A confabulation , also known as a False memory false , degraded, or corrupted memory, is a stable pattern of activation in a neural network or neural assembly that does not correspond to any previously learned patterns. The same term is also applied to the neural mistake making process leading to a false memory. Cognitive science In cognitive science , the generation of confabulatory patterns is symptomatic of some forms of brain trauma . ref Gazzaniga, M. S. 1995 . The Cognitive Neurosciences, A Bradford Book, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. ref In this, confabulations relate to pathologically induced neural activation patterns depart from direct experience and learned relationships. In computational modeling of such damage, related brain Pathology pathologies such as dyslexia and hallucination result from simulated lesion ing ref Plaut, D.C. 1993 . Deep Dyslexia A case of connectionist neuropsychology. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 10 5 , 377 500. ref and neuron death ref Yam, P. 1993 . Daisy, Daisy Do computers have near death experience, Scientific American, May 1993. ref . Forms of confabulation in which missing or incomplete information is incorrectly filled in by the brain are generally modelled by the well known neural network process called pattern completion http www.rni.org ftsommer FS neural associative memory.html . Neural networks Confabulation is central to a theory ..., T. 2004 . The concept of such opportunistic confabulation grew out of experiments with artificial neural ... reasoning The term confabulation is also used in describing inductive reasoning accomplished via Bayesian network s ref Hecht Nielsen, R 2005 . Cogent confabulation. Neural Networks 18 111 115. ref . Confabulation is used to select the expectancy of the concept that follows a particular context ... in multiple, conflicting contexts and so confabulation yields a consensus of an expected event that may ... computation on many contexts is postulated to occur in less than a tenth of a second. Confabulation ... more details
False memory refers to the recollection of an event, or the details of an event, that did not occur. The term may also refer to False memory syndrome Source monitoring error Confabulation False Memory novel False Memory novel , by Dean Koontz disambig Short pages monitor This long comment was added to the page to prevent it being listed on Special Shortpages. It and the accompanying monitoring template were generated via Template Longcomment. Please do not remove the monitor template without removing the comment as well. ... more details
Wernicke syndrome is an ambiguous term. It may refer to Receptive aphasia Wernicke aphasia the eponym ous term for receptive or sensory aphasia. Wernicke s encephalopathy Wernicke encephalopathy an acute neurology neurological syndrome of ophthalmoparesis , ataxia , and encephalopathy brought on by thiamine deficiency. Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome , also called Korsakoff psychosis a subacute dementia syndrome, often following Wernicke encephalopathy , characterized clinically by confabulation and clinicopathologically correlated with degeneration of the mammillary body mammillary bodies . See also Carl Wernicke 1848 1905 , the neurologist who described all of these syndromes. Wernicke s area , named after Carl Wernike, a brain region associated with the understanding of written and spoken language. disambig it Sindrome di Wernicke ... more details
Infobox Disease Name Actinic conjunctivitis Image Caption DiseasesDB ICD10 ICD9 ICD9 370.24 ICDO OMIM MedlinePlus eMedicineSubj eMedicineTopic MeshID Actinic conjunctivitis is an Conjunctivitis inflammation of the eye contracted from prolonged exposure to actinic ultraviolet rays. Symptoms are redness and swelling of the eyes. Most often the condition is caused by prolonged exposure to Klieg light s, therapeutic lamps, or acetylene torches. Other names for the condition include Klieg conjunctivitis, eyeburn, arc flash, welders conjunctivitis, flash keratoconjunctivitis, actinic ray ophthalmia,x ray ophthalmia, and ultraviolet ray ophthalmia. ref Cite web url http mercksource.com pp us cns cns hl dorlands.jspzQzpgzEzzSzppdocszSzuszSzcommonzSzdorlandszSzdorlandzSzdmd c 52zPzhtm title Dorland s Medical Dictionary confabulation connexus accessdate 2007 07 27 ref References reflist See also Conjunctivitis Photokeratitis Eye pathology Category Diseases of the eye and adnexa Category Inflammations disease stub hr Aktini ki keratitis ... more details
