The Ancient Child (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
At a glance:
- Author: N. Scott Momaday
- First Published: 1989
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Mythology or myths, 1980’s, West, U.S., Native Americans or American Indians, Legends, Painting or painters, San Francisco, Visions, epiphanies, or revelations, Westerns, Outlaws
- Locales: San Francisco, CA, Indian Reservation, Oklahoma
The Work
A complex and richly evocative work, N. Scott Momaday’s The Ancient Child is the story of two Native Americans—a middle-aged painter and a young woman—who come to a fuller understanding of themselves. Native American folklore and mythology are woven into their story, lending cultural and psychological depth to the two’s quests for, essentially, rebirth.
Locke Setman, called “Set” throughout the novel, is in many ways a representative Momaday protagonist because he is cut off from his past and therefore lives an unexamined life. Brought up in...
[The entire page is 824 words long]
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