Nora Ephron: Everything Is Copy

Nora Ephron: Everything Is Copy

Nora Ephron famously claimed that she wrote about every thought that ever crossed her mind, from her divorce from Carl Bernstein (<I>Heartburn</I>) to the size of her breasts (“A Few Words About Breasts”). She also wrote screenplays for three of the most successful contemporary romantic comedies—<I>When Harry Met Sally</I> (1989), <I>Sleepless in Seattle</I> (1993) and <I>You’ve Got Mail</I> (1998). Often considered mere light-hearted romantic comedies, her screenwriting has not been the subject of serious study. This book offers a sustained critical analysis of her work and life and demonstrates that Ephron is no lightweight. The complexity of her work is explored through the context of her childhood in a deeply dysfunctional family of writers.