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Seventeen (Cyclopedia of Literary Places)

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Places Discussed

Midland city. Unnamed midwestern city that provides the novel neighborhood setting; Booth Tarkington calls it simply a “middle-sized midland city.” However, Tarkington based it on Indianapolis, Indiana, his birthplace and hometown. (Readers will note that, in the novel’s first paragraph, its protagonist, William “Willie” Baxter, appears at the corner of Washington Street and Central Avenue. Washington Street was and is a major thoroughfare of Indianapolis, running east to west through the city and into surrounding counties.)

Tarkington’s city...

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