Set This House on Fire (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: William Styron
- First Published: 1960
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: Mid-twentieth century
- Setting: Sambuco, Italy
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, Murder or homicide, Twentieth century, Villages, Alcoholism or alcoholics, Rape, Substance abuse, Lawyers, Corruption, Italy or Italians, Hedonism
- Locales: Virginia, New York, NY, Sambuco, Italy
Characters Discussed
Cass Kinsolving, an expatriate, struggling American painter in the throes of alcohol addiction. A Southerner who helped destroy the furnishings in a black family’s house years earlier, Cass is guilt-ridden and depressed, conditions that led to his alcoholism. He struggles, with little success, to comprehend the symbolic implications of his dreams and fantasies, such as being locked away for a horrible crime that he cannot remember and being constantly surrounded by black people. By playing “trained seal” to Mason Flagg in Sambuco, Italy, however, Cass...
[The entire page is 1033 words long]
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