The Human Comedy (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Saroyan
- First Published: 1943
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: Children, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Mothers, Parents and children, Love or romance, Twentieth century, World War II, California, West, U.S., Small-town life, Widows or widowers, Mortality, Telegraphs
- Locales: Ithaca, CA
The Human Comedy, dedicated to Takoohi Saroyan, was first written as a screenplay under a contractual arrangement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but in 1943, with the film version in production, Saroyan used the script scenario as the basis of his first and most popular novel. Set in Ithaca, a fictional name for Fresno, the work is based on some of Saroyan's boyhood experiences and familiar reminiscences. In fact, the Macauley family, central in the plot, has parallels to Saroyan's real family, without, however, a similar heritage.
The novel's main character, Homer Macauley,...
[The entire page is 1163 words long]
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