One source date July 2009 Memory distrust syndrome is a term coined by G sli Gu j nsson and James MacKeith in 1982, to describe those who distrust their own memories and are motivated to rely on external non self sources to verify the accuracy of memories. Memory distrust syndrome is associated with source amnesia , which prohibits full recollection of how one acquired a specific memory. Additionally, memory distrust syndrome involves confusion concerning the content or context of events, a highly attributable factor to confabulation in brain disease . The overwhelming propensity to accept information from external sources i.e. an interrogator based on the influence of susceptibility has led to well documented false confession s. In addition, the credibility of a witness account who suffers from memory distrust syndrome is more questionable. In a parallel situation, amnesic individuals may have a greater propensity to have their memory manipulated and perhaps perform non advantageous acts on the direction of external sources and have difficulty in differentiating imaginary and real experiences. Since the criminal law system considers source amnesia pathology to be an identified and natural occurrence, psychiatrists should increasingly take assessment and identification measures to isolate such a disorder in accused individuals and eye witnesses. References cite journal last Lakhan first Shaheen title Neuropsychological Generation of Source Amnesia An Episodic Memory Disorder of the Frontal Brain journal Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences volume 1 issue 1 publisher Scientific Journals International url http www.scientificjournals.org journals2007 articles 1038.htm DEFAULTSORT Memory Distrust Syndrome Category Memory disorders no Memory distrust syndrome ... more details
G sli Hannes Gu j nsson born 26 October 1947 is http www.expertsearch.co.uk cgi bin find expert?2288 Professor of Forensic Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry , King s College London . He is an internationally renowned authority on suggestibility and false confessions whose expert testimony was the basis for the convictions of the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four being overturned. He created the Gudjonsson suggestibility scale to measure how succeptable someone is to coercion during an interrogation. In 1982, he coined the term Memory distrust syndrome , to describe those who distrust their own memories and are motivated to rely on external non self sources to verify the accuracy of memories. His publications include the following Psychology brings justice the science of forensic psychology Crim Behav Ment Health. 2003 13 3 159 67 http www.wiley.com WileyCDA WileyTitle productCd 0470844612.html The Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions. A Handbook. Chichester John Wiley & Sons. 2003 Forensic Psychology. A Guide to Practice with Lionel Haward The relationship between confabulation and intellectual ability, memory, interrogative suggestibility and acquiescence. Personality and Individual Differences , 1995 The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales Manual . Hove, UK Psychology Press. 1997 http www.google.com search?q cache dugX1CZreUQJ www.psych.umn.edu courses spring06 lippmannb psy4960 discussion 2520readings alcohol 2520withdrawal 2520and 2520suggestibility.pdf 22G.H. Gudjonsson 22 22Institute of Psychiatry 22 22suggestibility scale 22&hl en&gl us&ct clnk&cd 1 The Relationship Of Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms To Suggestibility And Compliance. Psychology, Crime & Law , June 2004, Vol. 10 2 , pp. 169 177 See also Memory distrust syndrome Persondata Metadata see Wikipedia Persondata . NAME Gudjonsson, Gisli ALTERNATIVE NAMES SHORT DESCRIPTION DATE OF BIRTH PLACE OF BIRTH DATE OF DEATH PLACE OF DEATH DEFAULTSORT Gudjonsson, Gisli Category Living people Category A ... more details
Infobox Artery Name Anterior communicating artery Latin arteria communicans anterior GraySubject 146 GrayPage 572 Image Circle of Willis en.svg Caption The cerebral arterial circle and arteries of the brain. The anterior communicating arteries top of figure connect the left and right anterior cerebral artery anterior cerebral arteries . BranchFrom BranchTo Vein Supplies MeshName MeshNumber In human anatomy , the anterior communicating artery is a blood vessel of the brain that connects the left and right anterior cerebral artery anterior cerebral arteries . The anterior communicating artery connects the two anterior cerebral arteries across the commencement of the longitudinal fissure . Sometimes this vessel is wanting, the two arteries joining together to form a single trunk, which afterward divides or it may be wholly, or partially, divided into two. Its length averages about 4 mm, but varies greatly. It gives off some of the anteromedial ganglionic vessels, but these are principally derived from the anterior cerebral artery. It is part of the circle of Willis cerebral arterial circle , also known as the circle of Willis . Pathology Aneurysm s of the anterior communicating artery are the most common circle of Willis aneurysm ref Beck J, Rohde S, Berkefeld J, Seifert V, Raabe A. Size and location of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms measured by 3 dimensional rotational angiography. Surg Neurol. 