Bryfonski, Dedria. War
in John Knowles’s
A Separate Peace
Cengage (Gale,Lucent,Kidhaven/Blackbirch 2011 175p 26.50 978-0-7377-5269-4
hs Social Issues
in Literature(Gale) E-BN This book contains reprinted
articles that provide literary criticism on John Knowles╒s A
Separate Peace.
Themes of war, sports, and friendship are explored. Each
article starts with an
author biography and summary of the article. Excellent for
grades 9-12.
Knowles’s A
Separate Peace is studied in many high school English classes.
For students looking for literary criticism on the novel,
this is an excellent
place to start. Each article focuses on a particular theme
or literary style
used in the novel. The autobiographical source of Knowles’s
writing is clearly
explored. Two of the articles are even written by Knowles.
Because the novel
centers on life in a prep school, coming of age is one of
the themes analyzed.
The themes of war, bullying, homosexuality, and sports are
also explored. The
final chapter of the book looks at the effects of war on
today’s
young people
including teens in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as American
teens, especially
Muslim American teens, since 9/11. An extensive index,
bibliography, and
timeline complete this book. The only quibble is that the
first article has a
copyright date of 1980, yet a fact dated 1986 appears toward
the top of page 25.
How can this be? An
first source for student researchers. Grades 9-12.
Social
Issues in Literature pulls together literary criticism about a
particular novel . Well researched, concisely packaged with
author timeline,
index, and a chapter relating the theme of the novel to
current issues make this
a first stop for student researchers. McNicol,Lois
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