What is The Factory in the novel, Nothing Special?

The key setting in Nothing Special is Andy Warhol’s famous studio, the Factory. Mae spends much of the novel working in the studio as a typist, transcribing a series of recordings made by Warhol and his associates. Mae describes the Factory as “a room covered in demented silver paper, tacky and peeking… On the couch, some young people were stretching, yawning as if waking up, although it was the afternoon” (66). Throughout the novel, the Factory acts as a tangible symbol of the relentlessly cool, transgressive, and authentic image that Warhol and his associates attempt to cultivate.