2006 Jan 65 1 18 25 discussion 25 7. PMID 16378842. ref and can cause visual field loss visual field defect s such as bitemporal hemianopsia , ref Aoki N. Partially thrombosed aneurysm presenting as the sudden onset of bitemporal hemianopsia. Neurosurgery. 1988 Mar 22 3 564 6. PMID 3362325. ref psychopathology and frontal lobe pathology. ref Johnson MK, O Connor M, Cantor J. Confabulation, memory deficits, and frontal dysfunction. Brain Cogn. 1997 Jul 34 2 189 206. PMID 9220085. ref Image Arteries beneath brain.png thumb center 500px The arteries of the base of ... more details
Infobox Brain Name Basal forebrain Latin pars basalis telencephali GraySubject GrayPage Image Basal Forebrain Monakhos 2007.png Caption The Basal Forebrain BrainInfoType ancil BrainInfoNumber 1997 IsPartOf Components Artery Vein MeshNumber NeuroLex Basal Forebrain NeuroLexID birnlex 1560 The basal forebrain is a collection of structures located ventrally to the striatum . It is considered to be the major cholinergic output of the central nervous system CNS . It includes a group of structures that lie near the bottom of the front of the brain, including the nucleus basalis , diagonal band of Broca , and medial septal nuclei . These structures are important in the production of acetylcholine , which is then distributed widely throughout the brain. Function Acetylcholine affects the ability of brain cells to transmit information to one another, and also encourages plasticity, or learning. Thus, damage to the basal forebrain can reduce the amount of acetylcholine in the brain and impair learning. This may be one reason why basal forebrain damage can result in memory impairments such as amnesia and confabulation. One common cause of basal forebrain damage is aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery. ref http www.memorylossonline.com glossary basalforebrain.html Memory Loss & the Brain Bot generated title ref Research, conducted by investigators from Children s Hospital Boston and the University of Helsinki , ties together previous observations about sleep and finds that nitric oxide production in the basal forebrain is both necessary and sufficient to produce sleep . ref http www.sciencedaily.com releases 2006 09 060908094456.htm Need To Pull An All nighter? Reducing Nitric Oxide Gas In The Brain May Help Us Stay Awake Bot generated title ref This structure is defined, in part, as the place where adenosine acts on Adenosine A1 receptor A1 receptors of cholinergic neurons. This results in hyperpolarization of cholinergic neurons, which inhibits the release of acetylc ... more details
Kathy Pezdek is Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences SBOS , Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. Dr. Pezdek is a cognitive psychologist specializing in the study of eyewitness memory. She frequently serves as an expert witness in the area of eyewitness identification and has testified on this topic in Federal, State and Superior Court cases. Her extensive research has focused on a range of topics related to Law and Psychology that apply to both adults and children. These topics include face memory, suggestibility of memory, lineup techniques, and detecting deception. Kathy Pezdek is a Fellow of the American Psychological Society, has served as Editor of Applied Cognitive Psychology and is currently on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Applied Psychology and Legal and Criminological Psychology. Education Dr. Pezdek received her B.S. in psychology from the University of Virginia, Fredericksburg, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Massachesetts, Amherst. Bibliography Recent Pezdek publications include Pezdek, K., Sperry, K., & Owens, S.M. in press . Interviewing Witnesses The Effect of Forced Confabulation on Event Memory. Law & Human Behavior. Pezdek, K., Blandon Gitlin, I., Lam, S., Hart, R.E. & Schooler, J. in press . Is knowing believing? The role of event plausibility and background knowledge in planting false beliefs about the personal past. Memory & Cognition. Pezdek, K. & Blandon Gitlin, I. in press . When is an intervening lineup most likely to affect eyewitness identification accuracy? Legal and Criminological Psychology. Blandon Gitlin, I., Pezdek, K, Rogers, M. & Brodie, L. in press . Detecting deception in children An experimental study of the effect of event familiarity on CBCA ratings, Law & Human Behavior. Pezdek, K. 2007 . It s Just Not Good Science. Consciousness & Cognition, 16, 29 30. Pezdek, K. & Lam, S. 2007 . What research paradigms have cognitive psy ... more details
