The Unofficial Autobiography: The Relationship of the Life of John Knowles and “A Separate Peace”

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Throughout time, famous authors have written even more famous books based on their own experiences. Nearly any book can be traced to an event in the author’s life. Whether they do it intentionally or not, these book are basically unofficial autobiographies. While they should not be taken as fact, a reader can come to understand the life of the author, and better understand their work. One famous author, C.S. Lewis, created a beautiful allegory in “The Chronicles of Narnia.” C.S. Lewis was a Christian and Aslan, the main character in the books, was a savior to the world. He modeled Aslan after Jesus Christ. Other famous authors using this technique include J.R.R. Tolkien and John Knowles with his book A Separate Peace. John Knowles was born in Fairmont, West Virginia in 1926. Fairmont was a small mining town where Knowles attended public schools. His father, James M. Knowles, was the vice president and purchasing agent of a coal company earned him a comfortable living. His mother, Mary Beatrice Shea Knowles, taught him how to read and write and instilled in him a love for learning. His parents decided he needed to go to a better than Oyster Bay High school, so at the age of fifteen, he left home for Phillips Exeter Academy. This academy was an elite prep school in New Hampshire. This new school was both socially and academically difficult. He pushed on and eventually enrolled into Yale to study English in 1944. In 1947, Knowles graduated a year early due to his enrollment in the Anticipatory Program during the summer. This session was similar to Devon’s “Summer Session” which was meant to prepare boys for the military. Another similarity, was two rivers at Devon that actually exist at Phillips Exeter College. He joined the milita... ... middle of paper ... ...it. It is not a all true, but its is an unofficial autobiography. Works Cited "A Separate Peace Summary." Study Guides & Essay Editing. Grade Save, 16 Aug. 2000. Web. 02 May 2014. . "C. S. Lewis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May 2014. . Mabe, Chauncey. "Knowles Now Thirty Years After He Wrote A Separate Peace." Sun Sentinel. Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 1987. Web. 06 May 2014. .- "John Knowles." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 May 2014. . "Thornton Wilder." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 May 2014. .

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