The World in the Evening

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The World in the Evening
Author Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood
Country England
Language English language
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date 1952
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN NA

Christopher Isherwood writes another quasi-fictional account of love, loss, and regret in 'The World in the Evening'. As in many Isherwood novels, the main character of 'World...' is caught in a contest between his personal egoism and the needs of friends and lovers. This novel is highly popularized because of the narrator's definition of high and low camp--significant concepts to homosexuals.

Contents

[edit] Structure

'The World...' is narrated in the first person by the protagonist Stephen Monk. His life experiences are broken into three sections in the novel: An End, Letters and Life, and A Beginning. Frequently, Monk experiences flashbacks triggered by other characters or the letters of his deceased wife, Elizabeth.

[edit] Plot introduction

Marital problems cause Stephen Monk to return to his birthplace in Philadelphia. While there Monk undergoes a cathartic period of introspection. Though a member of the American jeunesse doree, Monk is an emotional and observant man. 'The World in the Evening' chronicles his bric-a-brac search for love.

[edit] Characters in "The World in the Evening"

Monk is a traditional Isherwood protagonist in that he is self-absorbed, emotionally indescriminate, and handsome. Elizabeth Rydal Jane Sarah Gerda Bob Kennedy Charles

[edit] Major themes

Homosexuality. Quakerism. Pacificsm.

Languages