A Separate
Peace
John Knowles
Pop Quiz
 Sheet
of paper with MLA heading
1.) Knowles based many of the characters
on ________________.
2.) What particular audience does Knowles
write for? (young adult, college students,
etc.)
3.) Give 1 example of how the war brought
change to the American economy and
lifestyle listed within the text.
Answers (2 points each)

1.) Knowles based many of the characters on
________________.


2.) What particular audience does Knowles
write for? (young adult, college students, etc.)


Former classmates (p. 10)
“he does not write with a particular audience in
mind” (p. 9)
3.) Give 1 example of how the war brought
change to the American economy and
lifestyle listed within the text.

Created jobs, attended rallies, bought war
bonds, conserved fuel and rubber, victory
gardens, etc. (p. 11)
John Knowles
 What



do we know about him?
Born in 1926 in Fairmont, West Virginia
Love of New England stems from his
experiences as a student at Phillips Exeter
Academy
Went into the military after he graduated
from high school (WWII)
 Wrote
ASP, first published in England in
1959 and the United States in 1960
How was ASP received?
 Won
the William Faulkner Award
 Won the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal
Foundation Award.
 Adapted for the screen and made into a
movie
 Today, A Separate Peace is standard
reading in many high schools.
Time and Place
 WWII:
Tension between America joining
Allies and remaining neutral
 Pearl Harbor: draft age lowered to 18
 Changes to the economy and lifestyle
 Although
WWII didn’t take place on
American soil how did people experience
the repercussions of war?
Novel Setting
 Devon





School
Boarding School or Preparatory School
Live on campus
Philosophy or motto
Very competitive
All boys
 New
 1942
Hampshire
Main Characters
 “Gene
Forrester - The narrator and protagonist of
the novel. When A Separate Peace begins, Gene is
in his early thirties, visiting the Devon School for the
first time in years” (Sparknotes).
 “Phineas/Finny - Gene’s classmate and best friend.
Finny is honest, handsome, self-confident, disarming,
extremely likable, and the best athlete in the
school; in short, he seems perfect in almost every
way” (Sparknotes).
Flashback
 Takes
the narrative back in time from the
current point
 Used to create suspense in a story, or
develop a character
Narration
 Gene
is the narrator
 Uses first person narrative: one who is a
character in the novel as well as the
storyteller or “voice” that describes what
happens
 Only hear Gene’s thoughts
 What
are the positives and negatives of
first person narrative?

first-person narrators may be subject to
errors in judgment
Trailer
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65DQ
tSyi3Gc
Pre-reading Discussion
 How
does competition bring out the best
and worst in people?
 Describe your relationship with your
closest friend


Have3 you ever made a rash decision that
jeopardized the friendship?
When you and your friend have a
disagreement, how do you end it and go
about repairing the friendship?
Pre-reading Discussion




Examine your approach to life. Do you view
life as a serious endeavor or a game?
What aspects of life do you view most
seriously or consider the most important?
Analyze your feelings toward war and serving
in the military. Do you feel that war is
necessary at times or something to be
avoided at all costs?
Do you feel that it is your duty to enlist and
serve in the military?