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Seventeen (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

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William Sylvanus Baxter, a seventeen- year-old suffering the relentless self-consciousness of that awkward age. The story begins on the day that William (“Willie” to his family, “Silly Bill” to his friends) falls in love at first sight with Lola Pratt, a beautiful summer visitor. As the one-sided romance unfolds, he must endure much from the world. His peers do not seem to realize that Miss Pratt is his girl, not theirs. His parents persist in treating him like a child, his little sister embarrasses him at every opportunity, and the general...

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