An Insular Possession (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Timothy Mo
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Historical
- Time of Work: The 1830’s and 1840’s
- Setting: Canton, the Macao Peninsula, Lin Tin Island, and Hong Kong
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction, Satire
- Subjects: Politics, Colonies or colonization, Race, Nineteenth century, Asia or Asians, War, India or East Indian people, Drugs, Commerce, Opium, Silk
- Locales: China, Hong Kong, Canton, China, Lin Tin Island, China, Macao
Characters Discussed
Gideon Chase, a young man who, at the age of seventeen, is a junior clerk in the Canton offices of a large American trading firm, the Meridian Company. He is industrious, diligent, quick-witted, and curious. The youngest character and an orphan, he spends much of the first half of the novel watching (and learning from) the others, particularly on their escapades to the “flower boats” and forays into the city proper, as well as to the haven of Macao. Later, he is revealed as the main protagonist, acting on his own initiative, though to higher purpose...
[The entire page is 965 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
