The Argonauts Literary Elements

Autobiography, "autotheory"

The book spans Nelson's whole life (1973-) but concentrates on the period between 2007 and 2011. The book takes place mostly in Los Angeles, California.

A first-person narrative. The narrator is Maggie Nelson herself.

As a work of "autotheory," the tone of this book is introspective, philosophical, and draws from sometimes intense and deeply intimate personal experience. The mood likewise fluctuates between deeply dark and lighthearted. Nelson has a way of bringing love into every paragraph.

The protagonist of the book, if there is one, is Nelson and her family—her partner, Harry, her son, Iggy, and her stepson. There is no concrete antagonist beyond a stalker that Nelson mentions at one point.

The major conflict of the book lies in Nelson understanding her love for her partner, her care for her stepchild, and her pregnancy in light of the struggle to remain true to herself as a writer and mother.

The climax of the book comes at the very end as Nelson describes the end of her pregnancy and her process of labor while also detailing the death of Harry's mother from his perspective. We see that the two stories can coexist in love and respect.

Nelson makes frequent reference to the depth of her love for her non-conforming family unit before it truly comes into being.

Nelson writes concisely, often using short sentences and quotes to relay incredibly complex emotional experiences and thought processes. However, the brevity of her writing does not reduce its meaning.

Nelson makes frequent allusions to works of poetry, psychology, fiction, and film throughout The Argonauts. The authors she most frequently cites include the poets Mary and George Oppen, the child psychologist Donald Winnicott, and the queer theoretician Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick.

Nelson often employs imagery when describing the human body. Most notably, she invokes imagery when describing her own body and that of her son, Iggy, and partner, Harry Dodge.

Despite the fact that Nelson gives much space to the critique of "making the private public" in her book, she openly shares much lived personal experience throughout the work.

Nelson writes in short paragraphs that have seemingly no concrete relation to one another but always matches these paragraphs in style and form, using italicized quotes to illustrate her arguments and opinions.

Nelson uses "T," throughout the book in reference to testosterone shots that her partner, Harry, takes as part of his physiological gender transition.

The pregnancy and child-rearing books that Nelson writes about in reference to her own maternal experience impose a patriarchal role in this book. They often take on an authoritative and paternalistic voice regarding the role women should play in raising children.