IN THE WORLD

by George P. Elliott ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

Elliott has written a number of interesting contemporary novels, most recently David Knudsen which seemed to posit its problem with a good deal more definition and sympathy than is ever achieved here. Somehow the narrative sags under the weight of the discussion of a good many indeterminate intangibles, and some which are less disembodied--namely the sexual activities of all concerned: Alfred Royce, the central character; his wife, Beth; his three daughters; and some of his students. Royce is a teacher in the San Francisco Bay area (near Purktilden, an earlier book) and he is also writing, but since ""civilization is what I am for,"" he may have been wrong in refusing to serve society as a judge. A man of considerable distinction in his field, he is also 'homme moyen sensuel, and after separating from his wife (she is ""flamboyantly neurotic"") he has an affair with the wife of a permissively encouraging friend. Various other amatory attachments are also recorded against a rumbling background of labor and racial discontent--there is a strike, a bombing, and the trail of a man driven to kill two ""avatars of capitalism."" In the process, a good many idealistic and intellectual stances are taken; and Alfred resolves his position as a teacher and a theorist who has not repudiated society but as such is partly ""in the world."" Perhaps the real trouble is that most of the characters' conflicts take place in the head or in the bed, while short-changing any emotional values in between.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1965

Categories: FICTION