Whistlejacket Summary
John Hawkes

Everything you need to understand or teach Whistlejacket by John Hawkes.

Whistlejacket Summary & Study Guide

Whistlejacket Summary

Whistlejacket is a study in human cruelty and how people rationalize it.

The novel sets out in the manner of a domestic romance. Michael, now a fashion photographer, had been taken in and raised by Harold (Hal) Van Fleet, the wealthy owner of Steepleton, a horse breeding farm that stages fox hunts. The novel begins with a description of Michael's sexual awakening, with hints that he and Hal's daughter, Virgie, will become lovers...

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The Whistlejacket Study Pack contains:

Whistlejacket Short Guide

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John Hawkes Biographies (3)

John (Clendennin Burne) Hawkes, (Jr.)

4,848 words, approx. 17 pages

John Hawkes was born in Stamford, Connecticut on 17 August 1925. He married Sophie Goode Tazewell in 1947, and they have four children. Hawkes took his undergraduate degree from Harvard in 1949. He ha... Read more

John (Clendennin Burne) Hawkes, (Jr.)

3,347 words, approx. 12 pages

A writer of highly experimental, nightmarish fiction since 1949, John Hawkes turned to playwriting in 1964. Awarded a Ford Foundation fellowship for work in drama, Hawkes became the writer-in-residenc... Read more

John (Clendennin Burne) Hawkes, (Jr.)

9,428 words, approx. 32 pages

A writer of highly experimental, nightmarish fiction, John Hawkes was one of the most original and uncompromising artists to come out of the post-World War II generation of writers. Challenging establ... Read more

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Whistlejacket SummaryJohn Hawkes