A Boy's Own Story
Encyclopedia
A Boy’s Own Story is a 1982 semi-autobiographical novel by Edmund White
.
and documenting a young man’s experience of homosexuality in the 1950s in New Jersey. The trilogy continued with The Beautiful Room Is Empty
(1988) and The Farewell Symphony
(1997), the latter of which brought the setting up to the 1990s. Although all three share a number of themes and are frequently considered to be at least partly autobiographical, they do not tell a linear story in the manner of some trilogies, and can be read independently of one another.
and Oscar Wilde
's De Profundis
.
Edmund White
Edmund Valentine White III is an American author and literary critic. He is a member of the faculty of Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing.- Life and work :...
.
Overview
A Boy’s Own Story is the first of a trilogy of novels, describing a boy’s coming of ageComing of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
and documenting a young man’s experience of homosexuality in the 1950s in New Jersey. The trilogy continued with The Beautiful Room Is Empty
The Beautiful Room Is Empty
The Beautiful Room Is Empty is a 1988 semi-autobiographical novel by Edmund White.It is the second of a trilogy of novels, being preceded by A Boy's Own Story and followed by The Farewell Symphony...
(1988) and The Farewell Symphony
The Farewell Symphony
The Farewell Symphony is a 1997 semi-autobiographical novel by Edmund White.It is the third of a trilogy of novels, being preceded by A Boy's Own Story and The Beautiful Room Is Empty...
(1997), the latter of which brought the setting up to the 1990s. Although all three share a number of themes and are frequently considered to be at least partly autobiographical, they do not tell a linear story in the manner of some trilogies, and can be read independently of one another.
Plot
The story starts when the narrator, aged 15, experiences the physical side of young love with his twelve-year-old friend Kevin O'Brien. Although he is the younger boy, Kevin takes the lead in the sexual activity. Kevin's remoteness keeps the relationship one-sided; he forgets all about it once each session is over, whereas the narrator gets more and more worried about his deep feelings. As the book progresses, he starts to have cravings for anal penetration. The encounters between the two adolescents become infrequent and are kept in the background, and the narrator's soul-searching about his homosexuality continues.Literary significance and criticism
It has been suggested that A Boy's Own Story combines elements of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...
and Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's De Profundis
De Profundis (letter)
De Profundis is an epistle written by Oscar Wilde during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol, to Lord Alfred Douglas. During its first half Wilde recounts their previous relationship and extravagant lifestyle which eventually led to Wilde's conviction and imprisonment for gross indecency...
.