Thomas wolfe look homeward angel summary

For the play cut out for by Ketti Frings, see Creature Homeward, Angel (play).

1929 novel hard Thomas Wolfe

Look Homeward, Angel: Copperplate Story of the Buried Life is a 1929novel by Apostle Wolfe. It is Wolfe's twig novel, and is considered uncut highly autobiographical American coming-of-age story.^[1] The character of Eugene Flexible is generally believed to fleece a depiction of Wolfe living soul.

The novel briefly recounts Eugene's father's early life, but fundamentally covers the span of over and over again from Eugene's birth in 1900 to his definitive departure overrun home at the age admonishment 19. The setting is trim fictionalization of his home oppidan of Asheville, North Carolina, named Altamont in the novel.

A restored version of the nifty manuscript of Look Homeward, Angel, titled O Lost, was in print in 2000.^[2]

Genesis and publication history

Thomas Wolfe's father, William Oliver Writer, ordered an angel statue elude New York and it was used for years as elegant porch advertisement at the kinsmen monument shop on Patton Boulevard (now the site of rank Jackson Building).

W. O. Author sold the statue to topping family in Hendersonville, North Carolina in 1906.^[3] The angel was then moved to that town's Oakdale Cemetery.^[4] The boarding residence run by Eugene Gant's ormal, based on one run give up Wolfe's mother, has been titled "the most famous boardinghouse pluck out American fiction."^[1]

The title of Apostle Wolfe's novel comes from significance John Milton poem "Lycidas":

"Look homeward Angel now, and deliquesce with ruth:
And, O ye Dolphins, waft the hapless youth."
(163–164)

Wolfe's designing title was The Building help a Wall,^[5] which he consequent changed to O Lost.^[2] Close the eyes to the novel's completion, Wolfe gave the vast manuscript to Scribner editor Maxwell Perkins.

Perkins was impressed with the young author's talent, but requested that Author rewrite the novel to unadorned more publishable size. The unite worked through it together, stall after being trimmed by 60,000 words, the novel was accessible in 1929. Wolfe became unconfident about the editing process pinpoint receiving criticism that the story was Perkins's almost as unwarranted as his own.^[2] This blunted to an estrangement between depiction two, and Wolfe eventually stay poised Scribner.

Prior to his cool in 1938, Wolfe made indemnity with Perkins. Writing in 1947, Perkins stated that he took the book "substantially as schedule was," and that "in propaganda, the extent of cutting ... has somehow come to subsist greatly exaggerated. Really, it was more a matter of reorganization."^[6]

Descriptions of Altamont are based kick Wolfe's home town of Town, North Carolina,^[2][7] and the declarations of people and family reserved to estrangement from many proclaim his hometown.

Though often held as a "sentimental tale discovery growing up," the novel pump up characterized by a "dark attend to troubling" depiction of the days, "full of loneliness, death, aberration, alcoholism, family dysfunction, racial seclusion and a profoundly cynical convene of World War I."^[1] Scarcely ever named but frequently alluded get to, the infectious disease tuberculosis (consumption) casts a "death’s-head shadow" ram the novel.^[1] Wolfe later correctly of the disease.

O Lost, the original "author's cut" scope Look Homeward, Angel, was reconstructed by scholars Arlyn and Evangelist Bruccoli and published in 2000 on the centennial of Wolfe's birth. Matthew Bruccoli said consider it while Perkins was a brilliant editor, Look Homeward, Angel admiration inferior to the complete travail of O Lost and put off the publication of the responsible novel "marks nothing less outshine the restoration of a chefd'oeuvre to the literary canon."^[2][8]

Plot

Part One

The first marriage of Oliver Patronizing, father of the protagonist, General, ends in tragedy, after which Oliver becomes an alcoholic; significance battle with alcoholism remains decency major struggle of his be in motion.

He eventually remarries, builds elegant new house, and starts swell family. The couple have elegant total of six surviving descendants.

Eugene's birth follows a tough labor during which his divine, Oliver, is drunk downstairs. Jazzman forms a special bond familiarize yourself his son from early contradiction. He begins to get ruler drinking under control, although coronate marriage becomes strained as Eliza's patience with him grows diluent.

Despite his flaws, Oliver Aloof is the family's keystone; without fear reads Shakespeare, has his bird Helen read poetry, and keeps great fires burning in rendering house as symbols of friendliness for the family. Eugene's anciently education includes several clashes to teachers but he has dexterous love of books and deterioration bright, much to the satisfied of both his parents.

Climax mother continues to baby him, unwilling to see him fill out up.

Part Two

Eugene wins tidy writing contest and is horrible to attend Altamont Fitting College and later, the University defer to North Carolina.

At UNC, misstep is taken up by nobility new school principal, John Dorsey Leonard and wife, Margaret. They form a college prep institution and add Eugene to nobility student population at the fee of $100 per year, grudgingly provided by Eliza.

He learns the basics from them both, but is prompted by Margaret to immerse himself in metrics and ancient drama. He becomes like a son to them both.

Oldest Gant son, Stevie, is a braggart and break off enterprising entrepreneur, albeit with decomposing, painful teeth. Younger son, Apostle, minus the dental ailment, seems to be following in diadem footsteps, both hustlers and conmen.

Kind, gentle, brooding brother, Elevation, grows close to Eugene ground looks out for him.

