1. A Separate Peace
By John Knowles

2. Point Of View
As we begin reading, make note of the point of view of this novel.
Though it is like many other books in that it is a first- person narrative, it is not just told to tell a story. It is told as a memory, an explanation, and even as a confession to himself as well as the reader.

3. How to Approach this novel
Developing Relationships and a Sense of Self
Make note of the relationship between Gene and Finny as you read
Make note of the sense of identity that Gene develops throughout the novel
Social Setting and Environment
This novel takes place in New England during WWII and that has impacts on the lives of the characters

4. John Knowles He was from West Virginia He attended Yale
A Separate Peace was his first novel

5. Historical context of the novel
It was published in 1960 during the Cold War and came into popularity in the classroom during the Vietnam War
In Hemingway’s In Our Time, a character tells another soldier that “we’ve made a separate peace.” (This is where Knowles got the title of the novel

6. Environment
The fact that this story is set at a boarding school during a war will be very important to the story. Why might that be?

7. Environment
The fact that this story is set at a boarding school during a war will be very important to the story. Why might that be?
The age of the boys at Devon that the story follows puts them right on the verge of being able to go to war and gives them a safe and isolated place in which young men can train to be athletes or soldiers, scholars or fighters
This causes the setting to “hover precariously between good and evil, innocence and knowledge.”

8. Issues to Look for in the novel
Brotherhood- both the positive and negative aspects such as the camaraderie of the boys during the summer and the betrayals during the school year.
The Search for a System of Belief- throughout the novel, characters will be looking for a way to relate to their changing world and something or someone to believe in.

9. Themes to look for in the novel
Inside/Outside- how a character appears to his or her society (the “outside” self) is often quite different from what he or she thinks, feels, and sense on the inside.
Opposites- Primitive versus civilized, idyllic versus realistic, good versus evil, impulse versus premeditation
Memory- the effect of memory and time on the truth

10. Themes to look for in the novel
Confessions- the effects of confession, and how it enables us to draw memory and truth together
The Dark Side of Human Nature- The dark side of human nature can, through impulsive acts, destroy the civilizing bonds by which a person chooses to restrain it.

11. As we read
You will take notes on how the war is affecting life at Devon as the novel progresses.
You will take notes on the relationship between Gene and Finny

12. Anticipation Guide
Fill out the worksheet and then choose the statement you feel the strongest about. Write a one paragraph explanation of why you feel that way.