Date of Award
1977
Document Type
Senior Scholars Paper (Colby Access Only)
Department
Colby College. English Dept.
Advisor(s)
Sutherland, John H.
Abstract
The novel focuses on the problem of faith, on the acquistion of faith or a point of view on the nature of the self and the universe, and on the subsequent breakdown of that faith and the attempt to forge a new faith out of the ruins of the old faith. The novel is divided into three parts : in Part I the protagonist is a boy and the faith he acquires is largely religious and based on a notion that the universe is constant and in some way good, benevolent ; in part II this original faith is broken down by a series of experiences which lead to realisations that contradict the original faith, the most important of these realisations being the protagonist's growing consciousness of human mortality and the discovery that human potential, specifically his own portential, is not unlimited ; in part III the protagonist attempts to find a point of view on the nature of his own self and his personal universe by withdrawing and looking inward at himself and his past.
Keywords
College prose, American, Maine, Waterville, Colby College
Recommended Citation
Farnham, Kevin, "The seaswan : a first draft for a novel" (1977). Senior Scholar Papers. Paper 409.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/seniorscholars/409
Copyright
Colby College theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed or downloaded from this site for the purposes of research and scholarship. Reproduction or distribution for commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the author.
Comments
Full-text download restricted to Colby College campus only.