Orphan date February 2009 Sydney Bernard Smith 4 August 1936 11 October 2008 ref http www.irishtimes.com notices index.cfm?fuseaction detail&advert 710450&publish 14 10 2008 ref was a Scots Irish poet, dramatist, actor and novelist. He was born in Glasgow but brought up in Portstewart , County Londonderry in Northern Ireland . He was elected a member of Aosdana ref http aosdana.artscouncil.ie Members.aspx?former 1 ref in 1982. Education He was educated at Clongowes Wood College , Queen s College, Oxford and the University of Iowa International Writer s programme. He later taught at Clongowes Wood College. He also worked as a teacher at Sandymount High School in Dublin , the University of Iowa and Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He also taught in Germany and Spain. Publications Following ref is blacklisted... ref http stores.lulu.com store.php?fAcctID 726653 ref Poetry collections included br Girl With Violin 1968 br Priorities 1979 br Sensualities 1981 br Scurrilities 1981 br New and Selected Poems 1984 br His plays included br Sherca 1976 br Don Bosco, Grainne and the Dole 1977 br The Impertinence of being Frank 1978 br The Illaunapsppie Triangle 1978 br Houseparty 1979 br Swim Away Babies 1984 br On Course for Brazil 1985 br How to Roast a Strasbourg Goose Dublin Theatre Festival, 1985 br Up for Bloomsday 1985 br The 2nd Grand Confabulation of Drum Ceat Dublin Theatre Festival, 1989 br Reason not the Need 1992 br The Shaming of the True 1995 Novels br Flannery 1991 br The Book of Shannow published in literary magazines His work was broadcast on RT , BBC and Channel 4 , and staged in Ireland at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and in the USA. Personal life Smith was married to Cynthia n e Hoxie and they had three sons Daniel, Sydney George, Cormac and a daughter Emer . At the time of his death he lived in Dundalk , County Louth in Ireland. References references Persondata Metadata see Wikipedia Persondata . NAME Smith, Sydney Bernard ALTERNATIVE NAMES SHORT DESCR ... more details
Mikl s Maros b. 14 November 1943 is a Hungarian composer. He was born in P cs , the son of composer Rudolf Maros and violinist Kl ra Moln r. He studied at the B la Bart k Conservatory of Budapest with Rezs Sug r and at the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy with Ferenc Szab , and continued his studies in Stockholm with Ingvar Lidholm and Gy rgy Ligeti . ref cite book title The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians Volume 15 author Tyrrell, John date 2001 ref From 1971 to 1973, Maros was composition teacher at the Stockholm Secondary School of Music. From 1971 to 1978, he taught at the Studio for Electronic Music EMS in Stockholm, and from 1976 to 1980 he taught at Stockholm Muikcollege. From 1980 to 1981, he was a guest of the Berlin Artists Program of the German Academic Exchange Service in West Berlin . In 1972 he and his wife, singer Ilona Maros, formed the Maros Ensemble for the performance of contemporary music. In 1990 Maros received the Lifetime Artists Award of the Swedish Government. ref cite book title New music of the Nordic countries first John David last White first2 Jean last2 Christensen date 2002 ref Works In addition to two operas, he composed many works for chamber ensembles, symphonic works, concertos and vocal works. Selected compositions include Stage Stora Grusharpan The Large Gravel Harp , opera, 1982 Neuter Neuter , opera, 2002 Orchestral Symphony No. 4 for orchestra, 1998 Concertante Sinfonia Concertante Symphonie No. 3 for violin, cello, double bass and strings, 1986 Konzertmusik Concert Music for violin, viola and chamber ensemble, 1992 Chamber music Violasonata for viola and live electronics, 1970 Gl djebud Good Tidings for trumpet, violin and viola, 1971 An Arty and crafty Lilt for alto, viola or cello and piano, 1976 Diptychon for viola and organ, 1979 Partite for viola and piano, 1991 Claris for clarinet, viola and piano, 1994 Confabulation for flute, viola and guitar, 1997 References reflist External links http www.mmaros.com List of ... more details
memories are genuine and which are not. Confabulation resultant from the planting of these memories ... date 1993 05 03 accessdate 2010 12 12 ref while others have been deemed confabulation s or false ... 4 ref See also Alien abduction Confabulation Lost in the mall technique McMartin preschool trial ... more details
