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= Look_Homeward_Angel =
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Introduction
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'Look Homeward, Angel: A Story of the Buried Life' is a 1929 novel by
Thomas Wolfe. It is Wolfe's first novel, and is considered a highly
autobiographical American coming-of-age story. The character of Eugene
Gant is generally believed to be a depiction of Wolfe himself. The
novel briefly recounts Eugene's father's early life, but primarily
covers the span of time from Eugene's birth in 1900 to his definitive
departure from home at the age of 19. The setting is a
fictionalization of his home town of Asheville, North Carolina, called
Altamont in the novel.
A restored version of the original manuscript of 'Look Homeward,
Angel', titled 'O Lost', was published in 2000.
Genesis and publication history
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Thomas Wolfe's father, William Oliver Wolfe, ordered an angel statue
from New York and it was used for years as a porch advertisement at
the family monument shop on Patton Avenue (now the site of the Jackson
Building). W. O. Wolfe sold the statue to a family in Hendersonville,
North Carolina in 1906. The angel was then moved to that town's
Oakdale Cemetery. The boarding house run by Eugene Gant's mother,
based on one run by Wolfe's mother, has been called "the most famous
boardinghouse in American fiction."
The title of Thomas Wolfe's novel comes from the John Milton poem
"Lycidas":
::"Look homeward Angel now, and melt with
[
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruth ruth]: And, O ye
Dolphins, waft the hapless youth." (163-164)
Wolfe's original title was 'The Building of a Wall', which he later
changed to 'O Lost'. On the novel's completion, Wolfe gave the vast
manuscript to Scribner editor Maxwell Perkins. Perkins was impressed
with the young author's talent, but requested that Wolfe rewrite the
novel to a more publishable size. The two worked through it together,
and after being trimmed by 60,000 words, the novel was published in
September, 1929. Wolfe became insecure about the editing process after
receiving criticism that the novel was Perkins's almost as much as his
own. This led to an estrangement between the two, and Wolfe eventually
left Scribner. Prior to his death in 1938, Wolfe made amends with
Perkins. Writing in 1947, Perkins stated that he took the book
"substantially as it was," and that "in truth, the extent of cutting
... has somehow come to be greatly exaggerated. Really, it was more a
matter of reorganization."
Descriptions of Altamont are based on Wolfe's home town of Asheville,
North Carolina, and the descriptions of people and family led to
estrangement from many in his hometown. Though often regarded as a
"sentimental tale of growing up," the novel is characterized by a
"dark and troubling" depiction of the times, "full of loneliness,
death, insanity, alcoholism, family dysfunction, racial segregation
and a profoundly cynical view of World War I." Rarely named but
frequently alluded to, the infectious disease tuberculosis
(consumption) casts a "death’s-head shadow" over the novel. Wolfe
later died of the disease.
'O Lost', the original "author's cut" of 'Look Homeward, Angel', was
reconstructed by scholars Arlyn and Matthew Bruccoli and published in
2000 on the centennial of Wolfe's birth. Matthew Bruccoli said that
while Perkins was a talented editor, 'Look Homeward, Angel' is
inferior to the complete work of 'O Lost' and that the publication of
the complete novel "marks nothing less than the restoration of a
masterpiece to the literary canon."
Part One
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The first marriage of Oliver Gant, father of the protagonist, Eugene,
ends in tragedy, after which Oliver becomes an alcoholic; the battle
with alcoholism remains the major struggle of his life. He eventually
remarries, builds a new house, and starts a family. The couple have a
total of six surviving children.
Eugene's birth follows a difficult labor during which his father,
Oliver, is drunk downstairs. Oliver forms a special bond with his son
from early on. He begins to get his drinking under control, although
his marriage becomes strained as Eliza's patience with him grows
thinner.
Despite his flaws, Oliver Gant is the family's keystone; he reads
Shakespeare, has his daughter Helen read poetry, and keeps great fires
burning in the house as symbols of warmth for the family. Eugene's
early education includes several clashes with teachers but he has a
love of books and is bright, much to the pride of both his parents.
His mother continues to baby him, unwilling to see him grow up.
Part Two
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Eugene wins a writing contest and is chosen to attend Altamont Fitting
School and later, the University of North Carolina.
At UNC, he is taken up by the new school principal, John Dorsey
Leonard and wife, Margaret. They form a college prep academy and add
Eugene to the student population at the cost of $100 per year,
grudgingly provided by Eliza. He learns the basics from them both, but
is prompted by Margaret to immerse himself in poetry and ancient
drama. He becomes like a son to them both.
Oldest Gant son, Stevie, is a braggart and an enterprising
entrepreneur, albeit with rotting, painful teeth. Younger son, Luke,
minus the dental ailment, seems to be following in his footsteps, both
hustlers and conmen. Kind, gentle, brooding brother, Ben, grows close
to Eugene and looks out for him.
Part Three
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After his freshman year, Eugene's summer back in Altamont is marked by
him falling in love with a 21-year-old tenant--Laura James--at his
mother's boarding house. Eugene becomes obsessed with Laura and at the
end of the summer, she tells him that she is engaged to be married to
a man in Norfolk, Virginia. Eugene falls into a funk which haunts him
for another two years.
