A Burnt-Out Case (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Graham Greene
- First Published: 1961
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
- Time of Work: Mid-twentieth century
- Setting: The Congo
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Bildungsroman, Melodrama
- Subjects: Africa or Africans, Journalism or journalists, Murder or homicide, Twentieth century, Missions or missionaries, Religion, Alienation, Doctors, Emotions, Moral conditions, Catholics or Catholic Church, Leprosy
- Locales: Congo
Characters Discussed
Querry, a retired church architect in his mid-fifties who has come to the heart of Africa to escape fame and failure at love. When Querry arrives at a leper colony in the Congo, he decides to stay only because the boat can go no farther. Feeling depressed and spiritually empty, he describes himself figuratively as a “burnt-out case,” comparing his lack of emotion to the leprous condition of losing one’s fingers and toes to the disease and losing the feeling in one’s hands and feet. Soon after his arrival at the colony, Querry is drawn out of his...
[The entire page is 1038 words long]
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