A Separate Peace (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: John Knowles
- First Published: 1959
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: 1942 and 1957
- Setting: The Devon school in New Hampshire, and Boston
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Bildungsroman, Naturalistic literature
- Subjects: 1950’s, Maturation or coming of age, Values, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, 1940’s, World War II, Friendship, Guilt, New England, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Fear, Upper classes, Accidents, Death or dying, Boston, Human behavior, Athletes, Students or student life, Private schools
- Locales: Boston, MA, New Hampshire
Characters Discussed
Gene Forrester, a Southern teenager attending Devon, a preparatory school in New Hampshire. A highly sensitive, studious, and intellectual sixteen-year-old, he experiences maturation, goes through a dark night of the soul, and conquers adolescent angst during this short novel. Primarily, he is a keenly perceptive youth struggling to establish his identity at a time when World War II interferes with any peaceful and meaningful attempt to do so. He is capable, popular, boyish, and somewhat daring. The main action of the novel centers on his relationship with...
[The entire page is 712 words long]
Navigate
- A Separate Peace (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
- A Separate Peace (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
- A Separate Peace (Magill Book Reviews)
- A Separate Peace (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
See Also:
See Also:
- - For teachers, the A Separate Peace Lesson Plan.
- - A Separate Peace summary and study guide in the eNotes.
- Add A Separate Peace to your favorites