Oliver Gant undergoes radiation treatments for his cancer at Johns
Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore.
Eugene returns to UNC and becomes involved in academic activities
including serving as the editor of the school newspaper, the literary
magazine, and the poetry publication. He joins a drama writer's
seminar and achieves acclaim. In the spring of 1918, his roommate
unexpectedly dies of heart disease, throwing Eugene into another funk.
In the summer of 1918, Eugene works at the shipyards at Norfolk,
hoping to earn extra money for the upcoming school year, but this
instead turns into a nightmare with him living homeless and famished
for most of the summer.
After returning to UNC in the fall of 1918, he is summoned by his
mother to come home immediately because his brother Ben is in a near
coma with pneumonia; he dies soon after. Eugene returns to UNC and
completes his studies. His mentor, English professor Vergil Weldon,
encourages Eugene to apply to Harvard for graduate studies. He tells
his mother of his plans; she begs him to stay at home and work for a
newspaper. Eugene tells Eliza that he has a destiny elsewhere and that
he cannot be boxed in by a small mountain town in North Carolina.
Critical reception
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'Look Homeward, Angel' was published in 1929 to generally positive
reviews in North America, most praising the author's brilliance and
emotional power. One review called it a "sensation", and described it
as having struck the literary world by storm. Despite the novel's
enduring popularity, Wolfe's work has since come to be viewed by many
literary critics (Harold Bloom among them) as undisciplined. According
to Jonathan W. Daniels, those critics wished that "Tom Wolfe's big
sprawling powerful pouring prose would have been served in neater
packages of sweeter stuff."
Adaptations and performances
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Playwright Ketti Frings adapted the novel as a play of the same name.
The play opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre November
28, 1957, and ran for a total of 564 performances, closing on April 4,
1959. In 1958, Frings won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New
York Drama Critics' Circle Award for her adaptation of Wolfe's novel.
The production received Tony Award nominations for Best Play; Best
Actor in a Play (Hugh Griffith and Anthony Perkins); Best Actress in a
Play (Jo Van Fleet); Best Scenic Design (Jo Mielziner); Best Costume
Design (Motley); and Best Director (George Roy Hill).
Frings' adaptation of 'Look Homeward, Angel' was readapted as a
Broadway musical, 'Angel,' which opened at the Minskoff Theatre in New
York on May 4, 1978, and closed May 13 after five performances and
poor reviews. Frings co-wrote the book with the show's lyricist, Peter
Udell, whose lyrics were set to music by Gary Geld. This songwriting
team had created the musicals 'Shenandoah' and 'Purlie' and penned the
hit song "Sealed With a Kiss." 'Angel' was directed by Philip Rose and
choreographed by Robert Tucker. The production featured costumes by
Pearl Somner, lighting design by John Gleason and scenery by Ming Cho
Lee. For her performance in the show, Frances Sternhagen received a
1978 Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
Additionally, Joel Higgins was nominated for a 1978 Drama Desk Award
for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical.
Ketti Frings's screenplay was made into a TV movie, released by NBC in
February 1972. The film was directed by Paul Bogart and starred
Timothy Bottoms as Eugene Gant, E.G. Marshall as W.O. Gant, and
Geraldine Page as Eliza.
In Season 2, Episode 11 Unidentified Female (December 2, 1995) of
Touched by an Angel, the book is part of the story of a young man who
returns home after making his own coming-of-age road trip. Monica is
seen reading Wolfe's book, and she quotes a passage from the novel as
eulogy for a story character who has died accidentally.
In Season 1, Episode 1 of limited series Fellow Travelers (miniseries)
(2023), the book is given as a gift from a devoutly religious man to
his male lover, during the 1950s Lavender Scare.
Related works
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The film 'Genius' (2016) is about Wolfe's life and his relationship
with Maxwell Perkins from the moment Perkins received the manuscript
from a colleague.
In popular culture
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In 1985. Serbian rock band Riblja Čorba released a song named
"Pogledaj dom svoj, anđele" ('Look Homeward Angel' in Serbian).
The film 'Before Sunset' (Linklater, 2004) alludes to the book's note
'to the reader'. In a 2024 podcast, 'Talk Easy with Sam Fragaso',
Linklater reads a portion of the note.
The North Carolina band, Look Homeward, is named after the novel.
In movie 'Chinese Coffee' (2000), one of the protagonists, poor writer
Harry Levine (Al Pacino), is seen with a copy of Thomas Wolfe's 'Look
Homeward, Angel' in his hand in the cafe scenes with his photographer
friend Jake Manheim (Jerry Orbach). Towards the end of the film, both
characters directly mention Thomas Wolfe and quote from 'Look
Homeward, Angel' while walking on the same bridge that Thomas Wolfe
used to walk on when struggling with writer's block and on which the
latter, apparently, had the inspiration come back to him and prompt
him to resume writing.
License
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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_Homeward_Angel