Year nav topic 1995 science The year 1995 in science and technology involved many significant events, listed below. Archaeology January 18 In southern France near Vallon Pont d Arc a network of caves are discovered that contain paintings and engravings that are 17,000 to 20,000 years old. Wes Linster discovers the first intact skeleton of Bambiraptor feinbergi . Astronomy 6349 Acapulco Asteroid 6349 is discovered by Masahiro Koishikawa . February Project Phoenix begins looking for extraterrestrial transmissions using the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales, Australia, the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere. October 6 51 Pegasi b Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz of the University of Geneva at the Observatoire de Haute Provence announce in Nature journal Nature the first definitive detection of an extrasolar planet orbiting an ordinary main sequence main sequence star 51 Pegasi . The Big Ear at the Ohio State University Radio Observatory ends its full time Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence SETI radio survey, having run continuously for 22 years, beginning in 1973 in science 1973 . Biology The genome of Haemophilus influenzae is the first genome of a free living organism to be sequenced. Computer science May 23 The Java programming language Java programming language is announced to the world. Medicine January 30 Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventative treatment for Sickle cell disease sickle cell anaemia . Neuroscience The RELN gene and Reelin protein are discovered by Gabriella D Arcangelo and colleagues, solving the mystery behind the formation of inverted cortical layers in the brain of reeler mutant mice, and sparking an avalanche of research into the Reelin s role in Neural development neurodevelopment . Psychology Elizabeth Loftus describes the Lost in the mall technique as a demonstration that confabulation s can be created through suggestions to experimental subje ... more details
Infobox scientist name Robert Hecht Nielsen image image width caption birth date 1947 birth place San Francisco death date death place residence citizenship nationality ethnicity field Computer Science work institution University of California, San Diego alma mater doctoral advisor doctoral students known for author abbreviation bot author abbreviation zoo prizes religion footnotes Robert Hecht Nielsen is an adjunct professor of electrical engineering electrical and computer science computer engineering at the University of California, San Diego . He co founded HNC Software, and became a vice president of R&D at Fair Isaac Corporation when it acquired the company. In March, 2005, he held an event to announce the fundamental mechanism of cognition , which he believes is a process of confabulation neural networks . He posits that all actions and thoughts begin as the winners of competitions, where confabulations are tested for cogency based on antecedent support . He presented some mathematical models of the proposed mechanism, and some experimental results where software using this system was able to add several words to a stub of a sentence, keeping that stub coherent and, optionally, maintaining some connection to a full input sentence supplied as context. For example, given But the other ... the program returns But the other semifinal match between fourth seeded ... . Given Japan manufactures many consumer products. for context, and the same three word stub, it returns But the other executives included well known companies ... . Five pages of such examples were given. He made red, green, and blue striped medallions to commemorate the event, and had them distributed to the audience along with pamphlets explaining their significance The upward pointing arrow at the top...represents our mutual responsibility to carefully guide the start of the new anthropologic era following the era of civilization which began at the end of this talk. This new era, which as yet has n ... more details
Unreferenced date May 2008 The deliriants or anticholinergic s are a special class of acetylcholine receptor acetylcholine inhibitor hallucinogenic drug hallucinogen . The term was introduced by David F. Duncan and Robert S. Gold to distinguish these drugs from psychedelics , such as LSD , due to their primary effect being one of inducing a medical state of frank delirium ref Duncan, D. F., and Gold, R. S. 1982 . Drugs and the Whole Person. New York John Wiley & Sons ref . Effects The delirium produced is characterized by stupor , utter confusion , confabulation , and regression to phantom behaviors such as disrobing and plucking hair removal plucking . Other commonly reported behaviors include holding full and lifelike conversations with imagined people, finishing a complex, multi stage action such as getting dressed and then suddenly discovering you had not even begun yet, and being unable to recognize one s own reflection in a Mirror Test mirror . The effects have been likened to sleepwalking , a fugue state or a psychotic episode particularly in that the subject has minimal control over their actions and little to no recall of the experience . This is a notable departure from typical hallucinogens . Members Included in this