-check attendant and dog breeder, took in dying patients as boarders."

  • • • this quote helps show that certain sporadic, opportunistic nature of Betty/Beatrice

What else can I learn about Narcissism?

• from Narcissistic Personality Disorder - HelpGuide.org :

  • “...people with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are in love with an idealized, grandiose image of themselves. And they're in love with this inflated self-image precisely because it allows them to avoid deep feelings of insecurity. But propping up their delusions of grandeur takes a lot of work—and that's where the dysfunctional attitudes and behaviors come in. 

‘Narcissistic personality disorder involves a pattern of self-centered, arrogant thinking and behavior, a lack of empathy and consideration for other people, and an excessive need for admiration. Others often describe people with NPD as cocky, manipulative, selfish, patronizing, and demanding.

‘…Their tendency is to turn the blame on to others. What's more, they are extremely sensitive and react badly to even the slightest criticisms, disagreements, or perceived slights, which they view as personal attacks.” 

• • • “Signs and symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder: …” (quoted headers for list below)

      • • grandiose sense of self-importance

        • lives in a fantasy world that supports their delusions of grandeur

        • needs constant praise and admiration

        • sense of entitlement

        • exploits others without guilt or shame

        • frequently demeans, intimidates, bullies, or belittles others

    • there are different types of narcissism; I personally believe Beatrice is dealing with ‘covert or vulnerable narcissism’

      • “It's common to imagine all narcissists as dominant and overwhelming in social situations. However, covert narcissists are introverted. They tend to be extremely sensitive to criticism and suffer from low self-esteem. They can be defensive and passive-aggressive, but they are less likely to overestimate their emotional abilities than overt narcissists.

• from What Vulnerable Narcissists Really Fear | Psychology Today :

  • • “Vulnerable narcissism is broadly defined in terms of hypersensitivity to rejection, negative affectivity, and social isolation, but also distrust of others and increased levels of anger and hostility. …Finger-pointing comes naturally to vulnerable narcissists and they love to rehash the past and romanticize how much better things could be if only people appreciated them more.” (emphasis by me) 

    • this article also specifically discusses reactions to laughter — examples from a study done:

      • • gelotophobia – the fear of being laughed at in social situations

          • “People with gelotophobia tend to misinterpret laughter as malicious and assume they are the target of mockery, which then triggers distrustful emotions and social withdrawal.” 

            • • ^ what I think Beatrice has with the way she is depicted

        • gelotophilia –  it entails the joy of being laughed at 

          • “These individuals experience being laughed at as a sign of appreciation, social connection, and shared humor.”

        • katagelasticism – the joy of laughing at others

          • “These individuals derive immense pleasure from making fun of and mocking people. They enjoy putting others down and exploiting their mishaps.”