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Eparate Eace: Introduction To
Eparate Eace: Introduction To
Introduction to
By John Knowles
About the Author
John Knowles
• Born in West Virginia on
September 16, 1926
• Knowles was educated at Phillips
Exeter Academy, which served as a
model for the setting of A Separate
Peace.
• A Separate Peace was Knowles’
first work, which earned him the
Rosenthal Award of the National
Institute of Arts and Letters. This
established Knowles as a
successful author.
Historical Context
World War II
• Began in 1939 when the Germans invaded Poland, and officially
ended in August 1945, when the Japanese surrendered.
• A Separate Peace takes place during the summer of 1942, directly
in the center of World War II.
In America:
• In order to cope with the war, America instituted rations on books,
sugar, coffee, and other goods.
• To conserve gasoline, a national 35 MPH speed limit was
implemented, and driving for pleasure was banned.
• By the summer of 1942, many Americans realized that the war
was far from over.
Literary Context
• A Separate Peace belongs to a
genre of literature called
____________________. This is a
German term which describes a
novel whose main character
_____________ over time, usually
from childhood.
• The novel is based on events that
happened during Knowles’ years at
the Phillips Exeter Academy.
• Similar to Lord of the Flies, A
Separate Peace deals with children
coming to terms with their
________ set against the backdrop
of World War.
Main Themes
Internal and external conflicts.
Biblical allegory.
Phillips Exeter Academy
• Devon School, the setting of A Separate Peace, is based
heavily on the Phillips Exeter Academy.
What Did you Learn
John Knowles was educated at the _______________________________.
• Antagonist
Plot
• Structure
– ______________
• Protagonist’s life is in relative order, although he may not be
satisfied
– Gene is a young man.
» Follows the rules, likes order, hard worker.
» Has a perfect best friend in Finny
– _________________
• Something disrupts the status quo and creates conflict
– Finny is a foil for Gene, upsetting Gene’s life
– Gene perceives that Finny is jealous of Gene, whereas the
opposite is true
– Gene’s jealousy consumes him.
Plot
• Rising Action
– _____________________________
– ______________________________
– ______________________________
• Climax
– _________________________________
– _________________________________
Plot
• Having resolved the conflict, a new state
of equilibrium is achieved.
– _______________________________
– ________________________________
– _________________________________
– _________________________________
Characterization
• Round
– ___________________________________________
_________________________________________
• Flat
– ___________________________________________
_________________________________________
• Dynamic
– ___________________________________________
_________________________________________
• Static
– ___________________________________________
_________________________________________
Characterization Grid
• Cliffhanger
• Irony
Literary Devices
• Allusion:
– ____________________________________
____________________________________
– ____________________________________
____________________________________
• Foreshadowing:
– ____________________________________
____________________________________
Literary Devices
• Personification:
– ____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
– ____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
Literary Devices - Metaphors
• World War II
– The internal war that each student fights within himself. The
focus of the novel is internal and on the young people.
• ______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
• Finny
– _________________________________
• WWII
• When Gene can not acknowledge his feelings and is at war with
himself.
• Finny is a victim and a casualty
• Winter Carnival
– _______________________________________________
– _______________________________________________
Literary Devices - Metaphors
• Metaphor: a figure of speech in which a comparison
between two unlike objects is suggested or implied.
• Blitzball:
– A sport without competitors
– Life at Devon. Individual struggle or every man for himself
– Finny triumphs at this game
• Snowball Fight:
– Similar to blitzball, but this time Finny is defeated.
• It brings an end to Finny and the peace he represents.
• The surf at the beach.
– The control that Finny had over Gene
Literary Devices - Symbols
• Symbols: The use of one object to represent or
suggest another. They embody universal
suggestions of meaning.
– _____________________________________
• __________________________________________
• ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
_
– _________________________________________.
• ___________________________________________.
• ________________________________
• ______________________________
Bildungsroman
• Conflicting and confusing emotions.
– Gene:
• __________________________________
• __________________________________
• __________________________________
– Finny:
• __________________________________
– Brinker:
• __________________________________
• __________________________________
• __________________________________
• __________________________________
– Leper:
• __________________________________
Motifs
• War
– ______________________________________________________.
• WWII is a key element of the setting
– It encroaches on life at Devon
• Students like Gene at war with themselves
• Peace
– ________________________________________________________
• Competition among the students
– __________________________________________________________
• Athletics
– __________________________________________________________
• _____________________________________
– Blitzball
• _____________________________________
• Jealousy, Envy
– ________________________________________
• Rash Actions
– _________________________________________
Themes – Ignorance & War
• Ignorance in the human heart leads to
conflict or war.
– ____________________________________
____________________________________
___________________________________
(202-203)
– ____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
Bildungsroman
• Coming of Age story
• The journey from innocence to experience.
– ____________________________________
____________________________________
• __________________________________
__________________________________
• Discomfort leads to suspicion and
jealousy.
Forming an Identity
• Seeking to establish, but being uncomfortable with one’s
identity.
– Gene is from the south and does not quite fit in.
• He makes up a false identity.
– The pictures of the old south on his walls.
– Gene’s desire to blur his own identity with Finny’s.
• Wearing Finny’s clothes.
– After accident they depend on each other.
• Gene does sports for Finny.
• Gene lets Finny coach him.
• Finny live vicariously through Gene.
• Gene finds happiness in losing himself in Finny.
– Gene does not like himself.
– Gene likes Finny very much.
• In the end Gene feels as if Finny’s funeral is his own.
Tone
• Does the author focus on the innocence of
youth or the difficulty in growing up?
• Is the tone hopeful or dark?
• Are people basically good or evil?