Postmodern Structures in Lost in the Funhouse by John Barth

Written in 1968 and set during the World War II, on the surface, Lost in the Funhouse is the story of a thirteen-year-old boy's trip to the beach with his family on the fourth of July. With Ambrose are his older brother Peter, their mother and father, their Uncle Karl, and a fourteenyear-old neighbor girl, Magda, to whom both Ambrose and Peter are attracted. Having learned that they can not go to the beach, the group decides to go through the funhouse instead. Both boys fantasize about going through the maze with Magda, but it suddenly becomes clear to Ambrose that he has misunderstood the meaning of the funhouse which is associated with sexuality and for which he is not ready yet. He also realizes that he is different from his bother and Magda: he is not the type of person for whom funhouses are fun. Confused and separated from the others, Ambrose takes a wrong turn and loses his way. During the process of finding his way out of the dark corridors, he comes to some realizations about himself and about funhouses.