EXISTENTIAL ASPECTS IN STONER

 Introduction to the author

and the book
 Themes
 Character of Stoner
 Transition of Stoner
 Glance at the handout
 INTRODUCTION TO AUTHOR AND THE BOOK

 John Edward Williams – (August  Third novel of John Williams

29, 1922 – March 3, 1994) – was  published by Viking Press in
an American author, editor and 1965 – reissued in 1972, 2003
professor and 2006 to widespread critical
 Notable works – Butcher's acclaim
Crossing (1960) Stoner (1965)  After republishing and translation
Augustus (1972) to many European languages –
 Won the National Book Award in sold hundred thousands of copies
1973 for Augustus  Genre – Campus novel –
 English professor at the bildungsroman
University of Denver until he  Plot – life of Stoner – transition
retired in 1985 from a farm boy to a tenured
 Like Stoner, he also experienced professor – academic life –
coworker frustrations – the novel successes and failures of Stoner
in a way reflects his own life

Plight of farmers
• Despite their hard work, Stoner’s
parents find no improvement in
their lives
• Their lives become meaningless.
They have a poor physical as well
as financial condition
• “At thirty his father looked fifty;
stooped by labor … her eyes were
pale and blurred, and tiny wrinkles”
(Chapter I)
• “Their lives had been expended in
cheerless labor, their wills broken,
their intelligence numbed” (Chapter
VII)
THEMES
Passion
• Passion is the central theme of the
novel. Stoner stands as a
personification of passion
• Though he is passive, Stoner puts in
an absolute passion to everything he
does
• “He planned the course during the
week before the opening of the
autumn semester, and saw the kinds
of possibility that one sees as one
struggles” (Chapter II)
• “Thus for more than a year William
kept the house and cared for two
helpless people. He was up before
dawn, grading papers and preparing
lectures; before going to the
University he fed Grace” (Chapter
V)
Pursuit of knowledge
• Stoner finds his love for literature
as the major drive of his life
• It is his thirst for knowledge that
turns him from a farm boy to a
tenured professor
• “In a year he learned Greek and
Latin well enough to read simple
texts; often his eyes were red and
burning from strain” (Chapter I)
• “he glanced at his dissertation …
he considered reworking it into a
book … by early spring he was far
enough to be able to write the first
tentative pages (Chapter V)”
 CHARACTER OF STONER

Stoic and Passionate and

passive committed
William Stoner
Dignified and Indifferent and
genuine self-centred
 TRANSITION OF STONER

Befriends Gordon Finch

Born as a farm boy Finishes PhD with full-
and David Masters –
(1891) attends school time instructorship
refuse to go to war (April
and does farm work (June1918)
1917)

At the age of 19 enters Leaves the Footes’ Meets Edith Elaine

the University of household – stops Bostwick (November
Missouri – stays with working in the farm – 1918) – marries her in
Footes and helps in the teaches two classes February 1919 – Birth of
farm offered by Sloane his daughter in 1923

Second semester drops

science courses and takes Promoted to assistant
Graduates in MA – starts
up English Literature - professor – permanent
his PhD (1916)
Graduates as a Bachelor tenure (Fall of 1925)
of Arts (June 1914)
G L A N C E AT T H E H A N D O U T