Joanne V. Creighton, "The Trilogy of Social Groups: The Quest for Violent Liberation," in Joyce Carol Oates, Twayne Publishers, 1979, pp. 48-73.

The analysis of them in this book centers on the idea that it is written as a satire of traditional naturalistic fiction.

Mary Kathryn Grant, The Tragic Visions of Joyce Carol

Oates, Duke University Press, 1978.

This early study of the author only covers the first novels, including them, but it does so in a clear and insightful way.

Greg Johnson, Understanding Joyce Carol Oates, University of South Carolina Press, 1987.

This full, rich analysis of Oates's work is slightly dated, but contains an extensive analysis of them.

Fredrick R. Karl, "Modes of Survival," in Modern Critical Views: Joyce Carol Oates, edited by Harold Bloom, Chelsea House, 1987.

This essay, originally printed in 1883, addresses the naturalistic elements of the novel and explains Loretta, Maureen, and Jules in...