The Last Gentleman (novel)

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The Last Gentleman is a 1966 novel by Walker Percy. The story centers on the character of Williston Bibb Barret, a man born in the Mississippi Delta who has since moved to New York City. He suffers from a "nervous condition," which causes him to experience fits of déjà vu and amnesiac fugues. He works as a night janitor and lives at the YMCA. Early in the novel he meets the Vaughts, a Southern family currently in New York City so that their son Jamie, can receive medical treatment. Mr. Vaught invites Will to return to the South with his family and serve as Jamie's caretaker. The rest of the novel focuses on the relationship between Will and the Vaughts, most especially their daughter Kitty whom he falls in love with, and Will's continual search for his identity.