A reader's companion

House of Leaves

Mark Z. Danielewski, 2000

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§ Contents

vii–xxvForeword, Introduction and epigraph
The Editors' note, then Johnny Truant tells how he found an old man's papers.35 refs · 56 words
3–7Chapter I
Zampanò introduces a documentary film called The Navidson Record and its first short videos.28 refs · 44 words
8–18Chapter II
Navidson, Karen and their children move into a house in Virginia, and Navidson films the move.32 refs · 98 words
19–23Chapter III
Zampanò asks why Navidson, of all people, came to the house, and Johnny asks the same question about himself.20 refs · 64 words
24–40Chapter IV
The Navidsons come home to a new closet, and the house measures larger inside than outside.45 refs · 111 words
41–73Chapter V
Zampanò writes about echoes in myth and in physics, and a dark hallway opens in the Navidsons’ living room.87 refs · 149 words
74–79Chapter VI
A short chapter about the Navidson family pets and a strange event in the hallway, with a long footnote by Johnny about cats.27 refs · 62 words
80–96Chapter VII
Holloway Roberts and his team arrive, and the first three explorations of the hallway begin.66 refs · 110 words
97–106Chapter VIII
The family and Reston wait at home during Exploration #4, and a signal comes from inside the walls.33 refs · 67 words
107–152Chapter IX
The labyrinth chapter: Zampanò studies mazes and centers, Holloway's team goes deeper on Exploration #4, and critics argue whether the film can be real, while the footnotes themselves turn into a maze.136 refs · 213 words
153–245Chapter X
Navidson, Reston and Tom enter the house to rescue Holloway’s team, while Zampanò asks if space depends on the person who sees it.38 refs · 76 words
246–274Chapter XI
Tom waits alone at the top of the Spiral Staircase, while Zampanò compares the Navidson brothers to Jacob and Esau.54 refs · 103 words
275–312Chapter XII
The rescue team climbs back up the Spiral Staircase with the help of Tom’s rope and pulley.18 refs · 59 words
313–346Chapter XIII
The family waits for Navidson, Holloway's own tape is examined, and everyone tries to leave the house on Ash Tree Lane.76 refs · 96 words
347–352Chapter XIV
After the escape, Karen and Navidson live apart, and the chapter looks at Karen's fears, her affair with Fowler, and the letters she kept.19 refs · 52 words
353–369Chapter XV
In New York Karen makes two short films: one collects famous people's opinions of the house, the other is a portrait of Navidson.51 refs · 81 words
370–383Chapter XVI
Zampanò lists the hard facts about the house, and a Princeton geologist dates Navidson's wall samples; most of the chapter is lost under black ink.37 refs · 59 words
384–407Chapter XVII
Navidson disappears into the house alone, and three schools of critics argue about why he went back.47 refs · 82 words
408–417Chapter XVIII
Karen goes back to Ash Tree Lane alone, and Zampanò digs into the Jamestown history of the land under the house.38 refs · 80 words
418–422Chapter XIX
A short essay on Navidson as a photographer, on the rescued footage, and on the famous Delial photograph, as he prepares to return alone.19 refs · 25 words
423–490Chapter XX
Exploration #5: Navidson rides alone into the house on a bicycle, the space endlessly tilts and changes, and he is left with a single book and a few matches.19 refs · 54 words
491–521Chapter XXI
Johnny's journal takes over: Lude dies, Johnny falls apart in a hotel, drives east to Virginia looking for the house, and slowly recovers a buried memory of his mother.22 refs · 62 words
522–525Chapter XXII
Karen steps into the dark after Navidson; critics argue over what she heard, and a short interview describes how she found him and how the house let them go.11 refs · 30 words
526–535Chapter XXIII
The film's closing sequence: the Navidsons marry and move to Vermont, Karen falls ill, and Navidson ends on the empty road; then Zampanò's unfinished plans for illustrated plates.14 refs · 34 words
529–662Exhibits and Appendices
Zampanò’s planned plates, his notes, poems and letter; Johnny’s sketches, poems and his mother’s letters; and the Editors’ “contrary evidence”.157 refs · 238 words