Greeks in Fiction: Gamma Phi
 

(I thought there was a thread about this, but a quick search of the archive didn't turn it up....I'm sure someone will correct me. <g>)

Anyway: _Weeping_ is the title of a great new mystery by Shelly Reuben. (pub. 3/04 by Justin & Charles, ISBN 1-932112-20-0) If you like Janet Evanovich's mysteries starring Stephanie Plum you'll like arson investigator Fritillary Quilter! The victim of the nefarious plot is an actress who was a member of Gamma Phi Beta at Hudson University. The chapter house and the housemother are written about with a familiarity that only a Greek would know.

I'll bet Shelly Reuben is a Gamma Phi....does anyone have an alumnae directory?

She's not listed, but Shelly Reuben cold be a pen name.

The author replied to my e-mail saying that she was not in a sorority and just chose Gamma Phi at random.

(It's still a good read!)

I wonder if she got permission to use Gamma Phi in the novel.

That's like when Rachel on friends talked about going to the Sigma Chi Luau. You know, when she made out with Winona Ryder's character? I always wondered if she got the national's permission to use their name!

Which is interesting because I believe Brad Pitt (Jennifer Anniston's husband - of course) is a Sigma Chi.

yeah, he is.

if anyone remembers the Sweet Valley University series (loved it!) when Elizabeth and Jessica were looking at joining sororities, I think it was Elizabeth who was considering joining Pi Beta Phi!

Emergency Thread Hijack!
 

Jennifer Aniston and Winona Ryder made out?! :eek:

Why would she need permission?

Trademark reasons? The only time I've seen an international/national sorority's name used in fiction is in the novel version of "Legally Blonde" where Elle is a DG. Usually these GLOs are only mentioned in passing.

Elle is actually part of the fictional sorority Delta Nu. I think the producers and writers of this film decided to go this route so as not to have to worry on stepping on any (inter)national organizations' toes.

That is of course until they had her make the comment about the Kappa Kappa Gammas and the kissing booth. That would've made me mad.

In the movie Elle is in the fictional sorority Delta Nu at the fictional school CULA. In the book that the movie was based on, she's a Delta Gamma at USC, I believe.

There are a number of books and movies that have mentioned real sororities, often more than just in passing, and often in less than flattering ways (Tri Delta in "Eating the Chesire Cat" comes to mind), so I'm not sure trademark is an issue here.

I'm pretty sure that just mentioning the name of a sorority/fraternity isn't a violation of copyright... but I think it could lead to defamation suits if they mention something (not true) that portrays the org. in a negative light...

Yeah, Eating the Cheshire Cat is about the Tri-Delts here at Alabama... back in the 6os they were the way to go. All the physical details in the book concerning Tuscaloosa and the Tri-Delt house are correct, but I believe a lot of the hazing stuff may or may not be totally correct. Although Alabama greeks haze still, but mostly frats.

I forgot... a book that is really cool and positive. It's called "Inspiration for Greeks," and it can be found on Amazon. It has a bunch of stories about being greek, and mentions a number of NPC, NPHC and IFC GLOs.

Very uplifting. I found a great story about Gamma Phi that I'm going to read to the chapter soon. Nice to see something in print that isn't negative toward greeks. I'e heard that "Pledged: The Secret Lives of Sororities" is pretty bad.

Yeah, it's not a good idea to portray any organization in a negative light. When John Irving finished "A Prayer for Owen Meany", one of the first people to read the manuscript was the then-Headmistress of the Bishop Strachan School (BSS). In the novel, the lead character, Johnny Wheelwright, teaches English there.