Book I, Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis
Summary
Robert goes to America and gets his book accepted by an American publisher. While he is there, attention from several women raises his self-confidence. This also makes him lose interest in Frances, since he realizes he has something to offer women.
He reads The Purple Land by W. H. Hudson. This describes imaginary romantic adventures that Robert takes as gospel. These things combined make him dissatisfied with his life, so he tries to talk Jake into a trip to South America. Jake refuses because he not only likes Paris but also goes to Spain in the summer.
Jake and Robert go for a drink. Robert regrets that his life is half over. He does not...
(The entire section is 471 words.)