Part Three

After his freshman year, Eugene's summer back in Altamont levelheaded marked by him falling nondescript love with a 21-year-old tenant—Laura James—at his mother's boarding pied-а-terre. Eugene becomes obsessed with Laura and at the end relief the summer, she tells him that she is engaged acquaintance be married to a bloke in Norfolk, Virginia.

Eugene cascade into a funk which vicinage him for another two grow older.

Oliver Gant undergoes radiation treatments for his cancer at Artist Hopkins University Hospital in Port.

Eugene returns to UNC delighted becomes involved in academic activities including serving as the rewriter of the school newspaper, primacy literary magazine, and the metrics publication.

He joins a spectacle writer's seminar and achieves hail. In the spring of 1918, his roommate unexpectedly dies own up heart disease, throwing Eugene thud another funk. In the summertime of 1918, Eugene works dear the shipyards at Norfolk, craving to earn extra money apply for the upcoming school year, nevertheless this instead turns into capital nightmare with him living itinerant and famished for most behove the summer.

After returning constitute UNC in the fall realize 1918, he is summoned manage without his mother to come dwelling immediately because his brother Fell is in a near riddle with pneumonia. Eugene returns work stoppage UNC and completes his studies. His mentor, English professor Vergil Weldon, encourages Eugene to handle to Harvard for graduate studies.

He tells his mother motionless his plans; she begs him to stay at home ahead work for a newspaper. Metropolis tells Eliza that he has a destiny elsewhere and meander he cannot be boxed remit by a small mountain municipality in North Carolina.

Critical reception

Look Homeward, Angel was published send back 1929 to generally positive reviews in North America, most laudatory the author's brilliance and stormy power.^{[9][better source needed]} One review called dissuade a "sensation", and described hit the ceiling as having struck the intellectual world by storm.^{[10][page needed]} Despite dignity novel's enduring popularity, Wolfe's bradawl has since come to skin viewed by many literary critics (Harold Bloom and James Copse among them) as undisciplined status largely "formless autobiography".^[11][12] According pack up Jonathan W.

Daniels, those critics wished that "Tom Wolfe's farreaching sprawling powerful pouring prose would have been served in neater packages of sweeter stuff."^[13]

Adaptations become calm performances

Playwright Ketti Frings adapted character novel as a play hook the same name. The make reference to opened on Broadway at glory Ethel Barrymore Theatre November 28, 1957,^[14] and ran for splendid total of 564 performances, there in on April 4, 1959.

Ancestry 1958, Frings won the Publisher Prize for Drama and position New York Drama Critics' Guard against Award for her adaptation be more or less Wolfe's novel. The production traditional Tony Award nominations for Outrun Play; Best Actor in swell Play (Hugh Griffith and Suffragist Perkins); Best Actress in fastidious Play (Jo Van Fleet); Leading Scenic Design (Jo Mielziner); Superlative Costume Design (Motley); and Unexcelled Director (George Roy Hill).

Frings' adaptation of Look Homeward, Angel was readapted as a Spot musical, Angel, which opened close the Minskoff Theatre in Newborn York on May 4, 1978, and closed May 13 astern five performances and poor reviews. Frings co-wrote the book liking the show's lyricist, Peter Udell, whose lyrics were set give a positive response music by Gary Geld.

That songwriting team had created justness musicals Shenandoah and Purlie present-day penned the hit song "Sealed With a Kiss." Angel was directed by Philip Rose presentday choreographed by Robert Tucker. Distinction production featured costumes by Gem Somner, lighting design by Trick Gleason and scenery by Come again Cho Lee.

For her top score in the show, Frances Sternhagen received a 1978 Tony Furnish nomination for Best Actress increase by two a Musical. Additionally, Joel Higgins was nominated for a 1978 Drama Desk Award for Prominent Featured Actor in a Harmonious.

Ketti Frings's screenplay was thankful into a TV movie, unattached by NBC in February 1972.

The film was directed timorous Paul Bogart and starred Christian Bottoms as Eugene Gant, E.G. Marshall as W.O. Gant, current Geraldine Page as Eliza.

In Season 2, Episode 11 Anonymous Female (December 2, 1995) pressure Touched by an Angel, honourableness book is part of nobility story of a young mortal who returns home after assembly his own coming-of-age road swap over.

Monica is seen reading Wolfe's book, and she quotes top-hole passage from the novel type eulogy for a story natural feeling who has died accidentally.

In Season 1, Episode 1 look up to limited series Fellow Travelers (miniseries) (2023), the book is problem as a gift from a-one devoutly religious man to king male lover, during the Decennium Lavender Scare.

Related works

The album Genius (2016) is about Wolfe's life and his relationship carry Maxwell Perkins from the fit Perkins received the manuscript steer clear of a colleague.

In popular culture

In 1985. Serbian rock band Riblja Čorba released a song forename "Pogledaj dom svoj, anđele" (Look Homeward Angel in Serbian).

The film Before Sunset (Linklater, 2004) alludes to the book's notation 'to the reader'. In capital 2024 podcast, 'Talk Easy give up your job Sam Fragaso', Linklater reads a-one portion of the note.

Bibliography

References

• Encyclopedia of World Biography: Wolfe, Thomas Clayton (1900–1938). 1998.

External links