group are such Solanaceae plants as atropa belladonna deadly nightshade , nutmeg, Brugmansia arborea floripondio or Brugmansia feingold angel s trumpet Brugmansia suaveolens tears , mandrake plant mandrake , henbane , scopolia and datura containing tropane alkaloid s sometimes referred to as the Belladonna alkaloids , as well as a number of pharmaceutical drugs such as the antihistamine diphenhydramine Benadryl and the antiemetic s dimenhydrinate Dramamine or Gravol and scopolamine . The chemical warfare agent BZ 3 quinuclidinyl benzilate is a highly potent anticholinergic military incapacitating agent . Recreational use Despite the fully legal status of several common deliriant plants, deliriants are largely unpopular as recreational drugs d ... more details
SpecialChars Infobox Album See Wikipedia WikiProject Albums Name Mangled Demos from 1983 Type compilation Artist The Melvins Cover Melvins mangled.jpg Released May 31, 2005 Recorded 1983 Genre Hardcore punk , Grunge , Experimental Rock Length 43 38 Label Ipecac Recordings Compact disc CD br Alternative Tentacles Vinyl record LP Producer The Melvins Reviews Allmusic Rating 3.5 5 Allmusic class album id r742497 pure url yes link Mark Prindle Rating 7 10 http www.markprindle.com melvinsa.htm mangled link Pitchfork Media 53 http pitchforkmedia.com article record review 19829 Melvins Mangled Demos From 1983 link Last album Never Breathe What You Can t See br 2004 This album Mangled Demos from 1983 br 2005 Next album Sieg Howdy br 2005 Mangled Demos from 1983 is a collection of various early The Melvins Melvins recordings from 1983, remastered and released on Ipecac in 2005. Until 2005, none of the material had ever been officially released. A few tracks included in this album have previously appeared on Bootleg recording bootleg releases. It is the only record featuring the original lineup Buzz Osborne Matt Lukin Mike Dillard . Tracks 3 13 were recorded at Mud Bay, a suburb of Olympia, Washington , for possible album release. Ultimately the album was not released at the time, as no record label was interested in the Melvins until 1985. Track listing Some song titles were lost over time, they are listed with symbols. Elks Lodge Christmas Broadcast 3 52 If You Get Bored Live Radio 2 22 Forgotten Principles 1 07 Snake Appeal 1 59 Symbol Flower 1 08 If You Get Bored 1 33 Set Me Straight 2 31 Later appeared on Houdini album Houdini and Six Songs album Six Songs List of Unicode characters Dingbats Circled white star U 272A 1 02 I m Dry 1 35 Forgotten Principles 1 19 I Don t Know 1 35 Matt Alec 3 00 The Real You 1 27 Run Around 1 44 Keep Away From Me 1 22 List of Unicode characters Miscellaneous symbols Shamrock U 2618 1 00 Bibulous Confabulation During Rehearsal 4 58 Symbol Ir ... more details
infobox Book See Wikipedia WikiProject Novels or Wikipedia WikiProject Books name What a Piece of Work I Am title orig translator image Deleted image removed Image What a piece.jpg 200px prefer 1st edition image caption author Eric Kraft cover artist country United States language English language English series The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy genre Comedy novel publisher Crown publisher Crown release date 5 April, 1994 in literature 1994 media type Print Hardcover , Paperback pages 275 pp first edition hardcover isbn ISBN 0 517 59612 1 first edition harcover dewey 813 .54 20 congress PS3561.R22 W43 1994 oclc 28418858 preceded by Where Do You Stop? followed by At Home with the Glynns What A Piece of Work I Am A Confabulation is a novel by Eric Kraft . It is part of his ongoing project of interconnected fiction The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences and Observations of Peter Leroy. The novel is narrated by Leroy, but mainly concerns his boyhood crush and sultry muse, Ariane Lodkcochnikov. Plot summary We are told at the beginning of the novel that Ariane is a figment of his imagination, yet we learn her life story in intimate detail and the lines between reality and imagination are blurred throughout the story. Named for Ariadne , the heroine of Greek myth who helps Theseus escape the Minotaur , Ariane begins as the promiscuous beauty of the fictional town of Babbington, Long Island. We follow as she tries to escape her demeaning job at a clam shack and bad girl reputation, going through several phases of personal examination and reinvention. Ariane is an energetic storyteller, and she relates her story to Leroy and the reader through a series of funny and poignant episodes that explore the power of personal fantasy. In one sequence, Leroy s grandfather, with Ariane s help, comforts his dying wife by pretending their home is a ship making the journey to the tropical destination of Rarotonga . Later, we learn that muc ... more details
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