A Search for America (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Felix Paul Greve
- First Published: 1927
- Type of Work: Bildungsroman
- Time of Work: The early 1900’s
- Setting: Toronto, New York City, New England, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the Dakotas
- Principal Characters: Philip Branden, Frank Carral, Dr. Goodwin, The Hermit, Ivan
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: Social action, Self-discovery, Perception, Twentieth century, Social issues, Rural or country life, Spiritual life or spirituality, Immigration or emigration, City life, Canada or Canadians, Ethics, Materialism
- Locales: United States, Toronto, Canada
The Novel
Philip Branden, a young Swede from an upper-class background, arrives in Montreal broke and “determined not to form a little island of Europe in the American environment.” Possessing no practical skills, he must begin his search for economic stability in Toronto working in a cheap restaurant, first as a busboy and later as a waiter. He finds himself caught up in a squalid, conniving environment where “sharp practice” always aims to advance the individual at the expense of others. He feels compelled to move on to New York City. There he finds the same...
[The entire page is 1624 words long]
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